Groovy Jungle Lesson Plans (Resized ... - Groovy Music

Groovy Jungle Lessons 

LESSON PLANS

Groovy Jungle lesson plans 

Cross-curricular links 

Lesson Page 

Jungle Create Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 

ICT: Develop ideas 

Introductory Lesson – Musical Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 

ICT: Develop ideas 

Lesson 1 – Tone Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

Literacy: Speaking and listening 

Lesson 2 – Loud and Quiet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Literacy: Poems 

Lesson 3 – Music Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Art and Design: Evaluate work 

Lesson 4 – Dynamics Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

Literacy: Word banks (including Italian words!) 

Lesson 5 – Long and Short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

PE: Movement to music. Literacy: Poems 

Lesson 6 – Beat and Metre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Numeracy: Recognising patterns and sequences. PE: Movement to music 

Lesson 7 – Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

PE: Movement to music. Literacy: Speaking and Listening 

Lesson 8 – Notes and the Beat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 

Literacy: Rhymes and poems. Numeracy: Recognising patterns and sequences 

Lesson 9 – Upward and Downward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 

ICT: Developing ideas 

Lesson 10 – High, Low, Middle, Steps & Leaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

PE: Movement to music 

Lesson 11 – Major and Minor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 

Literacy: Word banks 

Lesson 12 – Making Melody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 

ICT: Developing ideas and sharing information 

1

2 

Lesson Plan Files 

Compatibility with Music Curriculum 

QCA National Standards (UK) 

Groovy Jungle fulfi ls the following Key Stage 2 

National Curriculum areas: 

Jungle Introductory Lesson 

1a, 1c, 2b, 3a, 3c, 4a, 4b 

Shapes Introductory Lesson 

1a, 1c, 2b, 3a, 3c, 4a, 4b 

Explore Sound 

Tone Colour: 1a, 1c, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4c 

Loud and Quiet: 1a, 1c, 3a, 3c, 4a 

Music Words: 1b, 1c, 2b, 3a, 3c, 4b 

Dynamics Symbols: 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4b, 4d 

Other countries 

To open lesson plan fi les, fi rst click on the Jungle or Shapes Song 

button (as indicated in the Resources box) followed by the Open 

Song button to select the appropriate fi le. The fi les can be found in the 

same folder that Groovy Jungle was installed to on your hard drive. 

Typically this will be: 

Windows: C:\Program Files\Sibelius Software\Groovy Jungle\Lesson Plan Files 

Mac: /Applications/Sibelius Groovy Jungle/Lesson Plan Files 

Explore Rhythm 

Long and Short: 1a, 1c, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3c, 

4a, 4c 

Beat and Metre: 1a, 1c, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4a 

Tempo: 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b 

Notes and the Beat: 1a, 1c, 2a, 2b, 3c, 

4a, 4b 

Explore Pitch 

Upward and Downward: 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 

4a, 4b 

High, Low, Middle, Steps and Leaps: 2b, 

3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b 

Major and Minor: 1a, 1c, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 

4a, 4b 

Making Melody: 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 

3c, 4a, 4b and others by outcome 

In countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Canada, learning objectives and programmes 

of study will differ slightly from the UK national curriculum on which these materials are based; 

however, teachers should fi nd much in common and may choose to interpret these lesson plans 

according to their own needs.

Jungle Create Introduction 

Preliminary activity 

Introduction 

Welcome to Groovy Jungle! In Groovy Jungle, the Create mode has 

two different styles, Jungle mode and Shapes mode. There are two 

introductory lessons to show the children both of these styles. 

In this Introductory Jungle lesson, we’re going to perform the song 

‘Jungle Jacques’, adding a rhythmic accompaniment and bass line, 

then learn to create it using the different animals and plants in the 

Jungle Create mode. 

Preliminary Activity 

Write new words for the song ‘Frère Jacques’ on the board: Jungle Jacques 

But-ter-fl ies are, but-ter-fl ies are 

Melodies, melodies. 

Rhythm in the trees, Rhythm in the trees, 

Bass line plants, bass line plants. 

Explain to the children that we’re going to sing these new ‘Jungle Jacques’ 

words to the tune ‘Frère Jacques’. Read the words with the children and then 

sing the song (sing two pitches on the word ‘Trees’). Repeat this until the 

children are used to the new words. 

Sing the last two bars of the tune (‘Bass line plants’), repeating it over and 

over. Tell the children that you will sing this pattern as a bass line while 

they sing the song. Sing with the children. Then, divide the class into two 

groups and ask one group to sing the melody while the other group sings 

the repeating bass line. Start the bass line fi rst and then bring in the melody. 

Practise this and then swap the parts over. 

Next, explain that we’re going to add a rhythm to our song. Chant (speak) 

the third phrase of the song and ask the children to copy you: 

Rhy - thm in the trees, Rhy - thm in the trees. 

Then add body percussion to the chant, tapping knees and clapping hands: 

Rhy-thm in the trees (rest) 

tap-tap tap–tap clap fi nger-click 

Speak and tap the chant, then whisper and tap, then perform the rhythm 

while thinking the words, keeping a steady tempo. Then perform the rhythm 

as an ostinato while singing the song. Finally, divide the class into three 

groups and perform all three parts at once: the bass line ostinato; the rhythm 

ostinato and the ‘Jungle Jacques’ tune. Start the rhythm fi rst, then add the 

bass line, then the melody. Encourage the children to listen to each other 

as they perform to keep a steady speed. Swap the parts so that everyone 

performs each one. 

3

4 

Introduction 

Introductory Lesson – Musical Shapes 

We’re going to learn to 

recognise the different 

Groovy Shapes symbols for 

‘melodies’ and ‘rhythms’ 

and also re-create the 

tune ‘Twinkle, 

Twinkle, Little Star’ 

with a rhythmic 

accompaniment . 

Jungle Create mode lesson 

Twinkle.grs 

This Groovy Jungle fi le contains an 

eight-bar Play Space. The Melody 

menu has four Melody Butterfl ies, 

each representing one bar of the 

melody ‘Jungle Jacques’. (Each phrase 

of the melody repeats, so you will 

need to use each Melody Butterfl y 

twice). There is also a choice of two 

Rhythm Trees plus some Chord Webs 

and Arpeggio Insects. 

If you have an interactive 

whiteboard, turn the Screen Toggle 

on for classroom use. 

Click on the Jungle Songs button 

and then the Open Songs button 

to open JungleJacq .grs. Here we are in the jungle! 

Ask the children which icon at the top of the screen represents melodies. (Butterfl ies; 

remember the song!). Click on the Melodies button to reveal four Melody Butterfl ies 

in the menu above the Play Space. We need to put these Melody Butterfl ies into the 

boxes (bars) numbered one to eight in order, so that the melody sounds like ‘Jungle 

Jacques.’ Invite the children to click on the Melody Butterfl ies to hear them and then 

drag them into the left side of each bar. Show the children that shapes will actually snap 

to barlines if they are dropped near to them, and that this is especially good for making 

rhythms and bass lines sound at the same time. Ask how many times we hear each 

phrase (twice), and explain that we can use each Melody Butterfl y more than once. 

As the children add the Melody Butterfl ies to the Play Space, show them how to use the 

Backward and Forward buttons to move around the two pages of the song. Encourage 

them to listen often as they work. Click on the Play button to hear the melody and then 

click on the Stop button to halt playback. To replay from bar one, click on the Reset 

button to return the character to the beginning, and then click on the Play button. 

When the children have a Melody Butterfl y in each bar, click on the Play button to listen 

to the whole melody. Ask the children if the melody sounds right or if they need to swap 

or move any of the Melody Butterfl ies. Invite them to make changes by clicking on and 

dragging the Melody Butterfl ies into different bars, or to the Trash to delete them. When 

they have fi nished, click on the Play button and sing ‘Jungle Jacques’ in time with Groovy. 

