Year 6 - Music
Creating and performing an improvised jazz piece
Compose and rehearse: improvising with the minor pentatonic scale
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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, pupils listen to improvisation in jazz ensembles. Using the minor pentatonic scale on pitched percussion, they learn a minor pentatonic melody and practise tools to guide successful improvisation including repetition and sequencing.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to structure, rehearse and perform a stylistic improvised jazz piece as part of an ensemble.
Key Notes
- Jazz music is often structured like a musical sandwich.
- The head opens and closes the piece, with improvisations in the middle.
- Bars in 4-time can be counted as 1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4, 3 2 3 4, 4 2 3 4 ...
- Improvisation is creative, in-the-moment musical composition.
- However, there are many parts to an improvised performance that can be rehearsed.
Vocabulary To Learn
- structure: the way the music is organised, ordering different sections of a piece
- solo: a piece or section of a piece performed by a single performer
- improvise: to create music in the moment, using the voice or instruments, alone or with others
- head: a term for the main melody or theme in jazz music
- bar: a measure of musical time with a set number of beats (e.g. 4 beats in 4-time)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Improvised music has no structure.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Jazz music is often structured like a musical sandwich. The head opens and closes the piece, with improvisations in the middle.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'structure'
the way the music is organised, ordering different sections of a piece.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Improvised music has no structure. Correction: Jazz pieces are heavily structured around chord sequences, the head and order of improvisatons.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 6 Music guide library.