Year: 8
Set: Mixed
Music Learning Journey:
Y8: Rock and Roll
Overview of Unit
This unit looks at Rock ‘n’ Roll as a musical genre developed in the 1950’s from the combining of country and western and rhythm and
blues. Pupils learn about the origins and key features of Rock ‘n’ Roll music by listening to a variety of Rock ‘n’ Roll songs and performing
bass lines which are developed into a chord progression and finally into the twelve bar blues, upon which Rock ‘n’ Roll music is based.
Pupils learn about triads as a type of musical chord and know, construct and perform different triads along with a bass line. Higher ability
pupils can experiment with minor triads and attempt to create seventh chords and perform these along with a walking bass line. Pupils
take part in a class performance of “Rock Around the Clock” with awareness of the harmonic structure founded on the bass line and chord
progression, and the overall structure of the song including the different sections e.g. the “Shuwaddy” section making use of scat singing.
Pupils explore the lyrical content of Rock ‘n’ Roll songs from the 1950’s before composing, rehearsing, refining, performing and evaluating
their own Rock ‘n’ Roll songs based on the twelve bar blues bass line and chord progression. Pupils experience chords and triads by
singing and performing in harmony and the effect which this has on the music.
WALT – Objectives
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Learn about the key musical features of Rock ‘n’ Roll music
Learn about chords and triads, how these are constructed and formed
from a bass line
Learn about how chords and triads create harmony
Learn how a Rock ‘n’ Roll song is put together in terms of structure,
different harmonic parts and lyrics.
WILF – Outcomes
most students will be able to:
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Understand the emergence and origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll and how it was
influenced from other types and styles of music
Identify some musical features relating to instrumentation and singing
voices when listening to a variety of Rock ‘n’ Roll music
Perform a more complex walking Rock ‘n’ Roll repeating bass line
some students will not have made so much progress and will be able
to:
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Aurally discriminate between Rock ‘n’ Roll music and music in other
types and genres
Understand that Rock ‘n’ Roll emerged in the 1950’s with musicians
such as Elvis Presley
Perform a simple Rock ‘n’ Roll repeating bass line
Sing Rock ‘n’ Roll songs with support as part of a group with some
awareness of harmony
some students will have progressed further and will be able to:
Perform a song, as part of a group, in its original style with three
different arrangements showing awareness of manipulation of musical
features
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Correctly identify musical features relating to instrumentation and
singing styles when listening to a variety of Rock ‘n’ Roll music
Perform two Rock ‘n’ Roll bass lines and a walking bass line with good
stylistic awareness
Take on solo vocal lines when singing maintaining own independent
melodic line with accuracy of diction and phrasing
Resources:
Electronic keyboards, percussion
instruments
BASS LINE – the lowest part of the musical
texture upon which the chords and harmony
are based
CHORD – a group of two or more notes played
together at the same time
CHORD PROGRESSION – a set series of chords
e.g. twelve bar blues
FIFTH – the note which is the interval of a fifth
(five notes) above the root of a chord or triad
HARMONY – the sound produced by different
notes or parts performing together
LYRICS – another term for the words of a song,
the title of a song is often taken from the
chorus lyrics
PASSING NOTES – notes which “fill in” between
more important notes e.g. in a walking bass
line
ROOT – the lowest note of a chord or triad
upon which it is built
SCAT SINGING – the term given to the sounds
of the voice imitating instruments. Scat singing
is usually improvised and uses nonsense
syllables and vowel sounds to imitate the
patterns and sound performed by the
instrumentalists
THIRD – the note which is the interval of a third
(three notes) above the root of a chord or triad
TRIAD – a type of chord constructed of the
root, third and fifth
TWELVE-BAR BLUES – a type of chord
progression upon which much Rock ‘n’ Roll
music is based
WALKING BASS – a type of bass line that uses
passing notes and “walks” up and down in pitch
Lesson Overview
Lesson 1:
Homework:
Starter – Discussions about the characteristics of Rock and roll music.
Main – Musical feature relating to Rock and roll. Learning how to
perform Bass Lines
Plenary – Perform Bass Lines and peer assess
Keywords - Rock „n‟ Roll, Bass Line, Passing Notes, Walking
Bass, Pitch, Rhythm, Texture, Scat Singing, Country
and Western, Rhythm and Blues, Backing Singers
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Lesson 2:
Starter – Compare Rock and Roll Music and Pop Music.
Main- Recap Bass Lines learnt last lesson
Add chords to rock and roll Bass Lines
Plenary – performances of bass lines and chords so far
Keywords – Structure, Pitch, Timbre
Lesson 3:
Starter – Recap keywords used in last weeks lesson
Main- Add melodic improvisations to bass lines and chords learnt in
previous lessons
Plenary – Record performances and peer assess.
Keywords – Structure, Pitch, Timbre, tempo, dynamics, texture,
ensemble, round, unison
Lesson 4:
Starter – Put harmony parts of rock around the clock together. Discuss the
rock and roll features in this piece.
Main- Aurally work out the chords and bass line to a piece. Performing a 12
bar blues with triads.
Plenary – Performances of 12 bar blues
Keywords – Structure, Pitch, Timbre, tempo, dynamics, texture, ensemble,
round, unison
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Learn the names and meanings
of Rock „n‟ Roll, Bass Line,
Passing Notes, Walking
Bass, Pitch, Rhythm, Texture,
Scat Singing, Country
and Western, Rhythm and
Blues, Backing Singers
Lesson 5:
Homework:
Starter: Listen to ‘Rock around the clock’
Evaluate today’s lesson and
give yourself a target of how to
improve for next weeks lesson.
Main: Pupils to begin to arrange a version of rock around the clock.
Plenary: Hear individual parts so far
Keywords – Symbols, duration, pitch, dynamic Hooks, Riffs
Lesson 6:
Starter: Listen to ‘Rock around the Clock’
Main: Pupils to complete arranging their version of ‘Rock around the clock’
Plenary: hear pupils performances and record them.
Lesson 7:
Homework:
Starter: Features of a rock and roll song
Evaluate own performance and
bring your writing to next
weeks lesson, with how to
improve.
Main: Compose own Rock and roll song using given lyrics
Plenary: Hear students performances so far and give advice on how to
improve
Lesson 8:
Starter: Listen to a pre recorded piece and students are to comment on what
was good and how the piece cab be improved
Main:Complete compositions
Plenary: Record and Evaluate group performances.