Study Guides

Unit Summary

This unit explores the different sounds and feelings associated with major and minor tonality explicitly. The pupils sing a variety of songs, some in a major key and some in a minor key. They use pitched percussion instruments to add different accompaniments to these.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to build texture as part of an ensemble, accompanying songs with a drone and melodic ostinato.

Key Notes

• Rehearsing together helps us prepare for a performance.
• We can learn strategies that help us work together as an ensemble.
• We can add multiple layers of sound to build a more complex accompaniment for a song.
• We need to consider the dynamic balance to make sure the accompaniment does not take over the main melody.

Vocabulary To Learn

• drone: a constant, pitched sound that continues throughout a piece of music
• melodic ostinato: a repeating musical pattern that uses notes of differing pitch
• rehearsal: a practice session in which a performance is prepared
• ensemble: a group of people who perform together
• tonality: the organisation of notes around a central note, the tonic, which helps to shape the music's sound and character

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Practising and rehearsing are the same thing.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Building texture with a melodic ostinato Study Guide
• Building texture with a minor accompaniment Study Guide
• Folk songs and the major pentachord Study Guide
• Folk songs and the minor pentachord Study Guide
• Major and minor tonality folk songs Study Guide