1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

Mu si c
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
This unit develops children's ability to recognise, and use, pentatonic scales and create
short melodies and accompaniments.
Click here to view the plans:
Medium term plan
1st lesson plan
2nd lesson plan
3rd lesson plan
4th lesson plan
5th lesson plan
6th lesson plan
Glossary
For definitions of musical
vocabulary, click here.
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For alternative themes and activities, click here!
25
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
MEDIUM TERM PLAN
Learning Objectives
Teaching Activities
Learning Outcomes
Children should learn
With your class
Children
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS A PENTATONIC SCALE?
st
1
• about pentatonic scales and how
they are used in music
1. Sing the song Old MacDonald had a
glock
2. Work out the melody of Old
MacDonald had a glock by ear
3. Identify what is meant by pentatonic
scale, using Old MacDonald had a
glock as an example
• identify pentatonic scales in songs
EXPLORATION: HOW CAN WE USE A PENTATONIC SCALE?
• about pentatonic scales and how
they are used in music
nd
2
3
4
rd
th
• identify pentatonic scales in songs
1. Sing the pentatonic song What you
got?
2. Accompany the song using notes from
the C pentatonic
3. Perform and appraise a performance of
the song accompanied by notes of the
C pentatonic
• how simple tunes can be based on 1. Improvise one line of a tune using
• improvise simple tunes based on
notes from the C pentatonic scale
a pentatonic scale
the pentatonic scale
2. Improvise a line with a more complex
rhythm pattern
3. Combine rhythm and melody in What
pattern’s this?
• how to create different textures
using the pentatonic scale
1. Sing two pentatonic songs at the
same time
2. Add an accompaniment to What you
got? and Old MacDonald had a glock
3. Record and appraise a class
performance of the two songs
• perform together keeping a steady
beat
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: COMPOSING A PENTATONIC PIECE
th
5
6
th
• create a class song
• how to create a class performance 1. Learn about the perceptions of
dragons in different cultures
• create an accompaniment to the
2. Create text for a Chinese dragon song song
3. Create music for the Chinese dragon
song
• how to create a class performance 1. Perform the Chinese dragon song to a • create a class song
backing track
• create an accompaniment to the
song
2. Play the conductor game to perform
the Chinese dragon song
3. Present the class Chinese dragon song
to a friendly audience
26
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
st
1
LESSON PLAN
Learning Objectives
Children should learn
• about pentatonic scales and how they are
used in music
Learning Outcomes
Children
• identify pentatonic scales in songs
RESOURCES AND
PREPARATION
• CD track: 45
• Prepare the words of the
song to display on a
whiteboard if required
• A selection of tuned
percussion notes
C D E G A and beaters
Teaching Activities
1 Sing the song Old MacDonald had a glock
• Copies of the Pitch puzzle
p1 and p2 and Which
pitch? photocopiables
(book, pp33–35)
45
The class learns new words to a well-known traditional tune to introduce them to the
notes of the C pentatonic scale.
• Print out a copy of the
answer sheet from the
CD-ROM if needed
VOCABULARY:
2 Work out the melody of
Old MacDonald had a glock by ear
33
p
34
p
35
p
The children focus their listening skills and practise developing their inner ear. Working
out how to play a melody by ear is very good for children’s musical development and for
helping them to sing a song more accurately. It focuses their attention on the exact
notes of the melody.
SUPPORT: ask everyone to copy the shape of the melody using their hands as you work
out the notes.
3 Identify what is meant by pentatonic scale, using
Old MacDonald had a glock as an example
The children learn that pentatonic scales have five notes and are used as the basis for
many tunes.
pentatonic scale: a five
note scale
scale: an arrangement of
notes in order of pitch from
low to high, or vice versa
glockenspiel: a tuned
percussion instrument with
metal bars
step movement: notes of a
melody which move stepwise
up or down
pitch: refers to the complete
range of sounds in music
from the lowest to the
highest
Lesson
Extension
Can the children pick out
the melody for Old
MacDonald had a glock
starting on a different
note?