Resources

Melody Butterfl ies button 

Place the Butterfl ies 

in the correct order 

onto the Play Space 

Jungle songs button 

Drag incorrectly placed 

Butterfl ies to the Trash 

Show the children how we make the music repeat. Click on the Tempo button and drag 

the Repeat sign button (with the arrow) onto the Stop Sign. Now click on the Play 

button to hear the melody repeat and sing the song in time with Groovy. 

Ask the children which shape at the top of the screen represents rhythms. (Trees; 

remember the song!). Click on the Rhythms button to reveal two Rhythm Trees. Click 

on the Rhythm Trees to hear them. Ask the children to choose the rhythm that they 

think matches our chant. Invite the children to drag this tree into each of the bars. Click 

on the Play button to hear the melody and rhythm together. 

Ask the children to sing the last line of the 

melody from the ‘Jungle Jacques’ song 

(Bass Line plants). Then invite them to fi nd 

and click on the Bass Line button (Plant) 

to reveal two plants in the menu. Click on 

them to hear the bass lines, and ask which 

matches our ‘Bass Line plants’ melody. Help 

the children drag this Plant onto the Play 

Space, one into each bar. 

Click on the Play button to hear the music. 

Well done, you’ve created the ‘Jungle 

Jacques’ song using Groovy Jungle! Now 

sing, clap, and chant all the parts in time 

with Groovy! 

Four melodies that build 

the tune Jungle Jaques 

Click Play . Does the 

tune sound correct? 

Rhythm Trees 

button 

Tempos/Repeat menu 

Repeat sign 

5

6 

Extension tasks 

Children can add chords to the music. Chords are blocks of sound (two or more notes played at 

once) that support the melody. In the Jungle Create mode, chords are represented by Webs. 

The notes of a chord are played together like the strands of the webs. Ask the children to fi nd 

the Webs button, listen to the chords, and add them to the song by dragging them onto the 

Play Space. 

Arpeggios Insects button 

Chord Webs button 

Place the Insects and 

Webs onto the Play Space 

Click on the Arpeggios button to reveal swarms of insects in the menu. Click on these to hear 

arpeggios. Ask the children to describe what they hear. Explain that arpeggios are chords which 

have been broken up, so that we hear the notes played separately, like all the insects fl ying 

through the air. Listen to the arpeggios again and watch the insects fl y. Arpeggio Insects can be 

added to the music with or instead of chords. 

When we use Groovy Jungle, we collect Bonus Animals for completing the Explore mode 

steps correctly! Ask the children to fi nd and click on the Bonus Animals button. The number 

of Bonus Animals you have in the menu depends on how many Explore mode steps you’ve 

successfully completed. To begin with, we are given four Bonus Animals. Click on each one to 

hear its sound. These can be added to the music for special effects. 

Children can use the other Bass Line Plants and Rhythm Trees to create a different arrangement. 

Bonus Animals button 

Add special effects to your 

music with Bonus Animals 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1a, 1c, 

2b, 3a, 3c, 

4a, 4b

Shapes Create Introduction 

Preliminary activity 

Introduction 

In this introductory lesson, we’re going to introduce the 

Editor, which we will be using in later lessons to compose 

our own rhythms and melodies. We will use the Editor to 

make changes to the ‘Frère Jacques’ song. Groovy Jungle 

also allows you to access the Shapes Create mode, so we’ll 

Practise navigating from Jungle to Shapes in this lesson. 

Preliminary Activity 

Invite the children to sing ‘Frère Jacques’ together. 

Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping? 

Brother John, Brother John? 

Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing, 

Ding ding dong, Ding ding dong. 

Then, hum the melody while thinking the words. Hum again, this time asking the 

children to move their hands upward and downward like imaginary paint-brushes 

to show the direction of the melody. Tell the children that we call the tune the 

‘melody’, and write this word on the board. 

Sing the last phrase of ‘Frère Jacques’ to the children (‘Ding, ding, dong’) and ask 

them to join in. Sing this pattern continuously, then give a stop signal. Tell the 

children that a repeated pattern is called an ‘ostinato’ and write it on the board. 

Invite the children to sing ‘Frère Jacques’ while you sing the ostinato, then ask some 

of the children to join you on the ostinato part. Ask the children which part has the 

lowest pitch — the ostinato or the melody? (The ostinato). 

Tell the children that this ostinato is our bass line, and write ‘bass line’ on the board. 

Ask half of the class to sing the bass line ostinato while the other half sings ‘Frère 

Jacques’. Give a starting note and tempo by singing a cue to begin each Practise 

(e.g. ‘1, 2, ready, go’). Start the ostinato fi rst, then add the melody. 

Perform a four-beat rhythm using body percussion. For example, tap your knees and 

then clap your hands in a pattern (e.g. tap, tap, clap-clap, clap) and repeat this over 

and over again. Ask the children to copy you. Write the word ‘rhythm’ on the board. 

Invite several children to play the rhythm on unpitched percussion instruments 

while the rest of the class sing the song. Start the rhythm ostinato fi rst, then the 

song. Swap parts and perform again. 

Invite the children to perform all three parts together - the melody, the bass line 

ostinato and the rhythm ostinato. Explain that music becomes interesting by 

adding layers of different sounds. Begin one ostinato fi rst, then the next, then the 

melody. Be sure to give a clear stop signal! 

7

8 

Introduction 

Shapes Create Introduction 

In this lesson, we’re going to 

learn to open the Editor in 

Groovy to see what the 

music looks like when it is 

notated (written) . We will 

also change some 

of the notes and 

listen to the 

changes . 

Shapes Create mode lesson 

FrereJacq .grs 

This Groovy Jungle fi le contains an 

eight-bar Play Space. The Melody 

menu has four Melody shapes each 

representing one bar of the melody 

‘Frère Jacques’. There is also a choice 

of two Rhythm shapes (one of these 

is tap, tap, clap-clap, clap) and two 

bass lines (one is ‘Ding, diang, dong’), 

plus some Chords and Arpeggios. 


whiteboard, turn the 

Screen Toggle 


Click on the Shapes Songs button; the ‘Jungle Create’ mode opens automatically. 

Show the children how to navigate to the Shapes Create mode by clicking on the 

Shapes Songs button. Welcome to Shapes Create! 

Explain that in the Shapes Create mode, the different elements of music are represented 

by different shapes. Ask the children the musical word for the tune (melody), then help 

them fi nd the Melody shape. Click on this button to reveal four Melody shapes. Click on 

them to hear them, and ask which melody the shapes represent? (Frère Jacques). Help the 

children fi nd the shape that is the fi rst phrase of the melody and drag it into the fi rst bar 

on the Play Space. Ask what happens next in the tune, (it repeats) and ask a pupil to drag 

the same shape into the second bar. 

Explain to the children that we can change the melody we just heard using the Editor. 

Invite a pupil to double-click on the (fi rst) melody shape to open the Editor. You 

will see a musical stave (fi ve horizontal lines) and an instrument picture to the left, 

which shows the instrument being used. Point to this and ask children to identify the 

instrument that plays the music. (Clarinet). 

Next, invite the children to change one of the notes on the stave by clicking on it and 

dragging it higher or lower. Then click on the Play button to hear the change. The music 

will automatically repeat from the last note. Ask the children to raise their hand when 

they hear the note that has been changed. To undo the change, click on Undo, and the 

note will return to its original pitch. Allow the children to continue to explore by making 

more changes. Encourage them to listen frequently. To return to the Play Space, click 

Done and click on the Play button again to hear the changed melody in the Play Space. 

Resources

Now ask the children to fi nd the Rhythms button and click on it to reveal two Rhythm 

shapes in the menu. Listen to the shapes and ask the children to choose the rhythm that 

they feel best matches the rhythm we tapped and clapped. Drag this rhythm into the 

second bar and double-click on it to open the Editor. Ask the children which instruments 

are pictured (tambourine and open high conga). Invite the children to explore making 

changes to the rhythm by stretching the graphic notes (to make them longer or shorter), 

adding notes, or dragging notes to the trash. Encourage them to listen frequently. Click 

Done to return to the Play Space, then the Play button to hear the music again. 


