s i c

Mu ress
AGE
5-6

Exp
o c u s : B e a t
Musical f a t h e m a t i c s
b j e c t l i n k : M
Su

Unit: Number
In this unit, the children develop a sense of
steady beat through using movement, body
percussion and instruments.

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: Number Musical focus: Beat
Subject link: Mathematics

medium term Plan

L ess on

1 lesson Learning Teaching Activities Learning SUPPORT

• Recognising and What’s the hour? To develop better co-ordination

skills, include some movements
developing a sense of Repeat a silent action to music with a steady beat which cross the mid-line of the
steady beat through body, eg tap left knee with right
using voices and body
percussion
Mister Macarella moves hand for a pattern of eight, then
swap to tapping right knee with
Perform a nonsense action song, counting out the steady beat left hand.

Chinese Dance
Demonstrate the steady beat in music from The Nutcracker Ballet Suite
by Tchaikovsky

L ess on

2 lesson Learning Teaching Activities Learning SUPPORT

• Identifying and Macarella copycats For children who are new to

playing percussion, choose
performing changes in Step in time to a chant with a steady beat instruments with care. Find
tempo instruments that are suitable
• Learning to play Mister Macarella’s percussion for small hands, and which
are easy to control. It is often
percussion with control Play a steady beat and explore dynamics on percussion instruments preferable to start with just
one instrument type rather
• Keeping a steady beat
and using dynamics to
In the Hall of the Mountain King than mixed resources. If you
do not have sufficient suitable
instruments for the class,
vary the musical effect Tap a steady beat, matching changes in tempo home-made shakers made
from small, robust plastic pots
are ideal.

L ess on

3 lesson Learning Teaching Activities Learning SUPPORT

• Identifying and Eight and back Help the children to improve

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

keeping a steady Perform a physical warm up, marking the steady beat with actions playing to a steady beat at
beat using movement, different tempi by singing Mister

Mister Macarella’s family band

Macarella unaccompanied.
body percussion and Choose your own tempo for the
instruments steady beat and practise with
Accompany a song with a steady beat on percussion body percussion first. Notice
• Recognising and any children having difficulty,
responding to changes in Maestro Macarella and model the beat clearly as
you encourage them to use their
tempo in music Create a class performance eyes as well as their ears.
Transfer onto instruments when
they are confident.

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

Expres
L ess on
Unit: Number Musical focus: Beat
Subject link: Mathematics

1 Lesson Plan

Lesson learning What you will

need
• Recognising and developing a sense of steady beat using voices
• S pace for the children to
and body percussion stand in a circle and
comfortably perform
movements on the spot

Teaching Activities

What’s the hour? Vocabulary

Repeat a silent action to music with a steady beat • B eat
• Tempo
Children:
–– listen to music and copy silent actions along to a steady beat;
–– invent new actions to perform to a steady beat.

Mister Macarella moves

Perform a nonsense action song, counting out the steady beat
Children:
–– learn to sing an action song which includes movements to a steady beat;
–– understand how a steady beat can be shown using a simple pictorial score.

Chinese Dance
Demonstrate the steady beat in music from The Nutcracker Ballet Suite by Tchaikovsky
Children:
–– create a sequence of two movements;
EXTENDED
–– perform their sequence to the steady beat of ‘Chinese dance’. LEARNING
Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

Invite children to suggest other

parts of the body to tap on
Mister Macarella’s raindrops.
To develop fine motor skills,
count Mister Macarella’s eight
raindrop beats, touching
fingertips together in turn from
index to little fingers, twice
Support: To develop better co-ordination skills, include some movements which cross the over.
mid-line of the body, eg tap left knee with right hand for a pattern of eight, then swap to
tapping right knee with left hand.

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

Expres
L ess on
Unit: Number Musical focus: Beat
Subject link: Mathematics

2 Lesson Plan
Lesson learning
What you will
• Identifying and performing changes in tempo need
• H and-held percussion
• Learning to play percussion with control instruments, for each child,
eg drum, claves, shaker,
• Keeping a steady beat and using dynamics to vary the musical tambourine
effect • A large area, such as a hall
or outside space for floor
movement

Teaching Activities
Vocabulary
Macarella copycats • B eat
• Tempo/tempi
Step in time to a chant with a steady beat
• D ynamics
Children:
–– learn a chant which has three different speeds (tempi);
–– march on the spot to match the three tempi in turn.

Mister Macarella’s percussion

Play a steady beat and explore dynamics on percussion instruments
Children:
–– read a graphic score as they play a steady beat on percussion instruments;
–– vary the dynamics as they play;
–– learn a song and accompany it by playing a steady beat on instruments.

In the Hall of the Mountain King

Tap a steady beat, matching changes in tempo EXTENDED
LEARNING
Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

Children:
–– identify changes in tempo in a piece of music as they tap along with a What else might Mrs
steady beat. Macarella keep in her cellar?
Change the cellar verse
accordingly, eg ‘Count the
spiders one by one’. Small
groups or pairs draw a
cartoon music score, eg
Support: For children who are new to playing percussion, choose instruments with care. Find eight spiders in a row or
instruments suitable for small hands, and which are easy to control. It is often preferable to start block, or draw and play
different numbers of spiders,
with just one instrument type rather than mixed resources. If you do not have sufficient suitable
eg 1 2 3 4 5.
instruments for the class, home-made shakers made from small, robust plastic pots are ideal.

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

Expres
L ess on
Unit: Number Musical focus: Beat
Subject link: Mathematics

3 Lesson Plan

Lesson learning What you will

need
• Identifying and keeping a steady beat using movement, body
• T hree sets of untuned
percussion and instruments percussion instruments, eg
hand drums, jingles, claves
• Recognising and responding to changes in tempo in music

Teaching Activities

Eight and back Vocabulary

Perform a physical warm up, marking the steady beat with actions • B eat
• Tempo
Children:
–– copy sequences of body percussion actions to a steady beat.

Mister Macarella’s family band

Accompany a song with a steady beat on percussion
Children:
–– in groups take it in turns to play percussion instruments to a steady beat.

Maestro Macarella
Create a class performance
Children:
–– arrange and prepare a performance which combines the chants and songs
from this unit;
–– play a steady beat on percussion to accompany the performance.
EXTENDED
LEARNING
Music Express Age 5-6 © 2014 A&C Black (an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc)

Ask pairs to devise and

perform their own Eight and
back movements, eg bend
knees, shake hands in the air.
Some children may be able to
manage to play chime bars C
and G alternately (using two
Support: Help the children to improve playing to a steady beat at different tempi by beaters) in the Macarella
singing Mister Macarella’s family band unaccompanied. Choose your own tempo for the counting sections.
steady beat and practise with body percussion first. Notice any children having difficulty,
and model the beat clearly as you encourage them to use their eyes as well as their ears.
Transfer onto instruments when they are confident.

Glossary 5 www.musicexpress.co.uk