Summer Term:
The focus this term in school is improvisation and singing and listening are at the heart of each lesson. Alongside our music lessons, Years 3 and 4 will continue to practice their timestable songs and chants daily in preparation for their Multiplication Check and Year 6 will begin to rehearse their Leaver's Assembly. We hope to find time at the end of the year to hold a performance for each class to showcase their musical journey from this academic year!
Year 3 – Enjoying Improvisation:
In this unit, children will improvise over a section of the song. They will explore the structure of a song and recognise patterns. These patterns and structures include: listening, singing, playing, improvising, introduction, verse and chorus. Can they work out where they will improvise the songs in this unit? Can they identify sections of the music that change or repeat? As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how music makes a difference to us every day. Children will be introduced to three songs in three different genres: He's Got The Whole World in His Hands in the style of Gospel, Why Does Music Make a Difference? In the style of Jazz and Panda Extravaganza in the style of Hip Hop. By the end of the unit, children should be able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E, F, F♯, G, G♯, A, B♭, B.
Year 4 – Expression and Improvisation:
In this unit, children will learn that improvisation is a way to express their feelings and that music comes from the heart! They will add dynamics to make their improvisation more impressive. As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music shape our way of life? Children will be introduced to three songs in two different genres: Train Is A-Comin' and Oh Happy Day in the style of Gospel and A World Full of Sound in the style of 20th and 21st Century Orchestral. By the end of this unit, children should be able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E, F, F♯, G, A, B♭, B.
Year 5 – Freedom to Improvise:
In this unit, children will learn improvisation gives them the freedom to express themselves and really go for it! They will learn that an 'interval' in music refers to the distance between two pitches and that some notes lie right next to each other (stepping motion) while other notes lie further apart (skipping motion). When they improvise in this unit, they can challenge themselves by using notes that lie further apart. As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music shape our way of life? Children will be introduced to three songs of three different genres: Look Into The Night in the style of Pop, Breathe in the style of 20th and 21st Century Orchestral and Keeping Time in the Style of Funk. By the end of the unit, children should be able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E♭, E, F, F♯, G, A, B♭, B.
Year 6 – Improvising with Confidence:
In this unit, children will become confident improvisers and create their own personal music ideas. They will consider dynamics and phrasing - a musical sentence. They will explore how phrases fit together to make a melody. They will also consider how changing the dynamics of music will make their music more interesting. They may make gradual changes from soft to loud (crescendo) or from loud to soft (diminuendo) to make their music more exciting! As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music shape our way of life? Children will be introduced to three different songs in three different genres: Wake Up! In the style of Hip Hop, Down by the Riverside in the style of Gospel and Dance the Night Away in the style of Salsa. By the end of the unit, we should be able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, C♯, D, E, F, F♯, G, G♯, A♭, A, B♭, B.
