What’s in a round?

Lesson 1

Fitting patterns together

Learning objective:
Children will begin to understand how melodic shapes work to make tunes. Children will be able to make arrangements of their own versions of a round.

Resources:
You will need some pitched instruments – chime bars, xylophones, recorders etc.

Encourage those children who are learning an instrument to use them here.

Warm up:
Ask the children if they know what a round is.

Sing through some familiar rounds, for example, London’s Burning, Frere Jacques.

Discuss the structure and shape. (Each line is repeated). How does the tune move up / down? How do we know when to come in?

Main activity:
Work in small group and take the tune to Frere Jacques. Start on a G and sing it through.

Make up your own words to fit with the tune, for example:

I like pizza (x2)
Lots of cheese (x2)
Top it with tomatoes (x2)
Oh yes please (x2)

Choose one phrase / pattern and use the rhythm that the words make to use as an accompaniment. Start off with this as an introduction as well.

One person plays this and the rest of the group sings your round. Try different ways of performing it.

Listen to everyone’s versions.

Lesson 2

Building harmony through rounds

Learning objective:
Children will begin to understand how harmony works – holding different pitches at the same time.

Warm up:
Together or not.

Conductor holds out both hands in front of them. Divide the class in two groups.

All sing or hum same note together.

The conductor moves one arm up / down. Decide which group will follow which hand.

One group follows the pitch with the moving arm, up or down, whilst the other group stays on the same note.

Give the other group a turn and then experiment with both groups responding to the moving pitch. It’s a good idea to return to the ‘home’ note for everyone every now and again.

Explain as soon as two different notes are sung / played together it becomes a chord and that this is the beginning of harmony.

Main activity:
Learn Row row row your boat

Sing it first in unison.

Make sure the pitching is secure.

Try it as a round.

Play a simple accompaniment on the notes D E D D.

Lesson 3

Spoken rounds

Learning objective:
Children will be able to hold different parts when chanting a round.

Warm up:
Play ‘Vocal Switch’. Leader makes up a short pattern using vocal sounds, for example, two tongue clicks followed by sh sh sh – click click shshsh.

Everyone joins in.

Leader changes to a different pattern, everyone else continues with the original pattern.

At the leaders finger signal hand up/finger click, everyone switches to the new pattern.

After a while the leader makes a new pattern and so on.

Main activity:
Learn the chant ‘What’s For Dinner?’

What’s for dinner I’m – hungry
Can I have some more please?
Can I have some more please?
Yes, of course why – not
No you – can’t

Chant it all through together. Have someone keep a steady beat throughout and as an introduction.

Split class in four groups and give each group a pattern to repeat. This will be an ostinato. Take care with the ‘silent’ beats.

Clap the rhythm that the words make or play the pattern on a percussion instrument.

Try chanting it as a round – each group will come in at the beginning, in turn.

Now organise it into a class performance. You could try performing over backing track on the keyboard.

Lesson 4

Learning objective:
Children will begin to understand how to build a simple chord.

Resources:
You will need some pitched instruments with the notes going from low D to high D like this – D E F# G A B C# D – this is a major scale.

Warm up:

Rain on the green grass
Rain on the tree
Rain on the house tops
But not on me

Chant the words all together – feel the accent and where the main beats fall. Tap that on your knees.

Find the lowest note of your scale and sing the first phrase on this note.

Play the third note of the scale and sing the next phrase on this note.

Now the fifth note and sing the third phrase, coming back to the low D for the last phrase.

Divide into three groups -group 1 begins. When they reach the second line, group 2 begins and so on.

Sing this as a round – you will need to decide how many times to sing it round.

Main activity:
Work in small groups – you will need some pitched instruments for each group.

Make up your own versions of this simple round.

You could try using some different notes from the scale and see if they work.

Play the rhythm of one of the phrases using the notes from the chord of D F# and A as accompaniment.

Try ending on the high D.

Work out different combinations of the phrases and change the order.

Perform your final version to the class.

h2. Lesson 5

Making our own round

Learning objective:
Children will be able to create four part rounds and create ostinato patterns.

Warm up:
Recall ‘What’s For Dinner?’ and perform over backing track if possible. Take care when setting the tempo.

Main activity:
Work in small groups.

Children will create their own spoken rounds.

Decide on your theme, for example, food / football / pop stars.

Make up four short phrases. Chant them over a steady pulse. Write them down. Work out an order and chant through.

When this is secure, try as a round. Take care not to speed up.

Transfer the phrases onto percussion instruments. Perhaps have a different instrument for each line.

Try playing your round just using instruments (saying the words in your head as you play will help).

You could make it even more interesting by choosing some pitched notes and sing your round – build up a chord as you did for Rain on the green grass.

Perform your rounds to the class.

This lesson plan was developed by Leonora Davies, MBE.

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