During this lesson, we began looking at performing the Twinkle theme on pitched instruments. We used glockenspiels and worked hard to use the notations to ensure we were playing the correct notes with the correct rhythm.
We then thought about how we could create a new variation based upon the changes we had discussed in our previous lesson as well as some new suggestions. Working with a partner, we created a short variation before sharing these with the rest of our crew. We tried to identify how the performers had created their new variation as well as praising and offering critique for improvement next time.
We continued with our work on ‘Trains’ during music by thinking of different sounds that you would hear on a train or that a train makes. We thought about how we could use our voices and body percussion to create these sounds.
We then practised following a conductor using crescendo and diminuendo actions whilst performing the train sounds we had decided upon.
Miss McGlone played us a rhythm using a drum and after a discussion, we decided that this rhythm could be used to represent the wheels of the train. She then used a shaker to play a beat that was twice as fast as the drum. We said that this could represent the passengers on the train jiggling along as the train moved. Finally, she played a guiro that went twice as fast as the shaker. This represented the sound of the engine. We talked about how the drum and the shaker could stay at their original beat whilst all being layered on top of each other. We listened to an example of how each individual beat could be played at the same time to create a piece representing multiple different parts of a train journey.
We are ready to begin creating our own compositions next lesson that include lots of rhythms layered on top of each other, as well as using crescendo and diminuendo techniques.
We began our new music unit ‘Trains’ by thinking about different modes of transport. We then listened to 4 pieces of music inspired by different modes of transport. We had to listen carefully and draw the type of transport we thought was represented by the music.
We were then introduced to the musical terms ‘crescendo’ and ‘diminuendo’. When the music gets louder it is called a ‘crescendo’. When the music fades away and gets quieter it is called ‘diminuendo’. We looked at the symbols that are used in written music to show this.
We practised a short rhythm and repeated this multiple times. We decided on a visual prompt that our conductor (Miss McGlone) could use to show crescendo and diminuendo and as we repeated the rhythm, we followed the actions of the conductor to make it louder or quieter.
We began our new unit of music ‘Musical Conversations’ by listening to a piece of music called ‘Dueling banjos’. We talked about what we noticed was happening in the music and decided it sounded like the instruments were talking to each other and having a conversation. We then got into a circle and using the box of instruments in the middle, two people had a conversation with an instrument of their choice. We thought that we needed to set some rules for the people with the instruments. 1) take turns, 2) you can’t play at the same time, 3) you can play what you like, for as long as you like. We then swapped so everyone had a turn to have a musical conversation with a friend.
We then split into pairs and had our own personal musical conversations only this time, we were thinking about how we might represent different emotions within our conversations (e.g. having an argument, being silly, being happy, being shy etc). Once finished, we then shared some of our conversations with the rest of the class and we had to guess the emotion we thought they were showing.
We continued with our work on ‘Latin Dance’ by learning about Cuban music and where it gets its influences from. We discussed how it uses a special rhythm called the clave rhythm and we used untuned percussion instruments to find the clave rhythm to a song called ‘El manisero (The Peanut Vendor)’.
We then used glockenspiels to practise the A minor and F major chords. Our final performance is going to be a whole class arrangement of ‘Latin Dance’ so we practised adding the chords in alongside singing the lyrics with the backing track. We thought about what we needed to do to make it even better during the next lesson!
We continued with our work on ‘The Doot Doot Song’ by recapping the chord sequence used within the piece. We used the glockenspiels and worked in small groups to create the chords needed. We worked hard to make sure we were all playing at the same time.
We then finished off the lesson by listening to different styles of acoustic guitar music. As ‘The Doot Doot Song’ is an acoustic piece, we talked about the different instruments that layer together to create a piece and how these layers can be different in order to create different variations. We listened to Jolene (Dolly Parton), Blowin’ in the Wind (Bob Dylan), Gone (Jack Johnson and Ben Harper), and Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (Lead Belly). We identified many similarities and differences.
We began our new unit ‘Twinkle Variations’ by looking at a body percussion piece. We had to recognise the actions represented on the diagram before performing as a whole class. We felt like we recognised the rhythm of the piece and the more we practised, we began to realise it was the same tune as ‘Twinkle Twinkle’.
We discussed how composers could take a simple theme, like ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ and make subtle changes here and there to create a completely new variation. They could alter the speed and tempo, the rhythm and the order.
We then listened to some of Mozart’s twinkle variations. Whilst listening, we thought about the changes Mozart had made to create a new variation. Some were trickier than others to appraise!
As part of our snapshot of learning, we looked at a song called ‘I Wanna Sing Scat’. After listening to the song and identifying some of the areas where lyrics were easy to pick up, we talked about the rhythm and how some of the lyrics only happen on certain beats. We spent a lot of time looking at how the rhythm and beats affected the sound of the piece as there were main lyrics, and then different backing vocals. It was a really tricky concept to get our heads round but we persevered and in the end when we split into two groups, it began to sound really professional!
To finish our work on ‘You To Me Are Everything’ by The Real Thing, we practised iconic disco dance moves to get our bodies warmed up. We then performed the initial verse and chorus of ‘You To Me Are Everything’ before further exploring cover versions of the same song by Karizma Duo and The Jetfighters. We discussed similarities and differences before looking in more detail at the tempo, pitch and the instruments used in each piece and how this changed the feel of the music.
As part of our snapshot, we recapped a song called ‘Tongo’. We warmed our voices up using an activity called ‘Plasticine Person’ We then practised performing the song using a call-and-response technique. Once we had mastered the structure, we added in a drone using the note D on a glockenspiel alongside our singing.