Place the Shapes in the correct 

order into the Play Space to 

create the tune Frère Jaques 

Invite the children to sing the bass line ostinato (‘Ding, ding, dong’) from ‘Frère Jacques.’ 

Then guide them with questions: What is the special name for this part of the music? 

(Bass line). Who can fi nd the button called bass lines? Which shape sounds the same as 

‘Ding ding dong’? Let’s put them on the Play Space, one in each box. 

Allow children to continue working on ‘Frère Jacques’. Help them complete the melody 

and make changes to the melody and rhythm. Encourage them to listen often. 

Now let’s listen to each student’s version of ‘Frère Jacques’ to compare them. They’ve 

created their fi rst song using Shapes Create mode. We have a melody accompanied by 

a rhythm and a bass line. 

If you’ve used Groovy Shapes (the fi rst of the Groovy Music series), you collected 

Bonus shapes for being a ‘star’ and answering the Explore mode questions correctly. 

In Groovy Jungle Shapes mode you are given all of the Bonus shapes from the start! 

Find the Bonus shapes button (the button with the star in the middle) and listen to 

the different sound effects. Add some Bonus shapes to the music for special effects. 

Some children may like to add chords to the music. Chords are 

blocks of sound (two or more notes played at once), which support 

the melody. Find the shape with a ‘block’ in the middle. Listen to 

the different Chord shapes and try adding some to the music. 

Arpeggios are chords that are played one note at a time. The 

Arpeggios shape shows the notes tied together along a string, 

to represent the strings of separate notes. Invite the children to 

swap arpeggios for chords in their music. Which do they prefer? 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1a, 

1c, 2b, 3c, 

4a, 4b 

9

10 

Lesson 1 – Tone Colour 

Learning objectives and preliminary activities 

Learning Objectives 

Recognise that different instruments have different sounds or 

tone colours. 

Identify the tone colours of instruments and other sound sources. 

Create a composition using different tone colours. 

Suggested Preliminary Activities 

Read the children a story, perhaps about a haunted house or the 

jungle, and ask them to create sound effects using their voices, body 

percussion or classroom instruments. 

Look at a selection of pictures that give strong impressions of 

different moods, e.g. peaceful, dramatic. What does the picture 

describe? How does it make you feel? Invite the children to describe 

the sounds or music they think would match the mood or feeling of 

the picture. 

Find or make mobiles out of different materials such as wood, metal, 

plastic or shells. Invite the pupils to use appropriate vocabulary to 

describe the different sounds made by the different instruments 

(e.g. dull, bright, tinkling). 

Distribute classroom percussion instruments to the pupils - one 

instrument per student. Write the following headings on the board: 

wood, metal, skin (drum), rattle (shake), scrape. Invite the students 

to identify what their instruments are made of and how their 

sounds are made. Then ask the pupils to write the names of their 

instruments under the appropriate heading on the board. Ask the 

pupils to continue exploring ways to play their instruments, and to 

list words that describe the sounds of their instruments. 

Help the children to make a list of words whose sounds refl ect 

their meaning (onomatopoeia). For example, ‘sizzle’ is a word that, 

when spoken, sounds like its meaning. Other examples might be 

‘bang’, ‘zap’, and ‘whoosh’. After pupils have listed words, invite 

them to explore speaking the words in different ways to show their 

meanings. Invite them to create movements or illustrations to show 

the meanings of selected words.


Teacher Tips for Explore Mode 

Steps A–E 

As students listen to the different instruments, 

ask them to describe how the instrument is 

played (e.g. blown, bowed, struck) and what 

it is made of. Ask the pupils to describe the 

sound of each instrument using vocabulary 

such as mellow, reedy, scratchy, bright, 

tinkling, warm, brassy or tapping. 

Steps F–G 

Guide the pupils as they click on shapes, listen 

to the music, then drag the shapes to the 

matching instruments. Ask them to name each 

instrument and describe its sound. Tell the 

children that an instrument playing alone is a 

‘solo’ instrument. 

Steps H–I 

Continue to guide the children as they listen 

to pairs of instruments. Tell them that we call 

two instruments playing together a ‘duet’. 

Steps J–M 

Click on the shape to hear two instruments 

playing together (a duet). Guide the children 

as they drag instrument pictures to the shape. 

Ask them to identify the instruments by name. 

Step N 

The children need to drag the sounds they 

hear in the shapes to the pictures. The pupils 

will hear Bonus shapes fi rst, then rhythms 

(which instruments play rhythms? The snare 

drum and tom-toms), then Melody shapes. 

Can the children name the instruments fi rst? 

How are they played, what do they sound like? 

When they have matched them up, click on 

Play to hear the music 

Drag the correct 

shape to the 

instrument 

Listen to the sound 

of the trombone 

Click on the Play 

button when you’re 

fi nished to listen . 

11

12 

Introduction 


In this lesson, we’re going 

to create a four-bar 

composition using different 

tone colours . We will also 

create solos and 

duets in our 

composition . 


ToneColour .grs 

ToneColour.grs contains a four-bar 

Play Space with a choice of eight 

one-bar Melody shapes played 

by the clarinet, fl ute, trombone, 

trumpet, violin, cello, saxophone 

and piano, plus some Bonus shapes 

and Rhythms. 



Screen Toggle 


O p e n ToneColour .grs. Ask the children how many bars long our music is going to be (four). 

Ask the children the name we give to the tune in music (melody) and invite one of 

the children to click on the Melodies button to reveal the ten Melody shapes we 

have been given. Click on these to listen to them and ask the children to identify the 

instruments they hear. 

Ask the children how many instruments play when we hear a solo (one), and how many 

we hear in a duet (two). 

Ask the children to drag the Melody shapes onto the Play Space, putting at least one 

shape into the left hand side of each bar. Explain to the children that we will make at 

least two bars of the music ‘duet’ bars and invite the children to add Melody shapes to 

at least two bars of the music. 

Place two Melody 

shapes in the same 

bar to make a duet 

Listen to all the 

Melody shapes 

Resources

Click on the Play button to hear the music. The children can experiment with different 

combinations of Melody shapes in solo and duet combinations. Listen back to the music 

frequently to review the choices and help the children make changes. 

When the music is fi nished, click on Play to hear the music. Ask the children to listen 

with their eyes closed and to raise their hands when they hear the duet parts. 

Explain that to add special effects, we can click on the Bonus Shapes button and click 

on the shapes to hear them. Invite the children to add them to the music and listen back 

to hear the effect. 

Click on the Song Name 

sign to name your music 

Click on the Save button 

to save your work 


Place some Bonus shapes 

into the Play Space 

When the music is fi nished, we need to give it a name! Ask the children to click on the 

Song Name sign and enter the name of their fi rst piece of music! 

The children can change the instrument tone colours of the shapes by clicking on the 

Instruments and Dynamics button and dragging the instrument they choose onto 

the shapes. They can click on the instrument pictures to hear their sounds fi rst. 

To create a longer piece (perhaps six or eight bars long), drag the stop sign to the 

required number of bars. Or alternatively, click on the Tempo/Repeat button and drag 

the Repeat sign (with an arrow) to the Stop sign. This will make the music loop back 

to the beginning. 

The children could experiment with three (trio) or four (quartet) instruments playing 

at once by dragging extra Melody shapes into the bars. They could also thicken the 

musical texture by adding a rhythmic accompaniment. Click on the Rhythms button 

and drag the shapes into the bars. 

Find a picture or poster of a scene that suggests a certain mood. 

