Year 3 - Music
Identifying different layers of accompaniment within a piece of music
Playing together: building texture with melody, drone and ostinato
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
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 identify different layers of sound under songs and in music.
Key Notes
- Instruments can be identified by their timbre.
- The more instruments or layers of sound we add, the thicker the texture becomes.
- We can add ostinatos and drones to songs to thicken the texture.
- Feeling the steady pulse helps us to play and sing in time.
Vocabulary To Learn
- texture: the combination of different layers of sounds
- pulse: the regular steady heartbeat of the music
- timbre: a description of the sound or tone of an instrument or voice
- ostinato: a repeating musical pattern that can be rhythmic or melodic
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- We won't be able to hear what instruments are playing when they're playing at the same time.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Instruments can be identified by their timbre. The more instruments or layers of sound we add, the thicker the texture becomes.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'texture'
the combination of different layers of sounds.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: We won't be able to hear what instruments are playing when they're playing at the same time. Correction: We can identify the instruments playing by their unique timbre and tune our ears to recognise each sound.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 3 Music guide library.