Improvising using a five note raag
I can improvise a short musical phrase using a five note raag.
Improvising using a five note raag
I can improvise a short musical phrase using a five note raag.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Improvising is creating music in the moment.
- In Hindustani classical music, we can only improvise using the notes in the raag.
- Improvisation does not need to be complicated and using fewer notes can effectively convey a feeling or emotion.
- When we play a raag, we can add an emotion we want the listener to hear and feel. This is called ras or rasa.
- Changing the tempo and the dynamics of our playing can give the music a different feel or emotion.
Keywords
Improvisation - creative, in-the-moment musical composition
Raag - musical notes used to make a composition (from Sanskrit language meaning ‘to colour’)
Tempo - how fast or slow the music is played
Dynamics - how loud or quiet the music is played or sung
Ras or rasa - Sanskrit word meaning essence (of a piece of music)
Common misconception
Improvisation is complicated and hard to do.
Using fewer notes and focusing on creating short improvisations can be very effective and help us to introduce the idea of conveying emotion through our music.
To help you plan your year 4 music lesson on: Improvising using a five note raag, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 music lesson on: Improvising using a five note raag, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 music lessons from the Compose and Create: improvising within Hindustani classical music unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Glockenspiels, xylophones or chime bars. Keyboards could also be used. One between two is suggested.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
4 Questions
how fast or slow music is played
how loud or quiet music is played
how high or low a note is
the way the music is organised
the ascending notes in a raag (going up in pitch)
the descending notes in a raag (going down in pitch)
the name for the singing notes in Hindustani music - from Sa Re Ga ma
musical notes used to make a composition
Exit quiz
4 Questions
creating music that hasn't been written down or played yet
Sanskrit word meaning 'juice' or 'essence', emotion felt in music/art
how loud or quiet the music is
how fast or slow the music is played