A lesson-planning idea for teaching music at Key Stage 2, where pupils learn an African call and response song in order to develop their pitch and notation skills.
Teacher Alice Vickers from Waycroft Primary School in Bristol takes a focused approach to learning music. The simplicity and repetition in the song allows the children to quickly build up a sense of achievement. Using 'tea, coffee, soup', Year 3 work out the rhythm patterns of the song.
As a whole class activity, the children go through the whole song noting down the rhythm patterns. Alice then gives the children chime bars to assist them in working out the pitch of the song. Chime bars are easier to use than glockenspiels because you can pull out only those notes which needed for the activity.
In pairs the children work out the tune on pre-printed rhythm sheets. Finally the children perform the call and response song singing and using the chime bars at the same time.
