Instrumental Lesson Plan - Year 1 Lesson 6

In the sixth instrumental lesson for Year 1, young learners are encouraged to develop their musical skills through a series of engaging activities. The lesson's objectives include playing instruments to a steady pulse while singing, focusing on lyrics to cue instrument playing, and improvising melodies on xylophones. To facilitate these objectives, a variety of un-tuned instruments such as tappers, shakers, scrapers, and bells are used, along with two xylophones and a pair of cymbals. The main activities involve interactive music games that integrate these instruments, such as 'Have You Brought Your Talking Voice?', 'Little Rabbit Foo Foo', and 'Diddle Diddle Dumpling'. These games not only incorporate rhythm and timing but also require the children to listen carefully and respond to specific cue words with their instruments.

The lesson also includes an appraisal session where children reflect on their experiences and discuss the challenges they faced. A new game titled 'Anything Goes' encourages improvisation, with children taking turns to create spontaneous music on the xylophones, while another child uses a cymbal to signal the end of their performance. The plenary of the lesson involves singing farewell songs with instrumental accompaniment, focusing on playing to the pulse and using 'thinking voices'. As the lesson concludes, the children are guided to carefully put away the instruments with a song to ensure they are handled respectfully. The lesson is designed to align with the National Curriculum, focusing on using voices expressively, playing instruments musically, experimenting with sounds, and exploring musical elements such as duration, timbre, and pitch.