Musicroom is dedicated to helping you provide your child with a rich and rounded education, even during school closures. Every week we’ll be providing free outstanding, fun and rewarding music lessons for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 that can be taught at home. Simple to use and no musical expertise is required!
This week, from Rhinegold Education, a Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7) lesson that teaches how to describe calm and lively music, and a Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11) lesson all about Tonality.
Key Stage 1
Learning Objective: to describe calm and lively music.
Length: ½ hour
1. Let’s get going and learn this song about calm music!
Play it a few times until you and your child can join in with the song. The words are:
“Calming music’s peaceful, soft and slow.
Smooth and sweet, enjoy its gentle flow.”
2. Here’s another song we can learn that’s all about lively music!
Here are the words:
‘Lively music’s very strong and loud.
Spiky, fast, so sing it loud and proud!”
3. Now listen to the following clips and guide your child through the Exploration Questions.
Have fun exploring how to represent the different pieces of music with art, feelings and movement! Let you child be as creative and expressive as they wish.
Exploration Questions:
What do you think of when you hear the music?
Can you draw a picture as you listen?
What colour would the music be?
Who might this music be for?
When and where would you like to listen to this music?
How does the music make you feel?
What animal does the music remind you of?
Can you get up and move to the music?
Can you describe the music? You can use words from the songs we learnt.
Key Stage 2
Learning Objective: to investigate major and minor tonality.
Length: ½ hour.
1. Listen to this well-known song!
2. Now have a listen to this until 2:43.
3. Now for a twist. Check out this song!
4. Here are some famous tunes that have been put into a minor key.
Putting them into the minor key makes them sound different, but they are still recognisable! Work with your grown-up to try and identify what the famous tunes are.
5. Finally, listen to these two pieces of music, both by the composer Mozart.
Can you decide which is major and which is minor?
Piece 1:
Piece 2:
By Rebecca White for Rhinegold Education.