Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore texture by adding untuned percussion layers to songs and chants. Using repeated rhythms, pupils will develop their sense of pulse and accuracy of rhythm. They will identify rhythmic ostinati in listening examples and begin to describe texture.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use percussion instruments to add musical punctuation to songs and chants.

Key Notes

• The rhythm is the pattern of the lyrics we sing or chant.
• We can work out the rhythm of a word using syllables.
• Stick notation can be used to notate rhythms.
• Takadimi is a rhythm where there are four equal sounds within one beat.
• Unpitched percussion instruments can be used to highlight rhythms in a song or chant.

Vocabulary To Learn

• beat: the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock
• rhythm: the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing
• syllable: a part of a word
• stick notation: a way of writing music down
• unpitched percussion: an instrument that makes a sound when you strike, shake, or scrape it, but doesn't have a specific note or pitch

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Each sound in a rhythm is a beat.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Building texture with a rhythmic ostinato Study Guide
• Chanting and singing in time Study Guide
• Playing and singing simultaneously Study Guide
• Rehearsing layers of unpitched accompaniments under a chant Study Guide
• Rehearsing layers of unpitched accompaniments under a song Study Guide