Year 4 Topics

Ancient Egyptian rhythms, melodies and instrumentation.
Howard Blake OBE (composer) - an ex-pupil of Downs Junior School - The Snowman / Walking in the Air.
Learn to play Ukulele.
Soundscapes - Mountainous Environments - Nepalese Music
​Caring for Our World - The Climb / What a Wonderful World / Love Song to the Earth
Music of the Anglo Saxons & Vikings.
Dragon Music
Brighton Festival Children’s Parade.

Year 4 Music Objectives

PERFORMANCE:

Using their voices:
  • Sing songs in a variety of styles with an increasing awareness of the tone of their voices and the shape of the melody
  • Sing songs showing musical expression (phrasing, changes of tempi, dynamics; reflecting the mood and character of the song and its context)
  • Sing two/three part rounds with more confidence and increasing pitch accuracy
  • Sing confidently as part of a small group or solo being aware of posture and good diction
  • Copy short phrases and be able to sing up and down in step independently

Using instruments:
  • Maintain two  or more different ostinato patterns in a small instrumental group against a steady beat
  • Play music that includes rests
  • Use tuned percussion instruments with increasing confidence to accompany songs and improvise 
  • Play by ear – find known phrases or short melodies using tuned instruments  
  • Play music in a metre of two or three time
  • Read and play from some conventional music symbols
  • Combine instrumental playing with narrative and movement
  • Follow a leader, stopping / starting, playing faster/ slower and louder / quieter
  • Perform to an audience of adults, an assembly or other classes with increasing confidence 

COMPOSITION:

Explore:
  • Sounds to create particular effects (timbre)
  • Rhythm patterns in music from different times and places (duration)
  • The pentatonic scale 
  • Pitched notes that move by steps and/ or leaps to make short phrases/melodies
  • Music that describes feelings or moods using ‘tense’ or ‘calm’ sounds using dynamics, different tempi, different timbres etc
  • Combining and controlling sounds to achieve a desired effect
  • Music that incorporates effective silences (rests)
  • Different groupings of beats (metre of 2/3)

Compose:
  • A simple rhythmic accompaniment to a song using ostinato patterns and drones
  • A simple melody from a selected group of notes (i.e. a pentatonic scale)
  • Music that has a recognisable structure 
  • A piece of music that reflects images/ and atmosphere, that has a clearly defined plan, making subtle adjustments to achieve the intended effect
  • Arrange a song using tuned and untuned accompaniments developed from the song and perform to a friendly audience
  • Use a range of ICT to sequence, compose, record and share work

LISTENING & APPRAISAL:

  • Recognise aurally the range of percussion (tuned and untuned) used in school and some individual orchestral instruments taught in school. 
  • Recognise and talk about some contrasting styles of music in broad terms, using appropriate musical language (the tempo, dynamics, metre, texture, timbre)
  • Recognise music from different times and countries indentifying key elements that give it its unique sound.
  • Identify repeated rhythmic or melodic phrases in live or recorded music
  • Identify whether a song has a verse/chorus or call and response structure
  • Identify the use of metre in 2 or 3 in a piece of recorded or live music
  • Recognise the combined effect of layers of sound by listening to their own arrangements, compositions and recordings.

VOCABULARY:

Ostinato, Drone, Repetition, Metre, Rest, Step, Leap, Phrase, Melody, Pentatonic, Tuned Percussion, Untuned Percussion, Duration (Metre – the organisation of beats), Texture (Layers of sound), Timbre (Different instruments/ tone quality), Pitch (Pentatonic scales), Structure (Repetition, verse chorus / call and response, plan), Metre (The organisation of beats into groups), Tempo (The speed of the music)