<h4>Keeping a Steady Pulse</h4><p>You'll need to remind the children to keep a steady pulse - by now they will be starting to grasp the concept of 'steady pulse'. Here's an example of children playing with a steady pulse:</p>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

<h3>Frosty Snowball (pulse)</h3><p>This is a passing-in-time game in which the children pass the 'snowball' on the strong beats, which sound like the most important words, like this:</p><p><strong>FROSTY</strong> snowball, <strong>PASS</strong> it on ... and ... Get <strong>RID</strong> of the frosty <strong>SNOW</strong>ball.</p><p>It helps to pat knees on the strong beats before you begin passing the snowball round. Perhaps a fluffy, white ball might be more convincing as a snowball? </p>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Frosty snowball (pulse) - Video

<h4>We've Got It!</h4><p>The children are starting to pass in time with the music here.</p>   

We've got it - Video

<h4>Not Keeping a Steady Pulse</h4><p>This is an example of children playing the same instruments in the same order but without a steady pulse. You could ask the children which of these two performances has a steady pulse (closed question - it's the first one) and which they prefer (open question - it's their opinion).</p>        

Not keeping a steady pulse - Song

<h3>Frosty Snowball (pulse)</h3><p>This is a passing-in-time game in which the children pass the 'snowball' on the strong beats, which sound like the most important words, like this:</p><p><strong>FROSTY</strong> snowball, <strong>PASS</strong> it on ... and ... Get <strong>RID</strong> of the frosty <strong>SNOW</strong>ball.</p><p>It helps to pat knees on the strong beats before you begin passing the snowball round. Perhaps a fluffy, white ball might be more convincing as a snowball? </p>                                                                <div class="video">    <div class="embed">                    <iframe class="lazy_embed" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/399631974?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;color=A2D6BD" allowfullscreen="">            </iframe>            </div></div>                                                                <h4>We've Got It!</h4><p>The children are starting to pass in time with the music here.</p>                                                                <div class="video">    <div class="embed">                    <iframe class="lazy_embed" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/399632246?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;color=A2D6BD" allowfullscreen="">            </iframe>            </div></div>                                                                <h3>Spring Summer Autumn Winter music (timbre, pulse, rhythm)</h3><p>In a circle, first everyone chant the words: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter lots of times, walking on the spot, in time, as you chant. Next, divide the group into four. Each group is allocated a season and plays sounds in time with their season, as everyone chants:</p><ul><li>Spring - rattle a tin containing rice, once</li><li>Summer - click two wooden paintbrushes together, twice</li><li>Autumn - tap a plastic cup with a plastic spoon, twice</li><li>Winter - bang two metal spoons together, twice</li></ul><p>The children will need to practise keeping in time and making their sound only when it's their turn, in time with the chanting. </p><h4>Group work with instruments (timbre, pulse, rhythm)</h4><p>In groups of four, the children swap their 'found sound' for an instrument eg: </p><ul><li>Spring - scraper </li><li>Summer - drum</li><li>Autumn - claves </li><li>Winter - shaker </li></ul><p>Now they take it in turns to play just their sound with a steady pulse but no chanting. Draw attention to the different <em>timbres</em> (sounds) made by the instruments compared with the found sounds. </p><h4>Keeping a Steady Pulse</h4><p>You'll need to remind the children to keep a steady pulse - by now they will be starting to grasp the concept of 'steady pulse'. Here's an example of children playing with a steady pulse:</p>                                                                <audio class="lazy_av" controls="" controlslist="nodownload">    <source src="https://rippleeducation.blob.core.windows.net/media/in_time_seasons.mp3" type="audio/mp3"></source></audio>                                                                <p>Below is an example of children playing the same instruments in the same order but without a steady pulse. You could ask the children which of these two performances has a steady pulse (closed question - it's the first one) and which they prefer (open question - it's their opinion).</p>                                                                <audio class="lazy_av" controls="" controlslist="nodownload">    <source src="https://rippleeducation.blob.core.windows.net/media/out_of_time_seasons.mp3" type="audio/mp3"></source></audio>                                                                <h4>Cross curricular Activity (art)</h4><p>The children could next have fun making colorful graphic representations of the music. In groups, they make four really big, wax crayon pictures or paintings: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Put them up on the wall in order, with the 'found sound' instruments on a shelf or table underneath the matching picture. </p>                                                                    <div class="img img_sml">        <img class="lazy_img" src="https://rippleeducation.blob.core.windows.net/media/Jane_Hayes_big_picture.png" alt="Jane Hayes Big Picture">    </div>                                                                <p>Picture by kind permission of <a href="Picture%20by%20kind%20permission%20of%20Jane%20Hayes">Jane Hayes</a></p>

The Weather & the Seasons Level: Key Stage 1 - Skills & games

Kindergarten

1st Grade

Music

Keeping a steady pulse - Song

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Keeping a steady pulse - Song

Music Resource Description

Keeping a Steady Pulse