Teaching & Learning

Unit Design Template

Subject
Year level
Unit title (catchy to attract interest and raise
curiosity)
Timeline (How much time will we spend on this
unit)
Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings
Learning goals of the unit (what aspects of the
standards will this unit address? What
standards will be integrated?)
STANDARDS: 1. Explore and Express Ideas
2. Music Practices
3. Present and Perform
4. Respond and Interpret.
Music
7
What is Sound?
Approximately 16 weeks
Music is organised sound.
Sound is vibrations in the air.
Vibrations must be amplified.
Links to the Victorian Curriculum
Standard 1: Explore and Express Ideas.
Students develop music ideas through composition
and performance, combining rhythm and pitch. This
includes the percussion assignment and various
composition activities in class.
Standard 2: Music Practices.
Students create, practise and rehearse music to
develop their skill and structure compositions by
combining elements of music and using notation.
This includes the percussion assignment.
Standard 3: Present and Perform.
Students rehearse and perform to audiences in
different contexts. This includes their percussion
assignment, music from Musical Futures and
performance for showcases.
Standard 4: Respond and Interpret
Students consider features of music from different
times and consider how composers use particular
features and instruments. This includes various
listening activities in class and their research
assignment on a specific instrument in time.

Students will be able to:

 Identify different rhythms
 Write with appropriate rhythmic notation
 Collaborate to compose, rehearse and perform both
set pieces and their own work
 Develop their knowledge of practical musical skills in
percussion, keyboard and guitar
 Understand and notate pitch using the stave
 Understand the different instruments that make up
an orchestra
 Identify features of the different instrumental groups
 Research a specific instrument with reference to the
time and culture it was developed in
What is music?
How does sound travel?
How does amplification affect sound?

