New
New
Year 1
Feeling the pulse and playing the beat
I can play a steady beat on my instrument as we sing.
New
New
Year 1
Feeling the pulse and playing the beat
I can play a steady beat on my instrument as we sing.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- We warm up before singing so that our bodies, minds and voices are ready to sing.
- We can sing and move in time to the music and know that pulse is the steady heartbeat of the music.
- We can play a steady beat on percussion instruments as we sing and chant.
Keywords
Pulse - the regular, steady heartbeat of the music
Beat - the playing or showing of the steady pulse, like the ticking of a clock
Instrument - a device used to make a musical sound
Percussion - an instrument played by striking, scraping or shaking
Common misconception
Pulse, beat and rhythm are the same thing.
Pulse is the regular heartbeat of the music. Beat is what we play or show when making the pulse audible or visible. Rhythm is the pattern of sounds and silences of differing durations.
Consider your instruments carefully, if you have a good selection. Choose instruments where children can strike the beat clearly and easily, for example a drum or claves, not a triangle or shakers.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Drums, class set of claves. Optional: lemonade cup prop.
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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Starter quiz
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4 Questions
Q1.
Match the warm up exercise to the part of the body we are warming up.
breathing
whole body
face
voice
Q2.
When we use our speaking voice in time to the pulse, we are...
Q3.
What do we call the regular, steady heartbeat of the music?
Q4.
Match the song structure to the definition.
an exact copy of a musical phrase
a question and answer musical structure
Exit quiz
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4 Questions
Q1.
When we play instruments on the steady pulse, we are playing on the...
Q2.
The beat is...
how loud or quiet the music is.
when there is a drum playing in the music.
Q3.
In music, we need to develop our sense of pulse because...
it helps us know how loud the music is.
it helps us know what instruments are playing.
Q4.
Can you put the call and response song Lemonade in the correct order?