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Year 2 - Music

Seaside soundscapes

Compose and create: soundscapes of the sea

Unit Summary

In this optional unit, water and classical music examples inspire soundscape compositions as we journey from beach, to open water, rivers and stormy seas. Pupils use pitched and unpitched percussion, vocalisations and body percussion to create their soundscapes, recording these using graphic scores.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create a seaside soundscape, thinking about timbre and dynamics.

Key Notes

  • The material that an instrument is made from will affect the instrument's timbre.
  • Music can create images in our minds, like Le Onde creates images of seaside and waves.
  • We can use percussion instruments to create soundscapes.
  • Graphic scores are one way of capturing our musical ideas.
  • When we make music together, we are an ensemble.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • percussion instrument: a device used to make a musical sound which is played by striking, scraping or shaking
  • soundscape: using sounds to create a feeling, place, or story, making you feel like you are really there, for example, at the seaside
  • graphic score: a way of notating music using symbols, shapes or images
  • timbre: a description of the sound or tone of an instrument
  • ensemble: a group of people who perform together

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The piano is not a percussion instrument.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

The material that an instrument is made from will affect the instrument's timbre. Music can create images in our minds, like Le Onde creates images of seaside and waves.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'percussion instrument'

a device used to make a musical sound which is played by striking, scraping or shaking.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: The piano is not a percussion instrument. Correction: The piano is a percussion instrument because the hammers inside strike the strings.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 2 Music guide library.