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Year 3 - Music

Drone accompaniments to songs

Playing together: building texture with melody, drone and ostinato

Unit Summary

In this unit, we build the texture in our songs by adding a drone and melodic ostinato. Our focus is on how we rehearse and play together as an ensemble. The songs and instrumental accompaniments are taught through listening, practising and memorising.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to add to the texture of a song by playing a drone.

Key Notes

  • A drone is a continuous or repeated sound that can be played throughout a piece of music.
  • Drones can be played by many instruments including bagpipes, tanpura, and didgeridoos.
  • A drone can accompany a melody to add depth and texture.
  • We can play drones using instruments available to us, including our voices.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • drone: a constant pitched sound that continues throughout a piece of music
  • texture: the combination of different layers of sounds
  • pitch: how high or low a note is

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Drones are boring because they are just a single note.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

A drone is a continuous or repeated sound that can be played throughout a piece of music. Drones can be played by many instruments including bagpipes, tanpura, and didgeridoos.

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

a constant pitched sound that continues throughout a piece of music.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Drones are boring because they are just a single note. Correction: Drones can add depth and a focus point to a piece of music. They can sometimes even be soothing for the listener. A piece of music can be built around a drone.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 3 Music guide library.