Lesson 3: Instrumental Calypso

Learning about the importance of percussion instruments in Trinidad and playing and describing Calypso style percussion parts.

Learning objective

  • To understand how and why percussion instruments can be used in Calypso music

National curriculum

Pupils should be taught to:

  • Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
  • Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
  • Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
  • Develop an understanding of the history of music
  • Use and understand staff (and other) notations

Success criteria

Cross-curricular links

Before the lesson

Download and print classroom resources

Attention grabber

Main event

Differentiation

Pupils needing extra support: These pupils should play Sheet music: What’s the story?  (tuned percussion part 2), which has an easier technical difficulty level (due to more stepwise movement).

 

Pupils working at greater depth: These pupils should play the Sheet music: What’s the story? (base line), which has a harder technical difficulty level (due to the ‘leaps’ between the notes and the fact that there are two notes in each bar).

 

Note:

If you have children in your class who have instrumental lessons on another instrument, there are various options for you to make useful connections between their extra-curricular and curriculum learning:

  • If a pupil plays a melody instrument, you can give them the sheet music for the ‘lead part’ to take along to their instrumental lesson and learn with their teacher. This lesson plan provides two versions, one at concert pitch (most instruments) and one for B flat instruments (some brass and woodwind instruments).
  • If the pupil plays a chord instrument (such as the guitar), you can give them the chord sheet music to take along to their instrumental lesson and learn with their teacher.

 

The instrumental teachers will appreciate a copy of the guide track as well.

Wrapping up

Assessing pupils' progression and understanding

Vocabulary

Created by:
Elizabeth Stafford,  
Music specialist
After a brief spell as an opera singer, Liz embarked on a 20-year career in music education, teaching at early years, primary and secondary. After Liz had her daughter, she started her own business Music Education Solutions® Limited, helping teachers…
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