Ask the children to describe the mood of the picture using 

adjectives. Write these words on the board. Then listen to the 

different instrument sounds and list the sounds that match the 

words on the board. Drag Melody shapes onto the Play Space 

and then drag the chosen instruments onto the shapes to create 

mood music. 

National 

Curriculum 


2b, 3a, 3b, 

3c, 4a, 4c 

13

14 

Lesson 2 – Loud and Quiet 



Learn to identify different dynamic levels. 

Play instruments and perform vocal sounds expressively using 

appropriate dynamics. 

Create music that uses different dynamics 


Write the words ‘loud’, ‘very loud’, ‘quiet’, ‘very quiet’, ‘getting 

louder’, and ‘getting quieter’ on the board. Then, give the pupils a 

sentence, such as ‘The wind blew gently through the trees’. Invite 

them to improvise vocal or body percussion sounds that match the 

sentence. Then, ask the pupils to identify the dynamic label that 

matches their improvisation. Encourage pupils to invent their own 

sentences for improvisations. 

Distribute classroom percussion instruments to pupils. Working 

in small groups or as a class, invite them to invent a rhythm that 

they can play as an ostinato (a short, repeating pattern). Then ask 

the pupils to play their ostinato as you point to different dynamics 

words on the board. On another day, write the dynamics words on 

cards. Ask one pupil to draw a card and keep it secret, then play his 

or her instrument at that dynamic level. Ask the rest of the class to 

identify the dynamic level by listening.



Steps A–B 

Listen to music that is loud, very loud, 

quiet and very quiet. Ask the children to 

name other loud, quiet, very loud and very 

quiet sounds that they hear in school. 

Steps C–F 

Guide pupils as they identify loud, very 

loud, quiet and very quiet sounds in steps 

C and D, then arrange shapes in order in 

steps E and F. 

Steps G–H 

Encourage the children to watch the 

shapes change size as they listen to music 

that is getting louder or getting quieter. 

Invite them to name sounds that get 

louder or quieter. 

Steps I–J 

Guide the pupils as they identify music 

that is getting louder or getting quieter. 

Step K 

Tell the children that the word for louds 

and quiets in music is ‘dynamics’. Click 

on the Melody Butterfl ies to hear the 

melodies and drag the melody with 

the correct dynamic to the arrow on 

the Jungle Play Space. When they have 

fi nished, ask the children to click on 

the Play button to hear the music with 

changing dynamics. 

Click on the Play button 

to listen to your music 


shape to the word 


bird to the word 

15

16 

Introduction 


In this lesson, we will 

create a composition 

using different 

dynamics to match a 

‘Jungle Animals‘ 

story . 


Read the ‘Jungle Animals’ story to the children. Read expressively to refl ect the dynamics 

indicated. 

Jungle Animals 

Click Beetle clicked, (very quiet) 

Flying Fox fl apped his wings, (quiet) 

Ocelot growled, (getting louder) 

Lion roared, (loud) 

Elephant trumpeted, (very loud) 

Harpy eagle squawked and fl ew away. (getting quieter) 

Animals .grs 

This Groovy Jungle fi le opens a sixsixbar Jungle Play space. The Animals 

menu contains six animal sounds that 

match the sentences of the ‘Jungle 

Animals’ story. There are also six 

Rhythm Trees in the Rhythms menu. 

The dynamic words are printed from 

the Text line at the bottom of the 

Play Space Space. 



Screen Toggle 


Show the children the dynamic words printed on the Text line at the bottom of the Play 

Space. Then read the story again. Pause at the end of each sentence and point to the 

matching dynamics word on the screen. Invite the pupils to make the appropriate animal 

sound for each sentence at the correct dynamic level. 

In Jungle Create mode, open Animals .grs. Invite the pupils to click on the Bonus Animals 

menu and then listen to each animal sound. Ask them to identify the loudest sound, the 

most quiet and so on. Then ask them to read the dynamics words at the bottom of the Play 

Space and drag each animal sound onto the Play Space above the matching words on the 

Text Line. 

Resources

Match the Bonus Animals to 

the words in the Text line 

Click on the Play button to hear the sounds without reading the story. Then click on the Play 

button again and read the story with the sounds. Do the sounds match the story? Click on 

the Play button again and invite the pupils to imagine the story as they listen. 


Invite the children to create movements to show the different dynamic levels of their 

music. With pupils in small groups, ask them to invent their own movements, playing 

them the ‘Jungle Animals‘ music several times as they plan and practise. Then ask them 

to perform for each other. 

Ask the children to write new six-sentence ‘Jungle Animals‘ stories, individually, in small 

groups, or as a class. Encourage them to think about dynamics and to use different 

kinds of dynamics in their stories. Then help them open a new Jungle Play Space and 

allow them to create music for their stories. 

The children can add jungle drums to their ‘Jungle Animals’ compositions. Click on 

the Rhythms button and listen to the six Rhythm Trees we have been given. Drag 

the Rhythm Trees onto the Play Space to match the dynamic of each bar. Invite the 

children to experiment with percussion tone colours by clicking on the Instruments 

button and dragging new instrument sounds to the Rhythm Trees. 

Invite the children to add unpitched percussion instruments to a 

performance of their ‘Jungle Animals’ music. Help the children 

plan which instruments will play when and then play along 

with Groovy. 

National 

Curriculum 


3a, 3c, 4a 

17

18 

Lesson 3 – Music Words 



Identify the sounds and names of instruments playing alone and 

in combinations. 

Use instruments alone and in combinations to create a composition. 


Organise classroom instruments into groups: wood, shakers, skins, 

metal, and explore the effect of sounds played on their own and 

together, from the same and different groups. 

Open the Create mode of Groovy Jungle. Click on the Instruments 

and Dynamics button. Show the children the row of instruments 

which appears at the bottom of the Play Space. The instruments are 

grouped in families: woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard and strings. 

Invite the children to click on each picture to hear the sound of each 

instrument and see the instrument names. Which other instruments 

do the children know which belong to these families or groups? 

Show the children an art print of your choice. Ask the children to 

describe the picture, discussing the colours, lines, shapes and design. 

Also encourage them to discuss the mood or feeling of the picture. 

Tell the pupils that some composers wrote music based on art works 

that interested them. Working in small groups, invite the children 

to plan and Practise music using classroom instruments, body 

percussion and vocal sounds. Their music should refl ect their ideas 

about the artwork. Encourage them to experiment with tone colours 

and dynamics in their compositions.



Steps A–B 

Ask the children to name the instruments 

before seeing the word. Click on the 

picture to hear the instrument. Ask the 

children to describe the sounds using 

appropriate vocabulary such as mellow, 

smooth, bright, warm and brassy. 

Steps C–D 

Ask the children to read the instrument 

words, then click on the shapes to hear 

them. Guide the children as they drag the 

shapes to the matching words. 

Steps E–G 

Revise the words ‘solo’ (an instrument 

playing alone) and ‘duet’ (two instruments 

playing together). Listen to the instrument 

duets in each step. 

Steps H–M 

Guide the students as they click on each 

shape to hear the two instruments playing 

together. Which instruments are playing? 

Drag the words to the shape. 

Step N 

Listen to all the shapes fi rst, then drop the 

shape you think matches the words. Play 

back the music and see how the shapes 

get bigger/smaller when the music gets 

louder/quieter. How do the dynamics 

change the music? 


words to the shapes 


shapes to their words 

and dynamics 

19

20 

Introduction 


In this lesson, we’re 

going to create music 

by matching different 

shapes to music 

words on the 

Play Space . 


Marching .grs 

This Groovy Shapes fi le contains a 

four-bar Play Space with music words. 

The Melodies menu contains six 

shapes played by the fl ute, clarinet 

and trombone. The Rhythms menu 

contains three drum rhythms, one 

quiet, one loud and one very loud. 


whiteboard, turn the the Screen Toggle 


Navigate to the Shapes Create mode and open Marching .grs. Explain to the children that 

they are going to create some music by matching Melody shapes with the music words on the 

Play Space. The music they create will sound as if a marching band is coming towards them. 

