Instrumental - Year 5 Activity Sheet 2

Year 5 students are invited to engage in a series of musical activities outlined in Activity Sheet 2, designed to enhance their understanding of pulse and rhythm through a piece titled "Great Big House." The activities are structured to be completed sequentially, ensuring that each step is mastered before proceeding to the next. Initially, the children are asked to sing the song while tapping the pulse—a steady beat—on their knees. This helps them internalize the tempo of the music.

Progressing through the tasks, the children move on to singing while clapping out the rhythm, which involves the pattern of sounds and silences in the song. They then transition to thinking the words silently while continuing to clap the rhythm, before finally playing the rhythm on instruments. An exercise in multitasking follows, where half of the group plays the pulse while the other half plays the rhythm, both groups using 'thinking voices'—an internalised vocalisation. The students also learn to sing and play an ostinato, a repetitive musical phrase, and are encouraged to create their own ostinato as an extension activity. The final challenge involves dividing the group so that some play the pulse, others the rhythm, and the rest the ostinato, creating a layered musical texture. These activities form part of the curriculum for Year 5 Lesson 3 from the Active Music series.