Year 6 - Music
Introducing polyrhythm
Sing, play, perform: accompanying songs with polyrhythms
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores different rhythm patterns from around the world. Through body percussion pupils play contrasting styles of rhythms and transfer these onto untuned percussion. They play one rhythm against another, building up layers of sound whilst maintaining a secure sense of pulse.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to play two contrasting rhythms as part of an ensemble to create a polyrhythm.
Key Notes
- Different rhythms can be layered and played at the same time, this creates polyrhythm.
- 'Poly' is Greek for 'many', so polyrhythms means 'many rhythms.'
- Combining on-beat and off-beat rhythm patterns creates an interesting polyrhythm.
- One way to notate polyrhythms is on a rhythm grid.
Vocabulary To Learn
- rhythm: the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing
- syncopation: rhythms that emphasise the offbeat
- polyrhythm: playing two or more conflicting rhythms at the same time
- ensemble: a group of people who perform together
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- To create polyrhythms, all rhythms must be complicated.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Different rhythms can be layered and played at the same time, this creates polyrhythm. 'Poly' is Greek for 'many', so polyrhythms means 'many rhythms.'.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'rhythm'
the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: To create polyrhythms, all rhythms must be complicated. Correction: The layered rhythms don't need to be complex, they just need to give a contrasting feel of the beat or metre. It's the layering that makes things more complicated.
More Lessons In This Unit
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