Ask the children to read the music words in bar one on the Play Space. Explain that they 

need to fi nd the Melody shape with a fl ute playing very quietly. 

Click on the Melodies button to reveal six Melody shapes. Click on each shape and ask the 

children to raise their hands when they hear the fl ute playing very quietly. Invite a pupil to 

drag this shape onto the left side of bar one. 

Match the Melody 

shapes to the words 

Resources

Explain that one instrument playing alone is called a ‘solo’ and write this word on the board. 

Ask the children to read the music words in bar three. How many instruments will play in this 

bar? Explain that two instruments playing together is called a ‘duet’ and write this word on 

the board. Invite the children to fi nd the loud clarinet and trombone Melody shapes and drag 

them into bar three. 

Now read the music words in bar four. How many instruments will play in this bar? Explain 

that three instruments playing together is called a ‘trio’ and write this word on the board. Ask 

the children to fi nd the shapes that match the words and drag them into bar four. 

Click on the Play button to hear the music. Does the music get gradually louder? How was 

that effect achieved? Also ask which bars feature a solo, duet and trio. 

Show the children that they can add a rhythm to their music. Click on the Rhythm button 

and three Rhythm shapes appear. Click on them to hear them. Ask which instrument plays 

the rhythm and if the rhythm was quiet, loud or very loud. Where should they put the quiet 

Rhythm shape (perhaps in bars one and two), the loud Rhythm shape (perhaps bar three) 

and the very loud Rhythm shape (perhaps bar four)? Invite the children to drag the Rhythm 

shapes into the bars. 

Click on the Play button to hear the music. Ask the children to move their hands from close 

together to far apart as the music gets louder. Invite the children to make any changes to the 

music to improve the effect. 


Ask the children to tap the beat of the music in time with Groovy. Also, play the beat 

on unpitched percussion instruments, getting gradually louder, in time with Groovy. 

Add sounds from the Bonus shapes for special effects. 

The children can experiment with different tone colours by clicking on the Instruments 

and Dynamics button and dragging different instruments to the shapes. Read the 

names of the instruments while listening to their sounds. 

Create ‘Marching Music’ that goes from loud to quiet, to imitate 

the band marching away into the distance. 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1b, 1c, 

2b, 3a, 3b 

and 4b 

21

22 

Lesson 4 – Dynamics Symbols 



Identify music symbols and Italian words for dynamics in music. 

Develop aural recognition of dynamics and changes of dynamics 

in music. 

Create music using dynamics. 


Write the dynamics words (‘loud’, ‘very loud’, ‘quiet’, ‘very quiet’, 

‘getting louder’, ‘getting quieter’) on the board. Ask each child to 

select a classroom percussion instrument. Point to the words on 

the board and ask each child or group to play their instruments to 

demonstrate the dynamics. 

Give each child a set of six cards with the dynamic symbols pp, p, f, 

ff , and the symbols for crescendo and diminuendo, or ask each child 

to make a set of six cards with these symbols. While the children 

look at or hold their cards, play a rhythm on a classroom instrument 

at one of the dynamic levels. Ask the children to hold up the card to 

indicate which dynamic they heard. 

Following on from the previous task, ask one child to come to the 

front of the room with one of his dynamic cards, which he keeps 

secret. Ask him to play an instrument of his choice at that dynamic 

level, and ask all the other children to hold up their fl ashcards to 

indicate which dynamic they heard.



Steps A–B 

Click on the English (Step A) and Italian (Step 

B) words to hear music at different dynamics. 

‘Forte’ means ‘strong’ in Italian, and ‘piano’ 

means ‘quiet’. The complete name for the piano 

is ‘pianoforte’, and it was called this because it 

could play both loudly and quietly. The suffi x 

‘issimo’ means ‘very’, so fortissimo means very 

loud and pianissimo means very quiet. 

Step C 

Ask the children to read the words, then 

guide them as they drag the arrows from 

the English to the matching Italian words. 

Click on Italian words to hear music for 

extra help. 

Steps D–E 

Listen to the music and look at the 

dynamics symbols (Step D). Then guide 

children as they draw arrows from the 

English words to the dynamics symbols 

(Step E). Click on the symbols to hear the 

music for extra help. 

Drag the arrow from 

the English words to 

the Italian words 

Drag the arrow from 

the word to the 

dynamic symbol 

23

24 



Steps F–G 

Put the dynamic symbols in order from 

loudest to softest (Step F) and softest to 

loudest (Step G). Click on the symbols to hear 

the dynamics and guide the children as they 

drag the symbols in order. 

Steps H–I 

Encourage children to listen to the music and 

look at the English words, Italian terms and 

music symbols for getting louder and getting 

quieter. The Italian word for getting louder is 

‘crescendo’ and ‘diminuendo’ means getting 

quieter. Tell the children that some musicians 

call these symbols ‘hairpins’. 

Steps J–M 

Guide the children as they drag the symbols 

for crescendo (getting louder) and diminuendo 

(getting quieter) to the boxes. 

Drag the dynamics to the 

boxes in the correct order 


dynamic to the box



Steps N–O 

Guide the children as they drag the dynamic 

symbols to the instruments. 

Steps P–Q 


symbols to the instruments. 

Step R 


symbols to the Butterfl ies, then click on the 

Play button to hear the music with changing 

dynamics. 

Step S 

Ask the children to drag the instrument 

pictures to the matching words and then click 

on the Play button to hear the music with 

dynamics and different instruments. 

Drag the correct dynamics 

to the instruments 


to the instruments 


to Melody Butterfl ies to 

make a tune 

25

26 

Introduction 



create a ‘Jungle Lullaby’ by 

dragging dynamic symbols 

onto the Melody Butterfl ies 

and then choosing 

appropriate 

instruments . 


Symbols .grs 

This Groovy Jungle fi le contains a fourfourbar Play Space. The Melodies menu 

contains four shapes consisting of 

one-bar phrases played on the piano. 

There is also a choice of two Rhythm 

Trees and two Bass Line Plants. 




Tell the children that we’re going to create a new song called ‘Jungle Lullaby’. Ask the 

children what a lullaby is used for and when they might hear one. How would they describe 

the sound of a lullaby? 

O p e n Symbols .grs and click on the Melodies button (the butterfl y). We’ve been given 

four phrases. Click on the Melody Butterfl ies to hear the melodies and drag one into each 

bar of the Play Space. Click on the Play button and listen to the music. Ask the children 

if the music sounds fi nished or as if it should continue. Invite them to swap the phrases to 

improve the music. 

Explain that we’re going to add dynamics to the melody to make it sound like a lullaby. 

Ask if the song should be generally loud or quiet. (Quiet). Click on the Instruments and 

Dynamics button and ask the children what each dynamic symbol means. Invite the 

children to choose Dynamics and drag them onto each of the Melody Butterfl ies in the 

Play Space. 

Click on the Play button to listen to the effect. Do the dynamics match the mood or 

feeling of lullaby? Invite the children to continue exploring and adjusting the dynamics of 

the music to create a lullaby feeling. 

Ask the children to identify the instrument playing our lullaby music. (Piano). Explain that 

we’re going to make the music more interesting by using different instruments. Click on 

the Instruments and Dynamics button again. Which instruments do the children think 

will suit the mood of a lullaby? Click on the instruments to hear their sound. (The celesta, 

synth pad, vibraphone and pan fl ute have gentle, smooth sounds that would suit a lullaby). 

Drag different instruments onto the shapes, and click on the Play button to hear the 

music. Explore the use of one instrument to play the fi rst half of the song and a different 

instrument for the second half, or use a different instrument for each bar. 

Resources

When the children are ready, listen to ‘Jungle Lullaby’ again. Does it sound like a lullaby? Why 

or why not? Does it send you to sleep or wake you up? Is there anything you want to change? 

