Playing the melody: Ode to Joy

I can play the first two phrases of Ode to Joy.

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Year 7

Playing the melody: Ode to Joy

I can play the first two phrases of Ode to Joy.

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Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

Melodies are made up of phrases. The phrases in Ode to Joy are four bars long.
A crotchet is a one beat note and a minim is a two beat note.
Playing the first two phrases of Ode to Joy on the keyboard.
An emphasis on the first beat of a bar and playing the last bar slighly quieter can help to create a well-shaped phrase.
Ode to Joy is a melody by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Keywords

Bar - A bar of music is a short beat cycle. A bar is often 2, 3, or 4 beats long.
Phrase - A phrase is a section of a melody. A phrase is often 2 or 4 bars long.
Rhythm - A rhythm is a selection of long and short note durations in a pattern. All melodies have a rhythm.
Crotchet - A crotchet is a note lasting for one beat.
Minim - A minim is a note lasting for two beats.

Common misconception

Overdoing the emphasis on the first note of the bar and the music becoming stilted.

Play the pupils a non-example where the first beat is so strong it becomes unmusical and follow this with a good example.

One way of explaining phrases is to sing the phrase to the pupils and breathe at the end of each phrase. This will help them hear how the notes are connected and also give them a way to feel the phrases themselves in unfamiliar music.