Unit 2: Caribbean (Instrumental lessons)
Learning about the history and features of calypso music, performing a calypso-style song with voices and tuned percussion in multiple parts and playing from staff notation.
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Unit 2: Caribbean (Instrumental lessons)
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Name some of the key features of calypso music. Ability to sing the song accurately by the end of the lesson.
- Sing the song accurately, and perform their news headline correctly in the appropriate gap.
- Explain in simple terms why percussion instruments were important in Trinidad.
- Play the sheet music: What’s the story?: Tuned percussion part one.
- Recognise pairs of quavers on a musical score and the ability to play these in context.
- Create a pentatonic improvisation using mainly one-beat notes.
Lessons in this unit have been updated to include a Recap and recall section and Kapow’s Presentation mode feature.
Suggested prior learning
Unit 1: South Africa (Instrumental lessons)
Get startedLessons
Lesson 1: What is calypso?
- To understand the main features of calypso music.
Lesson 2: What’s the story?
- To improvise a vocal part in the style of a calypso.
Lesson 3: Instrumental calypso
- To understand how and why percussion instruments can be used in calypso music.
Lesson 4: Calypso quavers
- To recognise and perform quavers from staff notation.
Lesson 5: Pentatonic calypso
- To improvise in a calypso style using a pentatonic scale.
Key skills
Key knowledge
Related content
Unit resources

Knowledge organiser – Music KS2 Instrumental: Caribbean
Aimed at pupils, a single page which gives key facts and definitions from the unit ‘KS2 Instrumental: Caribbean’.

Vocabulary display – Music KS2 Instrumental: Caribbean
A display version of the vocabulary from the unit ‘KS2 Instrumental: Caribbean’.
Cross-curricular opportunities
British values: Individual liberty; Mutual respect.