Year 9 - Music
Learning Pompeii extended melody in unison and simple harmony
Year 9 song guides 2
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
The song guides cover a diverse selection of songs, designed to develop vocal technique, musical expression and ensemble skills, and building confidence and musical literacy. They can be broken down across multiple lessons and intergrated into the sequence, but can also be taught as full lessons.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to sing the melody of Pompeii in unison and a higher harmony part in the pre-chorus and chorus.
Key Notes
- Pop songs often use a verse-chorus structure.
- Songwriters can add interest to different sections of a song by exploring different vocal registers and note durations.
- Syncopation adds energy and drive to a melody.
- Some harmony lines use a homophonic texture, meaning they use the same words and rhythms but sung at a different pitch.
Vocabulary To Learn
- syncopation: a rhythm which emphasises (accents) notes in between the main beats, often referred to as off-beat rhythms
- harmony: the notes that accompany the melody
- unison: the name given to music where everyone sings the same pitch at the same time
- vocal register: the higher or lower parts of your singing voice
- melisma: when a single syllable is sung over more than one note
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- We always count "1,2,3,4" when starting a song
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Pop songs often use a verse-chorus structure. Songwriters can add interest to different sections of a song by exploring different vocal registers and note durations.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'syncopation'
a rhythm which emphasises (accents) notes in between the main beats, often referred to as off-beat rhythms.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: We always count "1,2,3,4" when starting a song. Correction: Some songs might be in different time signatures, or in this case it might be in 4/4 but begin with a syncopated note before the first beat of the bar, meaning a count of "1,2,3" then leaving space to count "4" in your head can be easier.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Music guide library.