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Year 2

Choosing appropriate percussive timbres to represent an animal

I can respond to music through movement and understand that timbre can help to develop a character.

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New
New
Year 2

Choosing appropriate percussive timbres to represent an animal

I can respond to music through movement and understand that timbre can help to develop a character.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Composers can create music that helps us imagine animals, characters or stories.
  2. Moving to music can help us imagine the stories the composer is trying to tell.
  3. Instruments are chosen because of their timbre but all the musical elements need to work together to create the animal.
  4. Percussion instruments can be played in many different ways to create the imagery of an animal or environment.

Keywords

  • Composer - a person who creates music

  • Conductor - a person who directs musicians or singers

  • Timbre - a description of the sound or tone of an instrument

Common misconception

Timbre alone creates a musical story.

All the musical elements need to work together to create a musical story. A clarinet can be many things depending on how it is played - not just an orangutan.


To help you plan your year 2 music lesson on: Choosing appropriate percussive timbres to represent an animal, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to explore many different ways one instrument can be played, for example the different sounds created when a nail scrapes a skin versus fingertips gently tapping the skin.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

A variety of classroom percussion. A box with a lid that can fit multiple instruments inside.

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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4 Questions

Q1.
Who do you agree with?
Sam: We only need to warm up when we have extra time.
Izzy: You only need to warm up before a performance.
Correct answer: Jun: Warming up for music is helpful as it develops our musical skills.
Q2.
A __________ instrument is played by striking, scraping or shaking.
Correct answer: percussion
string
brass
Q3.
Someone who creates their own new music is called a...
performer
Correct answer: composer
conductor
Q4.
Match the musical element to the definition.
Correct Answer:rhythm,the pattern of sounds that we play and sing
tick

the pattern of sounds that we play and sing

Correct Answer:timbre,a description of the sound or tone of an instrument
tick

a description of the sound or tone of an instrument

Correct Answer:pitch,how high or low a note is
tick

how high or low a note is

4 Questions

Q1.
Timbre is...
An image in a quiz
how fast or slow the music is played
the way the music is organised
Correct answer: a description of the sound or tone of an instrument
Q2.
Which answer do you agree with?
The timbre alone creates the character of the animal.
Correct answer: All the musical elements work together to create the character of the animal.
Q3.
True or false. The same instrument can be played in different ways to create two different animal characters.
Correct answer: True
False
Q4.
A person who directs musicians or singers is called a...
Correct answer: conductor
composer
performer