Invite the children to continue to explore combinations of dynamics and instruments. 

Instruments and 

Dynamics button 


Apply new Instruments 

and Dynamics to the 

Melody Butterfl ies 

Instruments menu 

Dynamics menu 

Invite children to add Rhythm Trees to accompany the ‘Jungle Lullaby’ melody. Which 

Tree best suits the mood of the lullaby? 

Ask the children to add a Bass Line plant to the music. Which of the two Plants is the 

best match for our lullaby? 

Listen to the Bonus Animals by clicking on the Bonus Animals button. Ask the 

children to think about which sounds could be added to their lullaby music and invite 

them to drag the Bonus Animals onto the Play Space. 

Ask pupils to choose one dynamic symbol. Then ask them to write their symbol and 

word using a design that illustrates its meaning. For example, ‘ff ‘ ‘fortissimo’ might be 

large, bright and jagged. Invite the children to use their illustrations to lead each other 

during the singing of familiar songs. They can also match dynamics to songs and sing 

them at appropriate dynamic levels. 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 2b, 

3a, 3b, 3c, 

4b, 4d 

27

28 

Lesson 5 – Long and Short 



Identify long and short notes, sounding alone and 

in combinations called rhythms. 

Recognise rhythms aurally and match them to 

graphic notes. 

Use graphic notes to write rhythms. 

Compose rhythms using long and short sounds. 


Sing a familiar song together and ask the children to pat the beat on 

their legs. Then invite the children to sing the song again and clap the 

rhythm (one clap for each word or syllable) while singing. Next, hum 

the song together and clap the rhythm. (Use a two-fi nger clap in the 

palm of the hand to go with the humming). Now challenge the children 

to ‘think’ the song inside their heads and clap the rhythm! This process 

will help them to internalise sounds. Repeat the procedure with other 

familiar songs. 

Sing a familiar song and invite the children to ‘step’ the beat while they 

sing. Next, ask them to step the rhythm while they sing. Encourage 

them to use walking steps and strides for long sounds and running steps 

for shorter sounds. For example, the fi rst phrase of ‘Frère Jacques’ is all 

walking steps. The next phrase has a longer note (a stride) at the end. 

The third phrase has short notes (running steps), and the fourth phrase 

is like the second. 

Play an echo or ‘Copy Cat’ game. Clap a rhythm and invite the children 

to echo you. Use a four-beat pattern, such as long-long-short-shortlong. 

Keep a steady beat and continue modelling different rhythms for 

the children to echo. To vary the activity, use other body percussion as 

well as clapping. 

When children are familiar with the ‘Copy Cat’ game, invite the children 

to echo a rhythm you clap, then ‘write’ the rhythm using long and 

short lines (or dashes and dots). Ask them to write their own rhythms 

using long and short lines and then perform them.



Steps A–B 

Listen to and look at long and short sounds. 

Ask the children to draw long and short dashes 

and dots in the air with their fi ngers as the 

music plays. 

Step C 

Guide the children as they drag the words to 

the graphic notes. Encourage them to move 

as they listen to the music. This step includes 

two examples. 

Step D 

Help the children fi nd the shortest note and 

drag it to the beginning of the line. Continue 

until the line is full. 

Drag the graphic notes to 

the stave in order of size 

29

30 



Steps E 

Invite children to improvise long and short 

sounds for each line. Then guide them as they 

listen to the shapes and drag them to the 

matching notes. 

Steps F–H 

Encourage children to listen and watch the 

rhythms. Ask them to say ‘long’ and ‘short’ 

with the music. Invite them to draw the 

rhythms in the air or clap them back after 

listening. 

Steps I–K 

Ask the children to think about how the 

rhythm they are looking at will sound. 

Invite them to clap the rhythm or say it in 

‘long/short’ language. Then click on the shape 

to listen! 

Drag the correct shape to the 

matching long or short notes 

Drag the arrow from the shape 

to the matching rhythm



Step L 

Invite the children to draw dots and dashes in 

the air as they listen to the rhythm. 

Steps M–O 

Ask the children to clap the rhythm they see 

on the screen, or ‘say’ the rhythm using ‘longs’ 

and ‘shorts’. Then guide them as they drag the 

shapes to the graphic notes. 

Step P 

Click on the B u t t e r fl i e s and ask the children to 

raise their hand when they hear long sounds. 

Drag these B u t t e r fl i e s onto the Play Space 

and drop them at the point of the arrow. Listen 

to the melody made up of long sounds and 

ask the children to move to refl ect the music. 

Repeat this process for short sounds. Listen to 

the music and ask the children what has been 

added (Trees and Webs). 

Drag the correct shape to the 

matching rhythm 


Butterfl y and 

place it over your 

character’s head 

31

32 

Introduction 



create ‘Jungle Drums’ music as 

an accompaniment for the 

Thunder Man’s song . We’re 

going to put Rhythm Trees on 

the Play Space in the right 

order to match the rhythm of 

the words . 


Chant the Thunder Man’s poem to the children: 

I am-the Thun-der Man! 

I rule-the Jun – gle. 

When-I sing thun-der starts, 

CRASH!… BANG!… 

Chant the fi rst line of the poem and clap the rhythm. Ask the children to copy you. 

Then ask the children to ‘say’ the rhythm using ‘longs’ and ‘shorts’. Now invite them to 

write the rhythm on the board using long and short lines. 

Line 1 will look like this: 

Repeat the procedure above for lines 2, 3 and 4 of the poem. 

Line 2: 

Line 3: 

Line 4: 

JDrums .grs 

Now chant the whole poem and clap the rhythm at the same time! 

This Groovy Jungle fi le contains a 

four-bar Play Space, with a 4/4 time 

signature. The words of the ‘Jungle 

Drums’ song are at the bottom of the 

Play Space. 

The Rhythms menu contains four 

Rhythm Trees, which are one-bar 

drum rhythms. 

There is also a choice of two Chord 

Webs and two Bass Line Plants. 




Resources

O p e n JDrums .grs and click on the Rhythms button to see the four Rhythm Trees. 

Click on the fi rst Tree to hear the rhythm and ask the children to clap it. Which part of 

the poem matches this rhythm? Where should we put it in the Play Space? Guide the 

children as they drag the Tree to the correct bar. 

Repeat this process to fi ll all four bars. 

Place Rhythm Trees 

Click on the Play button to listen to 

in the correct order 

the music. Chant the poem to see if the 

onto the Play Space 

rhythms match. Ask if we need to swap 

any of the Trees and invite the children to 

make the changes by dragging them into 

different places. 

Now insert the 

Thunder Man 

When the rhythms match our chant, we 

need to add the Thunder Man to the Play 

Space! Click on the Bonus Animals button 

and ask the children to drag the Thunder 

Man to the left side of bar four. Click on the 

Play button to hear the effect! 

Now chant and clap the poem in time with Groovy. 

Finally, we need to name our song! Click on the Song Name sign button and type in 

your title. Click Save to save your work. 


After children have composed the ‘Jungle Drums’ music, encourage them to explore 

changes in dynamics and tone colours. Click on the Instruments and Dynamics 

button and drag instruments or dynamics onto their music. Then click on the Play 

button to listen. Invite them to describe the changes they hear. 

Invite the children to add a Bass Line plant to the Jungle Drums music. Ask them to 

fi nd the Bass Lines button (Plant). Click on the plants to listen to the two Bass Line 

plants. Do they sound high or low? Tell the children that bass lines should be placed 

near the bottom of the Play Space to keep their pitch low. 

Click on the Bonus Animals button to reveal the Jungle animals. Click on them to hear 

their sounds and ask the children if the sounds are long or short. 

Invite children to write their own Jungle animal poems. Ask them 

to chant and clap their poems, then notate them using long 

and short lines like the graphic notes in Groovy. 

