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Music – Year 4

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Download our Year 4 Music curriculum here.

Listening and understanding

Elements of music

Textiles

Pitch: distinguish between steps, leaps and repeats in melodies; major, minor and pentatonic scales.Duration: consolidate understanding of 2, 3, and 4 metre

Dynamics: consolidate understanding of, and identify, getting louder and quieter.

Tempo: consolidate understanding of, and identify getting faster and slower

Texture: identify the difference between solo, unison, harmony, layers and drone.

Timbre: identify a wider range of non-percussion instruments by name; distinguish between different ways of playing percussion instruments.

Structure: identify development of musical ideas – similar but not the same

Applying understanding

  • Identify how combinations of elements are used in a variety of musical styles and to communicate musical effects
  • identify different families of instruments and their expressive qualities
  • Use and explore notations which are linked to understanding of elements to communicate own musical ideas, including textures
  • Identify composers’ intent in music heard and performed
  • Identify how music is produced in different ways including the use of ICT.

Normanby University Grade 1

(In addition to Year 3 objectives)

  • Construction of the major scale, including the position of the tones and semitones. Scales and key signatures of the major keys of C, G, D and F in both clefs, with their tonic triads (root position),degrees (number only), and intervals above the tonic (by number only).
  • Some frequently used terms and signs concerning tempo, dynamics, performance directions and articulation marks.
  • Answer simple questions about a melody written in either treble or bass clef.

Examples in addition to KS1

Styles

  • Tudor
  • Folk
  • Chinese

Purposes

  • Fanfare
  • Ballad
  • Celebration

Non-musical stimuli

  • images
  • localities
  • habitats
  • French

 

Controlling

  • Extend accuracy of vocal range (use low A-D’ as a guide)
  • Continue to develop expressive effect when singing through increased control of diction, dynamics and tempi.
  • Sing more complex rounds and partner songs with awareness of different vocal lines.
  • Use own instruments and classroom keyboards where appropriate and an increased range of untuned and tuned percussion with knowledge of correct technique
  • Maintain rhythmic and melodic ostinati as an accompaniment in 2, 3 and 4 metre.
  • Make improvements to their work, whether individual, in pairs, in groups or as a whole class, commenting on the intended effect.

Creating

Use acoustic sounds and ICT to…

  • Explore the way sounds can be combined and used expressively
  • Improvise longer repeated rhythmic patterns, building a repertoire of patterns and sequences
  • Combine layers of sound with awareness of the combined effect
  • Use melodies and accompaniments including drones, ostinati and layers
  • Experiment with capturing, repeating and re-ordering sound patterns and sections of pieces

Responding and reviewing

  • Compare and contrast music heard and performed with an awareness of the music’s context and purpose
  • Use a variety of art forms to respond to character, mood and other elements of music
  • Build an appropriate musical vocabulary and use when talking about music and developing the ability to express an aesthetic response See vocabulary list in the appendices
  • Improve their own and others’ work with an awareness of the music’s context and purpose e.g. Shared videos filmed on iPods and iPads used for peer and self evaluation.

February 2014 Reviewed
SH, AD, GC, GA