Composing our own songs

Lesson 1

Setting words to music

Learning objective:
Children will use previous rhythmic experiences to explore the relationship between rhythm and melody.

Resources:
Pitched and un-pitched instruments.

Warm up:
Revise the rhyme ‘What’s for dinner’ from Y5 unit of work.
Chant it through, experimenting with different ways of performing it.

You could have one or two phrases as ostinati and chant them in unison.

Why not try it as a round with some accompaniment?

Main activity:
Work in small groups. Using the rhyme, say it through and at the same time play the rhythm on instruments.

Choose 4 /5 different notes – make sure they are notes that you can sing.

Take one phrase at a time and begin to work out a melody using the rhythmic ideas you have already developed.

You might want to use notes which form a chord such as C E G or D F# A as we did in the Y5 unit.

Can you make this work as a round?

Lesson 2

Say it till a song comes

Learning objective:
Children will begin to understand how the rise and fall of notes combines to make a melody or tune.

Warm up:
As a class, sing through a familiar song which you all know. As an example ‘I can see clearly now’ or ‘Three blind mice'.

Can you work out how the melody works – how it moves up/down or stays on the same note? As you sing, ‘draw’ the shape of the melody in the air.

Where are the different sections?

Where are the repetitions?

Main activity:
Working in groups, think of a favourite/familiar song perhaps by your favourite singer songwriter.

Think of one that has a reasonably straightforward accompaniment or backing.

Sing or hum it through.

Listen carefully as you sing it and think about the shape and structure of the piece.

Talk about this within your group – it doesn’t matter if you can’t remember the complete song.

How does it begin?

Are there different sections?

Are there repetitions in the words and or the melody?

Can you identify a ‘hook’ (a catchy phrase or an interesting lyric)?

Where in the song do they happen?

How often are they repeated?

Keep some notes about all this.

Lesson 3

Songs for a purpose- links to literacy

Learning objective:
Children will begin to understand how lyrics can reflect a cultural context and have social meaning. They will begin to understand how to structure a song using their own lyrics.

Warm up:
Circle game – Decide on a phrase or sentence. It might be a serious or an amusing phrase – for example, ‘If I told you everything I know, you would not sleep’. Or ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’

Repeat the phrase round the circle with each person ‘performing’ it in different ways.

Encourage the children to think about how they might emphasise different words.

Discuss how this affects the meaning of the words.

You could play a drone as a background accompaniment.

Main activity:
‘Today’s News’ – children need to prepare by selecting 3 or 4 headlines from a recent newspaper.

Starting points for writing lyrics could be anything.

Discuss what the headlines are about or what it makes you think of? Is there an issue which you can develop?

Could you use the headline as a recurring theme and then develop this?

Jot down your ideas then chant them over and over until you begin to ‘feel’ a pulse and begin to get some rhythm into the phrases.

Don’t be afraid to change or alter the words, but do think about creating some shape and pattern to your ideas.

Just play around /experiment by ‘moving’ the chanting into using some pitched notes -just 3 or 4 to begin with. Think back to how the way in which your favourite song ‘worked’ though you are not copying this but creating your own.

Lesson 4 / 5

Interpretation and performance

Learning objective:
Children will begin to develop ideas about how to refine and improve their work for a performance.

Warm up:
Repeat the circle game from lesson 3 with different phrases.

Main activity:
Further work on ‘Today’s News’ songs.

You might use the headlines as a chorus.

Create some verses to go with the chorus.

Continue to revise and improve on your ideas.

Think about how you might accompany your song.

Perform it to the rest of the class.

____________________________________________

This lesson plan was developed by Leonora Davies, MBE.

View more lesson plans

Share your experience on this site – tell us how you got on with this lesson plan