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  3. Lower key stage 2 >
  4. Year 3 >
  5. Reggae rhythms: Playing in a band >
  6. Lesson 1: Playing a bass line
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This is preview content for the 2026-27 academic year. Your feedback will help us improve these units.

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This is preview content for the 2026-27 academic year. Your feedback will help us improve these units.

Learning objective

  • To keep the beat while performing a reggae bass line.

Success criteria

  • I can describe how reggae music started.
  • I can
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National curriculum

Music

Pupils should be taught to:

  • Play
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Cross-curricular links

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Before the lesson

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Lesson plan

Recap and recall

Show the Presentation: Beat freeze. Play the audio Backing track and ask the children to clap the beat (the steady rhythm that helps keep time, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4). Pause the music and ask them to keep clapping at the same steady speed. Restart the track to check if they kept the beat. Repeat several times.

Learning objective

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Adaptive teaching

Pupils needing extra support:

  • Could learn the bass line in pairs with one pupil playing C and the other playing F to focus on one note at a time.
  • Could remove notes from the glockenspiel to leave only C and F to support accurate note selection.

Pupils working at greater depth:

  • Should play the bass line and sing the melody at the same time by coordinating both parts.
  • Should play with confidence, accuracy and fluency by maintaining a steady beat throughout.
  • Could sing independently while playing the bass line in time, without additional audio support.
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Assessing progress and understanding

Pupils with secure understanding can:

  • Play most of the bass line in
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Vocabulary definitions

  • bass line

    The lowest-pitched part of the song, essential for keeping the beat.

  • beat

    The steady rhythm that helps keep time (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4).

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In this unit

Assessment - Music: Reggae rhythms: Playing in a band

Lesson 1: Playing a bass line

Lesson 2: Playing chords

Lesson 3: Playing offbeat rhythms

Lesson 4: Writing lyrics

Lesson 5: Practise and perform

Created by:

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Maintained by: Kapow Primary team

Last update: 10th April, 2026

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Assessment – Music: Reggae rhythms: Playing in a band Previous Lesson
Lesson 2: Playing chords Next Lesson

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