Grade by Grade
A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: Singing, Playing and Making Music

C1.1 C1.3 C1.4 C2.3About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can sing songs in unison with others, starting and stopping together.
  • I can use good singing habits: tall posture, breathing, listening.
  • I can play a simple accompaniment, like a steady beat, on a home-made instrument.
  • I can make up a short piece of music for a purpose, like a wake-up song.
  • I can say what I do well as a singer and music maker, and what I want to work on.

Words to know

sing in unison
Everyone singing the same tune at the same time.
accompaniment
Music played along with a song to support it, like tapping a steady beat on a drum while others sing.
instrument
Something used to make music, like a drum, shaker, guitar or recorder.
percussion
Instruments you shake, tap or hit, like drums, shakers and bells.
body percussion
Making music with your body: clapping, snapping, patting and stomping.
compose
To make up your own music.
posture
How you hold your body. Good singing posture is standing or sitting tall.

Everyone can make music!

Have you ever sung "Happy Birthday" with your family? Everyone sings the same song at the same time. That is called singing in unison.

Today you will sing, play your own instruments and even compose (make up) your own music!

Good singing habits

  1. Stand or sit tall, with your feet flat and shoulders relaxed.
  2. Breathe in before you sing, like smelling a flower.
  3. Listen to the others so everyone sings together.
  4. Use your singing voice, not a shouting voice.
  5. Start together and stop together. Watch the leader!
head up, eyes on the leadershoulders relaxedbreathe in like smelling a flowerfeet flat on the floorstand tall
Good singing habits: stand tall, relax your shoulders, breathe in before you sing, and watch the leader.

Your four voices

You have four voices:

  • Whisper voice (very soft, no tune)
  • Talking voice
  • Calling voice ("Yoo-hoo!" across the park)
  • Singing voice (with a tune)

Practise switching between them. Singers use the singing voice.

Instruments at home

You don't need a store to have an orchestra! You can make percussion instruments:

  • Shaker: dry rice or beans in a plastic container with a tight lid.
  • Drum: an upside-down pot or plastic bucket with a wooden spoon.
  • Sticks: two wooden spoons tapped together.
  • Body percussion: clap, snap, pat your knees, stomp your feet.
An upside-down pot with a wooden spoon, two more wooden spoons and a plastic container of dry rice on a kitchen table.
A kitchen orchestra! The pot is a drum, the spoons are sticks and the container of rice can be a shaker. AI-generated image
🥁🥄🥄👏🦶
A home band: a drum, two spoons, clapping hands and stomping feet.

Accompaniment

An accompaniment is music you play along with a song to support it. The easiest accompaniment is a steady beat.

While your family sings, you can tap the beat on your drum. You are the band!

You can also play a short pattern over and over, like ta ta ti-ti ta, all through the song.

Just for fun

What is a home-made shaker's favourite supper?

Rice and beans! (That's what goes inside it.)

Worked example

Example: Sing and play an accompaniment

Let's sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and add an accompaniment with a shaker.

  1. Sing the song once with good posture. Breathe in before you start.
  2. Find the beat. Pat your knees: row (pat), row (pat), row your (pat), boat (pat)...
  3. Now shake the shaker on each pat instead. Keep it steady.
  4. Sing and shake together. If the shaker gets too loud, play more softly so the singing can be heard.

The shaker plays a steady beat accompaniment while the voices sing the tune in unison. Playing softly lets the words be heard.

Worked example

Example: Compose a wake-up song

Make up a short song to wake up a sleepy teddy bear. It is for a purpose (waking up) and for a familiar audience (your family).

  1. Think about the purpose: waking up. Should it start soft and get louder? Yes, so the bear isn't scared!
  2. Make up words: "Wake up, Ted-dy, time to play!"
  3. Find a rhythm: wake (ta), up (ta), Ted-dy (ti-ti), time (ta), to (ta), play (ta). Clap it.
  4. Choose a tune. Start low and go up on "play!", like waking up and stretching.
  5. Add an instrument: soft taps on the drum at the start, louder at the end.
  6. Perform it for your family and tell them what your song is for.

Our wake-up song starts soft and low and gets louder and higher to match waking up. Composers choose the music to fit the purpose.

Hands-on activity

Make a shaker and start a band

You need: a clean plastic container or bottle with a tight lid, a handful of dry rice or beans, and tape. A grown-up should check the lid is shut tightly.

  1. Pour the rice into the container. Close the lid and tape it shut.
  2. Shake it loudly, then softly. Shake it fast, then slowly.
  3. Try different fillings (beans, pasta, buttons). Which sounds best? Each has a different timbre!
  4. Sing a favourite song with your family while you shake a steady beat.
  5. Afterwards, tell one thing you did well and one thing to work on.

Safety: small fillings can be a choking hazard for babies and toddlers. Keep the lid taped shut.

Your turn

1

Sing "Happy Birthday" with a grown-up. Did you start and stop together?

2

Show good singing posture.

3

Name two percussion instruments you could make at home.

4

While a grown-up sings "Twinkle, Twinkle," pat a steady-beat accompaniment.

5

What does compose mean?

6

Show your four voices: whisper, talking, calling and singing.

7

Tell one thing you do well when you make music.

More practice: warm-up

1

What does unison mean?

2

Clap, then snap, then pat your knees. What is this kind of music called?

3

Which is your singing voice: "Yoo-hoo!" or a tune?

4

Name something you shake to make music.

5

What should you do before you start singing?

More practice: on your own

1

Why should the drummer sometimes play softly during a song?

2

Make up a 4-beat accompaniment pattern. Play it 4 times in a row on a pot.

3

Make up a short song for brushing teeth. What purpose does it have?

4

What does a good music audience do?

5

Tell one thing you want to get better at in music.

Challenge

1

Compose a "time to tidy up" song. Should it be fast or slow? Loud or soft? Explain your choices, then sing it.

2

Sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" while tapping a steady beat on your knees at the same time. Is it hard? Why?

3

Your band is a drum, a shaker and spoons. Plan a song where each instrument gets a turn. In what order will they play?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

When everyone sings the same tune at the same time, they are singing in ___.

2.

Which is a good singing habit?

3.

An accompaniment is ___.

4.

Which is a percussion instrument you can make at home?

5.

To compose means to ___.

6.

You are composing a song to help a baby fall asleep. Which is the best choice?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 1 students sing in unison, play simple accompaniments, use basic musicianship (posture, breathing, starting and stopping together) and compose short pieces for a purpose and a familiar audience. They also name their strengths and next steps as performers, creators and listeners.

How to help:

  • Sing together every day: in the car, while cooking, at bedtime. Singing in unison with a grown-up is the best practice.
  • Build a family band with pots, spoons and shakers. Give your child the job of "keeping the beat."
  • Ask your child to make up songs for everyday jobs (tidying, hand-washing). Ask why they chose fast/slow, loud/soft.

Common difficulties:

  • Shouting instead of singing. Practise the four voices (whisper, talking, calling, singing) so children can feel the difference.
  • Instrument drowning out the singing. Teach "piano hands" for accompaniments.
  • Safety: homemade shakers with rice or beans must be sealed and kept away from babies and toddlers.