Learning intentions Learning activities

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Teaching & Learning
Cycle 1 - Introduction to music and sound
Learning Intentions
 To understand the requirements of
participating in music
 To understand how sound is made
 To understand amplification
 To begin to play percussion grids
 To understand and use the four key terms
relating to music
Success Criteria
 I can understand the requirements of my
behaviour in the music room
 I can understand how vibrations create
sound
 I can describe the effects of amplification
 I can play percussion grids with improving
accuracy
 I can understand the words timbre, pitch,
duration and volume and use them to
describe music
Cycle 2 – Introducing Instruments
Learning Intentions
 To understand the structure of the piano
 To apply key terms to piano music
 To understand the percussion section of
the orchestra
 To begin work on musical theory
Success Criteria
 I can describe the parts of the piano and
how it creates music
 I can apply vocabulary to music created by
a piano
 I can describe the percussion section of an
orchestra and how they are played
 I can understand and recall the correct
terms for musical notation
Cycle 3 – Sections of the Orchestra
Learning Intentions
Lesson 1 – Class discussion of rules
Class discussion of what music means to each person
Rhythm practise – clapping activities
Body percussion
Lesson 2 – Hook: Interesting music video (to be
determined by progress in class) E.g. non-Western
instruments playing a popular cover, student choice,
relevant instruments, etc.
Oscilloscope activity – link frequency to pitch
Amplification – discuss mosquito effect
Beat boxing – microphone
Begin percussion grids
Lesson 3 – Hook: As above.
Discuss four key terms of music
Apply key terms to a song of student’s choice. Report
back briefly to the class.
Listening activity: Musical styles (e.g. folk music, military
music)
How Sound is Made worksheet
Write and perform student-written percussion grids.
Lesson 4 – Hook: As above.
Piano – open piano and play as a demonstration.
Students to observe the structures and the impact of the
pedals on the structure.
Annotated reading and completion of comprehension
questions.
Students to play individually on the piano while
completing work.
Lesson 5 – Hook: Write and play percussion grids as a
class.
Master Your Theory Lesson 1. Relate to percussion grids.
Introduce concept of orchestra – Colouring sheet (colour
each section a different colour as they are covered in
class)
Discuss percussion section, playing some percussion
instruments available in the classroom.
Lesson 6 – General review. Kahoot on concepts covered
to date, including chordophones, aerophones,
idiophones, membranophones and electrophones.
Percussion booklet – make a summary of how some of
the different instruments are played (e.g. vibraphone,
tambourine, claves, etc.).
Chair drumming.
Lesson 7 – Hook: Quick quiz on semibreves, minims,
crotchets, quavers, types of –phones.
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Teaching & Learning
 To understand and describe instruments in
the woodwind section of the orchestra
 To understand and describe instruments in
the brass section of the orchestra
 To continue to develop understanding of
theory
Success Criteria
 I can describe what brass and woodwind
instruments are made of
 I can list instruments in the different
sections of the orchestra from highest to
lowest pitch
 I can describe how different instruments in
the orchestra are played
 I can review musical notation and begin to
understand the stave.
Cycle 4 – Percussion assignment and Strings
Learning intentions
 To apply understanding of notation
 To collaborate with peers to create a
written piece showing understanding of
rhythm
 To review and add to understanding of
different sections of the orchestra.
Success criteria
 I can learn the conventions for writing in
music
 I can work well with my peers to complete
the percussion assignment
 I can continue to develop understanding of
the sections of the orchestra.
Cycle 5 – The Stave, Piano and Guitar
Learning Intention
 To learn to read the treble clef
 To understand the relationship between
the treble clef and the piano
 To build confidence in playing instruments.
Master Your Theory – Lesson 2
Practical activity – build up a percussion beat using
different percussion instruments in class (e.g. Africa)
Lesson 8 – Hook - Interesting music video (to be
determined by progress in class) E.g. non-Western
instruments playing a popular cover, student choice,
relevant instruments, etc.
Introduce woodwind section. Discuss history,
instruments in the orchestra, relative pitches, reeds,
single and double.
Listen to song covers featuring each instrument (to be
determined by what is relevant)
Comprehension questions
Lesson 9 – Hook – as above.
Brass section – discuss and demonstrate different
instruments. Discuss pitch and four common features of
brass instruments.
Listen to song covers featuring each type of instrument.
Class Kahoot on instruments covered to date, as well as
theory knowledge and classification of instruments.
Lesson 10 – Hook: percussion or rhythm video, or
shopping list rhythm activity (students write a list of
common household items and decide a way to move
when saying each word, e.g. one stomp for ‘bread’, one
step and two claps for ‘detergent’).
Recap brass and discuss saxophones as a fusion between
woodwind and brass. Summary questions.
Introduce percussion assignment. Discuss requirements
and notation conventions. Students to draft work by the
end of first lesson.
Lesson 11: Hook: Marble music machine video to discuss
creation of sound in different instruments.
Recap sections of the orchestra covered to date.
Work on percussion assignment – students to rehearse
with and without instruments and begin good copy of
notation.
Chair drumming.
Lesson 12 – Final rehearsal and presentation of
percussion assignment. Discuss performance etiquette.
Assess performances – give constructive peer feedback.
Good copies of music to be handed in.
Conclude with discussion of string instruments
(chordophones). Discuss orchestral string instruments
and how they are played, with accompanying videos for
each instrument.
Lesson 13 – Hook: play different string instruments and
ask students to identify them.
Recap string instruments - violin, viola, cello, double
bass.
Lesson 3 – Master Your Theory. Reading the Treble Clef.
Finish with a short playing activity. Learn where the notes
on the piano are (C is to the left of the two black keys
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Teaching & Learning
Success Criteria
 I can read the treble clef
 I can understand how the treble clef
relates to notes on the keyboard
 I can improve my skills in piano and guitar
Cycle 6 – Preparation and testing
Learning Intention
 To consolidate understanding and prepare
for testing
 To complete a music test to the best of
your ability
Success Criteria
 I can make effective use of class time to
prepare for testing
 I can complete a test to the best of my
ability
Cycle 7 – Practical skills and Research
Assignment
Learning Intention
 To work on improvement of practical skills
 To begin a research assignment
Success Criteria
 I can improve on areas that I think are
important in my performance
 I can research a non-Western instrument.
Cycle 8 – Research Assignment and
Consolidation of Skills
Learning Intention
 To complete a research assignment
 To continue to improve practical skills
Success Criteria
 I can complete and submit a detailed
video) and work on playing piano.
Lesson 14 – Recap strings, focussing on guitar, including
strings and use of plectrums and possibilities for
amplification.
Discuss how to interpret chord diagrams and strumming
patterns.
Musical Futures with guitar.
Lesson 15 – Hook: Students to create a word using the
notes of the treble clef and play it on the piano.
Master Your Theory Lesson 4
Discuss piano and where to place fingers to play chords.
Musical Futures – guitar and piano activities. Students to
swap between instruments to improve proficiency in
each.
Lesson 16 – Revision. Activities such as making snap cards
with instrument pictures and descriptions, sorting
pictures of images into sections of the orchestra and
arranging according to pitch, writing informative
brochures about the different instruments.
Lesson 17 – Revision. Complete and mark practice test
and complete revision Kahoot.
Lesson 18 – Test.
Lesson 19 – Practical lesson. Chair drumming 201,
Musical Futures Play Alongs. Students to attempt a range
of instruments and choose individual areas for
improvement.
Lesson 20 - Hook - Interesting music video (to be
determined by progress in class) E.g. non-Western
instruments playing a popular cover, student choice,
relevant instruments, etc.
Start research assignment on non-Western instrument.
Conclude with a practical (focus on any instrument or
Musical Futures Play Alongs.
Lesson 21 – Continue to work on musical instrument
assignment.
Master Your Theory – Lesson 5
Percussion activity if time permits.
Lesson 22 – Hook: Beat boxing with Musical Futures
Work on Research Assignment
Practical at end of lesson if time permits.
Lesson 23 – Master Your Theory Lesson 6
Complete Research assignments
Musical Futures practical
Lesson 24 – Work as a class to prepare, rehearse and
present a song without having to look at notes or
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Teaching & Learning

research assignment screens. Musical Futures activities as required.

 I can develop my practical skills

Formative Assessment evidence

Formative
Summative Assessment: Describe the tiered  Kahoot quizzes
common assessment task  Practice test
 Theory lessons

Summative
 Percussion Assignment
 Topic Examination
 Instrument Research Assignment

Resources See T and L folder on Staff Resources/ compass for other

What is currently available? What needs to be
developed?
Moderation (making consistent judgements for
fairness and equity)
How will teachers moderate?
resources relating to this unit.
Between Y7 teachers through regular meetings and
discussion

Targets Targeted learning to meet needs

Do I need to target the learning of any specific Determined by data, learning levels and knowledge of
students? What will guide my decisions? students (information all made available to staff at the
beginning of the unit)