Upper Key Stage 2 Earliest Civilisations: Shang Dynasty

Music

Children will learn about Shang musical instruments, discuss what these musical instruments could have been used for, find modern equivalents and try them out.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To find out about musical instruments in the Shang period.
• To play similar musical instruments to explore the sound of Shang music.

Children will:

• Describe features of the music.
• Explain some of the features of ancient Chinese music.
• Play musical instruments in a way that recalls the ancient Chinese music.

• Shang instruments
• Musical terminology

• Bells
• Panpipes
• Flutes
• Drums
• Cymbals
• Ocarinas
• Chimes

Information about Ancient Chinese music from metmuseum.org
About music and instruments of the Zhou Dynasty from china.org.cn
Ancient Chinese music and dance YouTube clip
Information about Ancient Chinese music from travelchinaguide.com
History of Ancient Chinese music from historyforkids.org
Chinese music composition from teachervision.com
Explanation of diatonic and pentatonic scales from guitarmusictheory.com

Listen to different compositions that tell a story or evoke an emotion and examine how the pitch, tempo, timbre and structure communicates elements of a story or an emotion.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To think about the range of music possible with Shang musical instruments.
• To appreciate and demonstrate that music can tell a story or create an emotion.

Children will:

• Appreciate the emotional aspect of music.
• Improvise music to create a certain emotion.
• Discuss the Shang use of music.

• Emotion cards
• Elements of music to evoke emotions

• Bells
• Pan pipes
• Flutes
• Drums
• Cymbals
• Ocarinas
• Chimes

Game listening to music and deciding on what emotion it makes you feel from bbc.co.uk
Selection of music from around the world from bbc.co.uk

Tell children the story of the downfall of the Shang dynasty. Children improvise a composition to accompany the story. Note down what tempo, pitch and timbre each part of the orchestra plays during each section of the story.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To learn about the end of the Shang Dynasty.
• To compose a piece to accompany the story of the fall of the Shang.

Children will:

• Improvise a piece of music to tell a story.
• Contribute to a composition that tells a story.
• Perform a composition to tell a story.

• The Shijing
• Story about the downfall of the Shang from the Shijing
• Musical notation
• Composition template
• Example of Chinese melody using western notation

• Bells
• Pan pipes
• Flutes
• Drums
• Cymbals
• Ocarinas
• Chimes

Using music to illustrate character from bbc.co.uk
Using dynamics to create mood from bbc.co.uk
Use of texture to create interest from bbc.co.uk
Use of harmony from bbc.co.uk
Duration and tempo to create mood from bbc.co.uk
Some ideas of changing tempo can change the mood of the music from bbc.co.uk

Children will practice and perform the Shang piece to an audience.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To present information about the Shang.
• To perform the piece they have composed.

Children will:

• Plan a performance.
• Explain features of Shang music.
• Take part in an ensemble performance.

• Template covering the poem for the composition

• Bells
• Pan pipes
• Flutes
• Drums
• Cymbals
• Ocarinas
• Chime bars

There are no weblinks needed for this session.