Year 6 - Music
Improvising a phrase using the D minor pentatonic scale
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 improvise stylistic and effective short phrases using the minor pentatonic scale.
Key Notes
- In jazz, the head is followed by a series of improvisations.
- Although improvising is making music in-the-moment, considering the elements can help create a stylistic improvisation.
- Practising is skill and there are many strategies you can use to improve your time spent practising.
Vocabulary To Learn
- jazz: a music genre that emerged from African-American communities in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterised by improvisation
- head: a term for the main melody or theme in jazz music
- improvisation: creative, in-the-moment musical composition
- phrase: a musical thought, like a sentence in a story
- bar: a measure of musical time with a set number of beats (e.g. 4 beats in 4-time)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Improvisation is music completely made up on the spot.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
In jazz, the head is followed by a series of improvisations. Although improvising is making music in-the-moment, considering the elements can help create a stylistic improvisation.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'jazz'
a music genre that emerged from African-American communities in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterised by improvisation.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Improvisation is music completely made up on the spot. Correction: Improvised music is not completely made up on the spot. Preparation and the practising of musical ideas is important. It is more a form of spontaneous reconstruction of musical ideas built upon knowledge and practice.
More Lessons In This Unit
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