Here at the Mobile Music School, we understand that some primary school teachers may not be comfortable teaching music. That’s why we have complied a set of complimentary lesson plans to help out! This set of easy to follow lesson plans has been designed for primary school teachers, helping them to teach music in the classroom, and are all based on the primary school music curriculum. Each plan has a theme, or story, and the teacher guides the class through the story, asking students questions along the way. These skills are intended to be developed over the eight weeks, so don’t be disheartened if the children don’t fully grasp the concepts straight away!
For this week’s lesson, we will focus on Exploring ‘the Beat’.
Teacher’s tip: The beat is the steady pulse that you feel in the tune, like a clock’s tick. It’s the beat you’d naturally clap along to or tap your foot to.
Aims & Objectives
1 – To develop an awareness of the beat
2 – An increased sense of aural awareness
3 – Increased group participation
4 – Understanding of the word TEMPO
Resources Required
Handheld percussion instruments if available.
Activity 1
Count 1 2 3 4 as a class. Count this a few times, and then add a clap to the counting.
Q – Does anybody know what the 1 2 3 4 is called?
Answer: The beat.
Q – Does anybody know which musician in a band is in charge of the beat?
Answer: The drummer.
Tell class: ‘Today we are going to imagine we are like the drummer in a band. We are going to try & keep time/ the beat like a drummer does. This means we have to be really good at counting and listening.’
Activity 2
Get the children to clap the beat again but this time, they will be counting 1 2 3 4 in their heads. This may take a few times for children to grasp.
Activity 3
Get the children to add body percussion or percussion instruments to their clapping.
Activity 4
Tell class that ‘Today we are going to send a clap around the circle.’
Teacher: You clap first and the clap should travel around the circle in an anticlockwise direction. Make sure that each child is aware that they clap once & that they need to wait for their turn. You may need to do this activity more than once. On the second or subsequent attempts allow them to pick their instrument & use it rather than clapping if applicable.
Activity 5
Tell class: ‘I am now going to make one change – I will be counting 1, 2, 3, 4, like how we counted earlier. Your turn may be on 1 or 2 or 3 or 4. You will find out as the note moves around the circle. Make sure you wait for your turn and play your note in time with the beat.’
Remember: Ensure that each participant is clapping or playing their instrument in time with the beat.
Lesson Two- The Marching Band coming soon…….
For more information on the programmes we offer, contact us here.
