Music

Welcome back to Term Two! I hope everyone had a lovely Easter break. This term we are focusing on composition which is the technique of creating original music and conveying emotions, meaning and feeling through music.

During this term our year 3 and 4 mass choir will begin to learn the extensive repertoire for the Victorian State School Spectacular. They will take part in their second excursion to Jells Park Primary School with 4 other schools to learn the songs with Claire from the Australian Girls Choir.

Year 3 and 4 Music Innovation will also take place this term with the students learning and consolidating skills that assist with playing various instruments with the correct technique.

Prep

In Term Two, Prep students will commence a unit on high, low (pitch), long and short sounds in music. They will be using their bodies to demonstrate these sounds along with instruments that make a range of different sounds (high, low, long and short). Students will learn to discern the various sounds through games, repetition, performance and examples. They will continue to develop their listening skills through games and transfer these skills to identify high, low, long and short sounds. Students will build their confidence in this skill through a range of learning tasks and through the use of a range of instruments and movements.

Curriculum Links: 

Use play, imagination, music knowledge and processes to discover possibilities and develop ideas VC2AMUFD01
Share their music with audiences VC2AMUFP01

Key Vocabulary:  

High, low, long, short, pitch

Year 1

Throughout Term Two, Year One students will be beginning a unit on composition using the tone ladder and the basic elements of music. They will learn the 8 notes included on the tone ladder (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do’) and explore the sounds of these pitches on various instruments such as the chime bars, glockenspiels and BoomWhackers. Students will be introduced to the basic elements of music (pitch and duration) and all that they include. From here they will learn about different techniques used to compose a short piece on various instruments. Throughout the term students will also perform their compositions to their peers.

Curriculum Links: 

Sing and play music to communicate to audiences in informal settings VC2AMU2P01
Develop listening skills and skills for singing and playing instruments VC2AMU2D01
Select and combine elements of music when composing and practising music for performance VC2AMU2C01

Key Vocabulary: 

Tone ladder, basic elements of music, composition, pitch, duration.

Year 2

In Term Two, Year 2 students will undertake a unit on piano and expression of feeling through music. They will focus on using the correct technique to play the piano and explore ways to create feeling in music. Students will practise their note reading skills by transferring them to the piano. They will also use basic elements of music such as tempo, dynamics and rhythm to create and express a feeling through their music. Students will create their own song on the piano that conveys a feeling. They will employ and transfer the techniques they have learnt throughout the term to their song.

Curriculum Links: 

Select and combine elements of music when composing and practising music for performance VC2AMU2C01
Sing and play music to communicate to audiences in informal settings VC2AMU2P01

Key Vocabulary: 

Piano, feeling, tempo, dynamics, rhythm.

Year 3

Throughout Term Two, Year 3 students will undertake a unit on form (structure) in music. They will learn and explore 4 different forms in music including binary form, ternary form, rondo form and verse-chorus form. Students will learn and consolidate their knowledge of form through games, theory, dance and instruments. They will transfer their knowledge of form to songs that they will play and perform on instruments such as the piano. Throughout the term students will practise their performance and audience skills by performing and presenting their learning to their peers.

Curriculum Links: 

Develop listening skills and skills for working with elements of music when singing and playing instruments VC2AMU4D01
Sing and play music they have learnt and/or created to audiences in formal and informal settings VC2AMU4P01
Work with elements of music to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning when composing and practising for performance VC2AMU4C01

Key Vocabulary: 

Form, Binary, Ternary, Rondo, Verse-chorus

Year 4

In Term Two, Year 4 students will commence a unit on drums and composition. They will learn the correct technique to play the drums, the parts of the drums and various rhythms both simple and complex. Students will learn multipart songs and perform them as a class to transfer their knowledge of rhythm. They will also transfer their knowledge of rhythm by composing a song in small groups. Students will plan, adjust, practise and perform these songs for the class. They will achieve this through the use of the drums and the app GarageBand to add various instruments to their song to make it more interesting.

Curriculum Links: 

Develop listening skills and skills for working with elements of music when singing and playing instruments VC2AMU4D01
Work with elements of music to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning when composing and practising for performance VC2AMU4C01
Sing and play music they have learnt and/or created to audiences in formal and informal settings VC2AMU4P01

Key Vocabulary: 

Composing, rhythm, performing

Year 5

Throughout Term Two, Year 5 students will undertake a unit on drums and composition of songs that communicate ideas. They will revise the correct technique to play the drums, the parts of the drum and simple and complex rhythms. Students will explore how music can communicate ideas and meaning and transfer their knowledge to use these techniques to compose their own songs on the drums. In small groups, they will brainstorm an idea or meaning, plan their song and what techniques they will utilise, practise their songs and then perform them for their peers.

Curriculum Links: 

Rehearse and perform music in a range of forms they have learnt and/or composed to audiences in informal and formal settings VC2AMU6P01
Develop listening skills and skills for working with elements of music to achieve expressive effects when composing, singing and playing instruments VC2AMU6D01

Key Vocabulary: 

Communicate ideas, simple and complex rhythms, compose.

Year 6

In Term Two, Year 6 students will commence a unit on music in advertisement. They will be exploring how music can make an advertisement more effective, and the techniques composers use for music in advertisements. Students will analyse many different types of advertisements and the music that supports them. They will look at different instruments and experiment with how these can be used to create certain sound effects to once again support the advertisement. Students will in small groups choose a product to advertise. They will then transfer their learning by creating their advertisement and compose the music to support it. Students will employ techniques such as the elements of music to make their advertisement as enticing as possible.

Curriculum Links: 

Develop listening skills and skills for working with elements of music to achieve expressive effects when composing, singing and playing instruments VC2AMU6D01
Work with elements of music and use compositional devices to communicate ideas, perspectives and meaning when composing and practising music for performance, and, as appropriate to the style, document and/or record the music they compose VC2AMU6C01
Rehearse and perform music in a range of forms they have learnt and/or composed to audiences in informal and formal settings VC2AMU6P01

Key Vocabulary: 

Elements of music, compose, technique

How can you support your child’s music learning at home?   

Listen to a short piece of music everyday making sure to listen to different genres, instruments and cultures.
Listen to your favourite movie soundtracks and discuss how the music sets the mood
Make a family band! Everyone joins in with a song using their voice, instruments or homemade/makeshift instruments!