National 

Curriculum 


2a, 2b, 3a, 

3c, 4a, 4c 

33

34 

Lesson 6 – Beat and Metre 



Distinguish between duple (2), triple (3) and common (4) time. 

Make body movements to show duple (2), triple (3) and common 

time (4). 

Create music in common time (4). 


Invite children to follow you as you move in a two-beat pattern (e.g. 

pat-clap). Sing a familiar song in duple metre, such as ‘London Bridge’, 

and continue to move in a two-beat pattern. Repeat the procedure 

for metre in three (e.g. pat-clap-clap). Sing a familiar song in triple 

metre, such as ‘God Save the Queen’. For metre in four, use a pattern 

such as pat-clap-snap-clap and a song such as ‘Old MacDonald’. As 

the children become familiar with different metres, invite them to 

invent their own patterns and to lead each other in songs. 

Play recordings of music in different styles. Ask the pupils to tap the 

beat in time with the music, then help them determine the metre of 

the music using the patterns they have practised above.



Step A 

Click on the shapes to hear the music. Ask the 

children to tap in time with the beat. 

Step B 

Click on the shapes and listen. Help the 

children discover that they cannot tap the 

beat with these musical examples. 

Step C 

Click on the shapes to hear the music. Guide 

the children as they drag the shapes to the 

words ‘Beat’ or ‘No Beat’. 

Step D 

This step provides a quick review of beat and 

rhythm. Invite the children to tap the beat 

with the pebbles line as they listen. The large 

pebble shows the strong beat. Encourage them 

to clap the rhythms as they appear in this step 

or to draw them in the air. 

Tap your fi ngers in 

time with the beat 

Drag the shapes to 

the correct words 

Tap your fi ngers in 

time with the beat 

35

36 



Step E 

Ask the children to tap the SPACE BAR in 

time to the music to push the heart up to the 

character’s chest. 

Steps F–G 

Guide the children as they move the barlines to 

show groups of two beats. Notice the ‘2’ at the 

beginning of the beat line. Ask them to move in 

a two-beat pattern (e.g. pat-clap) as they listen. 

Then tap the beat with the music in 2’s (Step G). 

Steps H–I 

Move the barlines to show groups of three 

beats. Notice the ‘3’ at the beginning of 

the beat line. Ask the children to move in a 

three-beat pattern (e.g. pat-clap-clap) as they 

listen. Then tap the beat with the music in 3’s 

(Step I). 

Steps J–K 

Move the barlines to show groups of four 

beats. Notice the ‘4’ at the beginning of the 

beat line. Ask the children to move in a fourbeat 

pattern (e.g. pat-clap-snap-clap) as they 

listen. Then tap the beat with the music in 4’s 

(Step K). 

Tap the SPACE BAR in time with 

the beat to make the heart 

move toward the character 

Drag the ‘barlines’ 

to the correct places 

between the beats 

Drag the ‘barlines’ 

to the correct places 

between the beats



Steps L–N 

Guide the children as they listen to the music 

and drag the shapes to the groups of pebbles 

that show 2, 3 and 4. Ask the children to use 

the movement patterns they Practised above 

to solve each musical problem. 

S tep O 

Click the shapes to hear music with beats 

grouped in 2, 3 and 4. Tell the children that 

the number symbol is called a time signature. 

Steps P–Q 

Guide the children as they listen to the 

music and drag the shapes to the time 

signatures. Tell them to use the movement 

patterns they Practised above to solve 

each musical problem. 

Steps R–S 

Ask the children to listen to the Rhythm Trees 

to fi nd patterns in 4 (Step R) or 3 (Step S). 

Drag the Rhythm Trees to the Play Space. 

Drag the shapes to the 

correct time signature 


correct time signature 


beat shape and 

place it over your 

character’s head 

37

38 

Introduction 


We’re going to use 

Groovy to create music 

with beats grouped in 

fours (common 

time, 4/4) . 


Jive .grs 

This Groovy Jungle fi le opens an 

eight-bar Play Space with an existing 

bass line. 

The fi ve Melody shapes include an 

ending shape and one ‘trick’ shape in 

three time. The four Rhythm shapes 

include one ‘trick’ shape in three time. 

There are also four 

Chord shapes. 



Screen Toggle 


Lead the children in a four-beat hand jive pattern (e.g. pat-clap-click-clap). Invite them to 

invent their own four-beat hand jive patterns and lead each other. Then tell them that we 

will be creating music in four time or metre in four. 

Now open Jive .grs and click on the Play button to hear the bass lines we have been given. 

Ask if the music is in three or four time. (Four). Replay the music by clicking on the Reset 

button and clicking on the Play button. Now practise the hand jive movements in time 

with Groovy. If you need to make the music slower, click on the Tempo sign and drag a low 

number to the sign. 

Next, explain to the children that we’re going to build a melody (tune) using only the 

Melody shapes that are in four time. Click on the Melodies button, and listen to each 

shape. Ask the children to perform their four-beat hand jives with each Melody shape. 

Which one is the trick shape? Which time is it in? (Three). Hold down CTRL+SHIFT and drag 

this shape to the Trash. 

Build the melody by dragging the shapes onto the Play Space. Each shape fi lls two bars, so 

put them at the left of bars 1, 3, 5 and 7. 

Listen to the completed melody. Ask the children to think about whether it sounds 

complete. Do some shapes make better endings than others? Invite the children to explore 

endings by swapping the places of the shapes. Click on the Play button and ask them to 

perform their four-beat hand jives with the music. 

Invite the children to add a percussion accompaniment to their melody. Click on the 

Rhythms button to show the four Rhythm shapes. Listen to each shape and perform 

four-beat hand jives. 

Resources

If you need to make the music 

slower, drag a lower Tempo 

sign to the Play Space 


Find the 

Trick shape 

Find the trick bar (3-beat pattern) and hold down CTRL+SHIFT and drag it to the Trash. Invite 

the children to drag the remaining Rhythm shapes into bars 1, 3, 5 and 7. Click on the Play 

button to listen to the music. Encourage the children to continue exploring by swapping the 

order of the Rhythm shapes. 

To make the music repeat, click on the Tempo button and drag the Repeat sign to the Stop 

sign. Now click on the Play button to listen to the music and perform a four-beat hand jive 

in time with Groovy. Click on the Stop button to stop the music. 

Finally, give the music a title by clicking on the Song Name sign button, and entering a title 

for your music. 

Invite the pupils to add chords to their music. 

Click on the Chords button to hear two 

chords. Help the children match the chords 

with their music. 

Ask the children to perform their own four- 

beat hand jives to their music. Then, transfer the hand jives to classroom percussion 

instruments. For example, pats can be played on drums, claps on woodblocks or claves, 

and snaps on triangles. Give the children time to experiment to fi nd sounds that work 

well, then play along with Groovy. 

Click on the Instruments and Dynamics button, and invite the 

children to change the instrumentation by dragging different 

instruments onto the shapes. 

Add Bonus shapes to the music for special effects. 

TIP 

The music uses one chord until 

bars 5 and 6 where it changes. 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1a, 

1c, 2b, 3b, 

3c, 4a 

39

40 

Lesson 7 – Tempo 



Learn the Italian terms for tempo (speed) in music. 

Develop aural recognition of tempo changes. 

Use tempo changes when creating music. 


Invite the children to sing familiar songs, including any songs they 

know about animals. Sing the songs at different speeds or tempos. 

Which tempos sound best for which songs? Why? 

Discuss music heard in cartoons, television shows or movies. When 

do we hear fast music? When do we hear slow music? Read a short 

story, paragraph, or poem that has various actions in it. Invite 

the children to improvise music using classroom instruments to 

accompany a reading of the story or poem. Encourage them to think 

about when to use faster and slower tempos as they improvise. 

