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Year 3 - Music

Singing and identifying the major pentatonic scale

Compose and Create: major pentatonic melodies

Unit Summary

Pupils discover the power and versatility of the pentatonic scale. Pupils learn that pentatonic music is found around the world and sing pentatonic songs from every continent. A three-line simplified stave is used for notation. Pupils play and compose pentatonic melodies on tuned percussion.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to sing major pentatonic folk songs and know that the major pentatonic is a five note scale.

Key Notes

  • Pentatonic scales are found in many ancient civilisations.
  • Many folk songs around the world use the notes of the major pentatonic scale.
  • The major pentatonic scale uses five notes. We call these do, re, mi, so, la.
  • The sound of the major pentatonic scale might be described as bright, happy, light or joyous.
  • Hand signs can be used to show different notes in a melody.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • folk song: a song that originates from a particular country, culture or people that is usually passed down orally
  • note: a single sound in music
  • scale: a series of notes arranged in an ascending or descending order
  • pentatonic: a scale five notes
  • major: a specific musical tonality that might be described as joyous, bright or cheerful

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The major pentatonic scale comes from a simplified version of the major (heptatonic) scale.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Pentatonic scales are found in many ancient civilisations. Many folk songs around the world use the notes of the major pentatonic scale.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'folk song'

a song that originates from a particular country, culture or people that is usually passed down orally.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: The major pentatonic scale comes from a simplified version of the major (heptatonic) scale. Correction: The major pentatonic scale comes from ancient civilisations and is not a simplified form of the heptatonic scale. Pentatonic music, in its various forms, is found in folk music from all around the world.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 3 Music guide library.