Pitch Lesson Plan - Year 5 Lesson 5

In Lesson 5 of the Year 5 Pitch series, students are set to explore the intricacies of creating harmonious music by playing melodies on tuned instruments and crafting accompaniments to a song. The learning objectives are ambitious yet achievable; they aim to construct three layers of sound comprising drones, ostinatos, and melodies, while also maintaining one's own part with a conscious understanding of how it interweaves with the others. The key vocabulary introduced includes terms such as 'pulse', 'rhythm', and solfa syllables like 'La', 'So', 'Mi', 'Re', and 'Do', as well as 'drone' and 'ostinato', which are essential to the lesson's focus on musical texture and structure.

The lesson is rich with activities that encourage active participation and musical experimentation. It begins with a game called 'Pentatonic Melody' where children, seated in a circle, pass a beanbag to the beat of a song, and the one holding the beanbag when the music stops attempts to play a melody using chime bars. This interactive exercise is designed to enhance the students' understanding of pitch and rhythm. Further activities include singing with body actions, playing the pulse on tuned instruments, and performing rhythmic ostinatos. To deepen their musical literacy, students are also given the opportunity to engage with stave notation sheets, both pre-written and blank for their own compositions. The plenary session involves a listening game that sharpens their skills in interval recognition. Throughout the lesson, students' achievements are appraised, with particular attention paid to their ability to maintain a steady pulse and rhythm, and their vocal and instrumental melody execution.