Invite the children to make a list (on the board) of animals that can 

be found in the jungle. Choose an animal and ask the children to 

mime the animal’s movements. Are the movements slow, fast or 

medium? Practise movements for different animals. Then give half 

the children classroom percussion instruments. Ask them to watch 

the ‘movers’ and improvise slow, medium, or fast music to match the 

movements they see. Then swap over.



Steps A–B 

Ask the children to click to listen to the 

music, and tap along with the beat. Is the 

music fast or slow? Tell the children that 

we use Italian words to describe the speed 

of the music. 

Step C 

Invite the children to click on the shapes, 

move in time to the music, and describe their 

movements as fast or slow. Drag the fast 

music shapes to the word ‘Allegro’ and the 

slow music shapes to the word ‘Adagio’. 

Step D 

Click on the shape to hear music at a 

moderate speed. Ask the children to tap in 

time with the beat. 


correct time Italian word 

41

42 



Steps E–F 

Click on the shapes and ask the children to 

move in time to the music. Is the music slow, 

medium or fast? Ask the children to read the 

Italian words, and ask them what they mean. 

Then guide the children as they drag the 

shapes to the words. 

Steps G–H 

Click on the shapes to hear music that gets 

faster (accelerando) and slower (ritardando). 

Ask the children to tap the beat as they 

listen, to feel the tempo changes. Invite 

them to describe things that get faster (a car 

accelerating) and slower (a swing slowing 

down). 

Step I 

Guide the children as they drag the shapes to 

the words. 




correct time Italian word



Step J 

Ask the children to listen and watch as the 

tempo words change to abbreviations. 

Steps K–M 

Ask the children to clap or move in time with 

the music. Is their clapping slow, medium or 

fast? Ask the children to read the Italian words 

and describe what they mean, then drag the 


Step N 

Ask the children to listen and tap to the beat. 

Drag the tempo words to the Play Space, then 

click to listen again. Tap the beat with the 

music and invite children to describe how their 

tapping changed. 



Drag the correct Tempo 

signs to your character 

43

1 . Nellie is walking slowly . (Adagio) 

2 . Nellie gets hungry and walks faster . (Accel.) 

Let’s go for a 

walk

Mmmm, 

lunch! 

3 . Then sees her lunch and walks steadily towards it . 

(Moderato) 

4 . She then has a slow lunch . (Adagio) 

Yum yum!

Grrr . . . 

Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! 

5 . Suddenly, she is chased by a lion, but escapes . 

(Allegro) 

6 . Then she gets tired and slows down . (Rit.) 

Yawn . . .

Zzz . . . 

*scratch* 

*scratch* 

*scratch* 

7 . She walks back to her favourite tree . (Moderato) 

8 . Nellie finally lies down to sleep . (Rit.)

48 

Lesson 8 – Notes and the Beat 



Perform rhythm patterns with independent parts. 

Create rhythms using long and short sounds and rests. 

Use the Editor to create music. 


Chant short sentences to a steady beat. Choose a theme for the 

sentences, such as the children’s favourite foods. For example: 

Roast chick- en, Roast chick- en. 

Pas-ta and sal - ad, Pas-ta and sal - ad, 

Ap-ple pie and cus - tard, Ap-ple pie and cus - tard. 

Fresh fruit juice,___ Fresh fruit juice. ___ 

Say and clap each syllable of the chant, then whisper and clap. 

Finally, ask the children to ‘think’ the words and clap the rhythms. 

Practise these rhythms, repeating them so they are continuous. 

Explain that we call a repeated pattern an ostinato. Write the word 

‘ostinato’ on the board. 

When the children can clap the ostinato rhythms above, ask the class 

to chant and clap one rhythm while you chant and clap another. 

Next, divide the group in half and ask one group to chant and clap 

one rhythm, and the other group to perform another. Give a clear 

starting signal for the fi rst group (e.g. ‘1, 2, ready, start’) and lead the 

second entry when the fi rst group’s rhythm is established. Practise 

with different starting orders and different rhythm combinations. Be 

ready with a clear ‘stop’ signal! 

When children can perform confi dently in two groups, create more 

groups to perform a third and then a fourth rhythm. Count-in and 

lead the entries as before and encourage children to watch for the 

‘stop’ signal. 

These ostinato rhythms can also be performed using un-pitched 

percussion instruments. Practise chanting and clapping and then 

assign different instruments to different patterns. Remind the 

children to follow the ‘start’ and ‘stop’ signals as they play.



Step A 

Ask the children to compare the graphic notes 

and beat pebbles, then click on the shapes to 

hear how the different rhythms sound. 

Steps B–C 

Ask the children to point to the long notes and 

short notes, then click on the shapes to hear 

the different rhythms. 

Steps D–E 

Ask the children to point to the graphic notes 

that are longer than the beat pebbles, then 

listen to the rhythm (Step D). Ask the children 

to click on the graphic notes that are longer 

than the beat pebbles (Step E). 

Steps F–G 

Listen to sounds that are the same length as 

the beat pebbles in Step F. In Step G, ask the 

children to click on the graphic notes that are 

the same length as the beat pebbles. 

Click on the graphic 

notes that are longer 

than the pebbles 

Listen to the 

voiceover 


notes that are the same 

length as the pebbles 

49

50 



Steps H–I 

Ask the children to click on the shape to hear 

sounds that are shorter than the beat pebbles 

in Step H. In Step I, ask the children to click 

on the notes that are shorter than the beat 

pebbles. 

Step J 

Ask the children to read the music vocabulary 

for the different note lengths. Ask the 

children to compare the notes. For example, a 

semibreve is four beats long and the longest 

sound. A crotchet is the same as one beat 

pebble. A semiquaver is the shortest, lasting 

only a quarter of a beat pebble. 

Steps K–L 

Ask the children to build their own rhythms 

by dragging graphic notes onto the beat line. 

In Step K beats are grouped in fours, and 

in Step L beats are grouped in threes. The 

rhythm plays on a loop as they compose. To 

stop playback click on the Stop button. 

Click on the Stop 

button to stop playback 


notes that are shorter 

than the pebbles 

Drag graphic notes 

to the beat line



Steps M–N 

Ask the children to point to the places where 

they think the rests (silence) will be, and then 

click on the shape to hear the music. 

Step O 

Ask the children to drag graphic notes to the 

Trash to create two rests in the music. The 

rhythm plays on a loop as they create rests. 

To stop playback click on the Stop button. 

Step P 

Ask the children to drag notes onto the beat 

line to build a rhythm. Help them discover how 

many gaps are needed in the row of graphic 

notes to create three rests. Click on the Stop 

button to halt the automatic playback. 

Drag notes to 

the Trash . . . 

Point to rests 

in the music 

. . .to create rests . 

Remember to 

leave three rests! 

Drag graphic notes 

to the beat line 

51

52 

Introduction 



create a percussion ostinato 

pattern using the Editor . We 

will create four two- 

bar ostinato rhythms 

using a combination 

of long and short 

notes and rests . 


There is no fi le for this lesson, we will 

be using the Editor instead. 


whiteboard, turn turn the the Screen Toggle 


Open the Jungle Create mode and tell the children that we are going to use the Editor 

to write our own rhythms. 

Click on the New Shapes button. This gives us a choice of ‘blank’ animals and plants in 

the menu at the top of the screen. Ask what represents rhythms (Trees). Drag the Tree 

into bar one of the Play Space. The Editor opens automatically to display four empty 

rhythm lines for four percussion instruments, pictured at the beginning of each line. 

Dragging a blank Tree onto the 

Play Space will open the Editor 

The staves are initially blank 

Point at the instrument pictures and ask the children to identify the percussion 

instruments (bass drum, snare drum, closed hi-hat and open hi-hat). Explain that we 

are going to build our own two-bar rhythms by dragging graphic notes from the note 

palette onto the empty rhythm lines. 

Begin with the bottom line (bass drum). Invite the children to select short graphic notes 

by clicking on them (they will turn blue), then dragging them to the bottom line to 

create a two-bar rhythm. