<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 colourful 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

Year 1

Year 2

Music

Keeping a steady pulse - Song

Music Playtime has been created by a Key Stage 1 and Early Years Music education specialist. The schemes are built in recognition of the fact that most primary teachers are not music specialists. Access the knowledge and the ideas you need to feel confident teaching music.

Keeping a steady pulse - Song

Music Resource Description

Keeping a Steady Pulse