27
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
nd
2
LESSON PLAN
Learning Objectives
Children should learn
• about pentatonic scales and how they are
used in music
Learning Outcomes
RESOURCES AND
PREPARATION
Children
• identify pentatonic scales in songs
• CD tracks: 46–47
• Prepare the words of the
song to display on a
whiteboard if required
• A selection of untuned
and tuned percussion
notes C D E G A and
beaters
Teaching Activities
• Recording equipment to
record the performance
1 Sing the pentatonic song What you got?
46
VOCABULARY:
Children broaden their repertoire of pentatonic songs.
pentatonic scale
2 Accompany the song using notes from the
accompaniment: the
underlying sounds used to
support a melody line
46
C pentatonic
drone: a sound, or sounds,
played constantly throughout
all or part of a piece of music
as an accompaniment
Children learn how the notes of a pentatonic scale can be used to form
accompaniments as well as melodies.
SUPPORT: playing the steady beat is an easier accompaniment than the drone.
3 Perform and appraise a performance of the
song accompanied by notes of the C pentatonic
47
dynamics/volume: the
volume of the music, usually
described in terms of
loud/quiet
Children perform their song and record their progress so far.
Lesson
Extension
Make up accompaniments
in a similar way for the
song Old MacDonald had
a glock.
28
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
rd
3
LESSON PLAN
Learning Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Children should learn
• how simple tunes can be based on a
pentatonic scale
Children
• improvise simple tunes based on the
pentatonic scale
RESOURCES AND
PREPARATION
• CD tracks: 48–52
• Make performance cards
from the photocopiable
(book, p38)
• A selection of untuned
and tuned percussion
notes C D E G A and
beaters
Teaching Activities
VOCABULARY:
1 Improvise one line of a tune using
48-49
38
p
notes from the C pentatonic scale
Children are given prompt cards to help them experiment inventing a melodic pattern.
They listen to each other’s melodic patterns to work out the relative pitch of each note
played and develop their aural awareness of pitch.
2 Improvise a line with a more complex
50-51
rhythm pattern
Children have an opportunity to invent a rhythm pattern in a given space.
pitch
rhythm: patterns of long
and short sounds played
within a steady beat
pulse/beat: pulse and beat
are used synonymously to
refer to the regular heartbeat
of the music - the ‘steady
beat’
improvise: inventing music
as you go along
pentatonic scale
3 Combine rhythm and melody in What
52
pattern’s this?
score: all the parts of a
piece written down
notation: ways of writing
music down
Children invent rhythm and melodic movement for a line of a song.
SUPPORT: tap the steady beat or count 1 2 3 4 whilst each child improvises their line to
help them play rhythmically.
Lesson
Extension
Can they write down using
music notation or in
picture format the melody
they improvised? Write a
class score for their piece.
29
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
th
4
LESSON PLAN
Learning Objectives
Children should learn
• how to create different textures using the
pentatonic scale
Learning Outcomes
Children
• perform together keeping a steady beat
RESOURCES AND
PREPARATION
• CD tracks: 45–46, 53
• A selection of untuned
and tuned percussion
notes C E G and beaters
• Recording equipment to
record their work
• Prepare the words of the
song to display on a
whiteboard if required
Teaching Activities
1 Sing two pentatonic songs at the
45-46
53
VOCABULARY:
same time
Children use two songs that they are familiar with to practise singing different parts.
They each sing their allocated song following the same beat and at the same time.
pentatonic scale
pulse/beat
accompaniment
rhythm
2 Add an accompaniment to What you got?
53
and Old MacDonald had a glock
Accompaniment parts enhance the songs and help everyone identify the steady beat.
3 Record and appraise a class performance of the two
songs
structure: most music is
underpinned by a structure
which be may as simple as
beginning, middle and end
melodic phrase: a small
unit of a melody, a phrase
often corresponds to a line
of a song
Keeping a record of work in progress enables opportunity for reflection and
improvement.
SUPPORT: when practising, let one half sing and the other chant the words and then
swap over.
Lesson
Extension
Can they perform the two
songs together with their
accompaniment but
without the CD?
Individuals may take on
the responsibility of
conducting a group.
30
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
th
5
LESSON PLAN
Learning Objectives
Children should learn
• how to create a class performance
Learning Outcomes
RESOURCES AND
PREPARATION
Children
• create a class song
• CD track: 54
• create an accompaniment to the song
• Set up a computer to
watch videoclip 12
• 8 sets of tuned
percussion notes C D E G
A and beaters
Teaching Activities
VOCABULARY:
1 Learn about the perceptions of dragons in
12
different cultures
pentatonic scale
melodic phrase
Children learn about dragons in different cultures to gain an understanding of the music
they are going to create. They build a bank of descriptive words that may be included in
the lyrics of their song.
