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Important update!
The Key stage 2 Music units have been updated for 2026–2027. Both updated and previous versions will remain available, allowing flexibility to choose between them.
Explore the Music, Long-term plan for 2026–2027 to preview updated units. Additional units will be added as they become available.
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Identify the structure of a piece of music.
- Have an idea as to when there is one layer in a piece of music and when there are two.
- Play a sequence in the correct order in time with their partner.
- Have two contrasting rhythms being played together.
- Have two different melodies being played together.
- Have a complete piece of music with four different layers with an appropriate structure.
Suggested prior learning
Traditional instruments and improvisation (Theme: India)
Get started
Lesson plans
Lesson 1: Pitter patter raindrops
Lesson 2: Rainforest body percussion
Lesson 3: The rhythm of the forest floor
Lesson 4: The loopy rainforest
Lesson 5: Sounds of the rainforest
Key skills
- Recognising the use and
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Key knowledge
- To know that deciding
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Key vocabulary
body percussion
combine
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Equipment list
Equipment needed across all lessons in this unit.
This list does not include equipment which is usually readily available in the classroom (e.g pencils, A4 paper etc)
Download
Full equipment list for the subject
Quantities marked × will update. Items without quantities are unaffected
- Tuned percussion instruments ×15
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Related content
Unit resources
Knowledge organiser: Music – Y4 Body and tuned percussion (Theme: Rainforests)
Aimed at pupils, a single page which gives key facts and definitions from the unit Body and tuned percussion.
Vocabulary display: Body and tuned percussion
A display version of the vocabulary from the unit Body and tuned percussion.
Subject resources
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Cross-curricular opportunities
None relevant to this unit.
Build on the learning
Rock and roll
Pupils build on their experience from the rainforest music lesson, where they created multi-layered percussion pieces, to help them perform rock and roll sequences with walking bass lines and hand jive actions.
