s i c

Mu ress
AGE
5-6

Exp
o c u s : P i t c h
Musical f E
c t l i n k : P
Subje

Unit: Animals
The children develop an understanding of
pitch through using movement, voice and
instruments in this unit. They identify
contrasts of high and low pitches, and
create animal chant sounds and sequences.

Click here to view the plans:

Medium term plan

1st lesson plan

2nd lesson plan

3rd lesson plan

Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

Glossary 1 www.musicexpress.co.uk
 Musics
AGE
5-6

Expres
Unit: Animals Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: PE

medium term Plan

L ess on

1 lesson Learning Teaching Activities Learning SUPPORT

• Understanding pitch, and Noises in the night Check the children understand
that ‘high’ and ‘low’ relate to
making high and low Move like an animal in response to a song pitch and not to volume, eg the
vocal sounds bear may make a quiet, low
• Relating pitch to high and Bears in the wood growl or a loud, low growl; but
the pitch remains the same.
low body posture Perform a chant with sound effects in a high- and low-pitched voice

Animal sounds
Compare the pitch of different animal sounds using voices

L ess on

2 lesson Learning Teaching Activities Learning SUPPORT

• Understanding pitch I’m a little egret To help children focus on the

pitch changes in the music, ask
by singing a song with Perform a song at a high and low pitch them to move their hands up as
contrasting high and low they hear the high pitches of the
melodies The crab and the egret egret, and move hands down as
they hear the low pitches of the
• Identifying and playing Listen to Chinese instrumental music describing an egret and a crab crab.
high and low pitches in
music Crab and egret instruments
Accompany The Crab and the egret using classroom percussion sounds

L ess on

3 lesson Learning Teaching Activities Learning SUPPORT

Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

• Exploring and developing Mole underground When working in small groups,

an understanding of pitch Listen to an animal song and join in with a repeated, low-pitch phrase it may help to appoint a
using the voice and body conductor who points to the

Where do you live?

animal score cards one at a time
movements to direct the performance.
• Recognising and Perform a chant varying vocal pitch and using body movements
performing pitch changes
and contrasts Animal score
Perform a chant varying vocal pitch and following a picture score

Glossary 2 www.musicexpress.co.uk
 Musics
AGE
5-6

Expres
L ess on
Unit: Animals Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: PE

1 Lesson Plan

Lesson learning What you will

need
• Understanding pitch, and making high and low vocal sounds
• S pace for the children to
move comfortably from low
• Relating pitch to high and low body posture to high body positions as
they make animal postures

Teaching Activities

Noises in the night Vocabulary

Move like an animal in response to a song • High
• L ow
Children:
• Pitch
–– discuss animal sounds and movements in response to a picture;
–– invent animal movements to perform with a song.

Bears in the wood

Perform a chant with sound effects in a high- and low-pitched voice
Children:
–– learn a chant which uses high- and low- pitched voices;
–– make body movements to match the contrasting pitches.

Animal sounds
Compare the pitch of different animal sounds using voices
Children:
–– make pitched vocal sounds in response to cue cards;
EXTENDED
Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

–– listen to and identify differences in pitch. LEARNING

Investigate animals in your
local environment and learn
about the sounds that they
make, eg bird calls.

Support: Check the children understand that ‘high’ and ‘low’ relate to pitch and not
to volume, eg the bear may make a quiet, low growl or a loud, low growl; but the pitch
remains the same.

Glossary 3 www.musicexpress.co.uk
 Musics
AGE
5-6

Expres
L ess on
Unit: Animals Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: PE

2 Lesson Plan

Lesson learning What you will

need
• Understanding pitch by singing a song with contrasting high and
• A selection of percussion
low melodies instruments, eg triangle,
maracas, wind chimes,
• Identifying and playing high and low pitches in music bells, tambourine, guiro,
claves, wood block, drum

Teaching Activities

I’m a little egret Vocabulary

Perform a song at a high and low pitch • High
• L ow
Children:
• Pitch
–– recognise and identify contrasting pitches in a song;
–– learn a song using high- and low-pitched voices.

The crab and the egret

Listen to Chinese instrumental music describing an egret and a crab
Children:
–– listen to a piece of descriptive Chinese music;
–– think about how the instruments use pitch to depict the different creatures.

Crab and egret instruments

Accompany The crab and the egret using classroom percussion sounds
Children:
–– sort instruments into two groups of high- and low-pitched sounds;
EXTENDED
Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

–– create descriptive high- and low-pitched sounds to accompany the music. LEARNING
Create a dance to accompany
The crab and the egret,
contrasting high and low
movements.

Support: To help children focus on the pitch changes in the music, ask them to move their
hands up as they hear the high pitches of the egret, and move hands down as they hear
the low pitches of the crab.

Glossary 4 www.musicexpress.co.uk
 Musics
AGE
5-6

Expres
L ess on
Unit: Animals Musical focus: Pitch
Subject link: PE

3 Lesson Plan

Lesson learning What you will

need
• Exploring and developing an understanding of pitch using the voice
• S ufficient space for the
and body movements children to comfortably
make animal movements
• Recognising and performing pitch changes and contrasts on the spot

Teaching Activities

Mole underground Vocabulary

Listen to an animal song and join in with a repeated, low-pitch phrase • High
• L ow
Children:
• Pitch
–– listen to a rhyming song and discuss the animals that they have heard;
–– use their lowest-pitched voices to join in with lines from the song.

Where do you live?

Perform a chant varying vocal pitch and using body movements
Children:
–– listen to a chant and identify the changes in pitch;
–– perform the chant using different vocal pitches, and invent actions to represent
animal movements described.

Animal score
Perform a chant varying vocal pitch and following a picture score
Children:
EXTENDED
Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

–– select and order animal picture cards to create and perform from a score;
LEARNING
–– work in small groups to create more scores of contrasting pitch sounds, and
Create graphic scores
follow their scores to perform animal sequence chants. individually or in small groups,
choosing other animals for a
vocal exploration of pitch.

Support: When working in small groups, it may help to appoint a conductor who points
to the animal score cards one at a time to direct the performance.

Glossary 5 www.musicexpress.co.uk