2 Create text for a Chinese dragon song
lyrics: the words of a song
body percussion: sounds
that can be made using
parts of the body, eg
clapping, tapping knees ...
12
Children use their imaginations to invent a class sequence of descriptive phrases about
dragons which they will use as the lyrics for a class song.
SUPPORT: you could use an already composed dragon poem or extracts of dragon
poems for the lyrics of your song.
3 Create music for the Chinese dragon song
54
The children create a class song by contributing a melodic phrase per group to go with
the lyrics.
Lesson
Extension
Create lyrics for another
song in the same way and
compose a pentatonic
melody for the lyrics.
31
Glossary
Mu si c
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
Exp re ss
Book
3
Dragon scales
Exploring pentatonic scales
th
6
LESSON PLAN
Learning Objectives
Children should learn
• how to create a class performance
Learning Outcomes
RESOURCES AND
PREPARATION
Children
• create a class song
• CD track: 55
• create an accompaniment to the song
• 8 sets of tuned
percussion notes C D E G
A and beaters
• Arrange a friendly
audience for the class to
perform their work to
Teaching Activities
VOCABULARY:
1 Perform the Chinese dragon song to
55
melodic phrase
a backing track
drone
The children remind themselves of the melodic phrase they composed last week, and
practise performing in time to a backing track.
conductor: the person
elected to lead the group
structure
2 Play the conductor game to perform the
55
Chinese dragon song
The children learn to perform as directed and take part in a whole class ensemble.
Individual children develop the skills of directing and composing.
3 Present the class Chinese dragon song to
55
a friendly audience
The children experience participating in a class performance and performing to the best
of their ability.
SUPPORT: children who have difficulty playing to a five-beat pattern should be seated
next to a more confident child.
Lesson
Extension
Find a way of writing down
the structure of the class
Chinese dragon song.
32
Glossary
accompaniment
the underlying sounds used to
support a melody line
body percussion
sounds that can be made
using parts of the body, eg
clapping, tapping knees ...
call and response
the call may differ, but the
response is always the same
cluster
a group of notes that are close
in pitch and sounded together
conductor
the person elected to lead the
group
drone
a sound, or sounds, played
constantly throughout all or
part of a piece of music as an
accompaniment
duration
the word used in music to refer
to the length of a sound or
silence
dynamics/volume
the volume of the music, usually
described in terms of loud/quiet
glockenspiel
a tuned percussion instrument
with metal bars
graphic notation
a form of notation in which the
composer freely invents symbols
which give an impression of
sound
graphic score
a score in which musical
intention is recorded by means
of graphic notation
hastha
a traditional Indian hand
movement
improvise
inventing music as you go
along
interval
the distance between two
notes
lyrics
the words of a song
melodic phrase
a small unit of a melody, often
corresponding to a line of a
song
musical elements
pitch, rhythm, timbre, dynamics,
tempo, duration, texture,
structure (see definitions)
notation
ways of writing music down
ostinato (plural ostinatos/
ostinati)
a short rhythmic or melodic
pattern that is repeated over
and over
pentatonic scale
a five note scale
phrase
a short section of music
pitch
refers to the complete range of
sounds in music from the
lowest to the highest
programme music
music that tells a story, paints
a picture or creates a mood
pulse/beat
pulse and beat are used
synonymously to refer to the
regular heartbeat of the music
- the ‘steady beat’
rhythm
patterns of long and short
sounds played within a steady
beat
www.acblack.com/musicexpress
scale
an arrangement of notes in
order of pitch from low to
high, or vice versa
score
all the parts of a piece written
down
step movement
notes of a melody which move
stepwise up or down
structure
most music is underpinned by
a structure which may be as
simple as beginning, middle
and end
tempo (plural tempi)
the speed at which music is
performed, usually described in
terms of fast/slow
texture
layers of sound, eg the two
layers of sound created by a
melody accompanied by a
drum beat
timbre
quality of sound, eg squeaky.
All instruments, including voices,
have a particular sound quality
which is referred to as timbre
track list
a list of songs or other pieces
of music in a set order
tuned percussion
the family of instruments
which includes chime bar,
glockenspiel, hand chime,
metallophone, tubular bell,
xylophone
untuned percussion
percussion instruments which
make sounds of indefinite pitch
xylophone
a tuned percussion instrument
with wooden bars