Instrumental Lesson Plan - Year 1 Lesson 5

The fifth lesson in the Year 1 instrumental activities series is designed to enhance the young students’ ability to accompany their singing with both tuned and untuned instruments. The main objective is for the children to play instruments in a group setting, maintaining a steady pulse and accurate rhythms, while also associating different rhythm symbols with various instrumental sounds. The key rhythm symbols introduced in this lesson are 'Ta', 'Te-te', and 'sh' for rest.

The lesson utilises a range of resources including instruments that can be tapped, such as hand drums or woodblocks, and specific G and E chime bars for creating tuned sounds. The main activities involve a series of interactive tracks that guide the children through various musical exercises. These include learning a new song called 'Down the Road', tapping the pulse on knees, clapping out rhythms, and eventually playing these rhythms on instruments. The children are divided into groups to focus on different rhythm symbols, and the lesson is concluded with a rhythm and action game that further reinforces their understanding of 'Ta', 'Te-te', and 'sh'. The plenary involves singing and finger-wiggling activities to gently wrap up the session. Teacher notes suggest discussing rhythm with children by relating it to the pattern of words, offering additional teaching tips, and referencing the National Curriculum outcomes for music education.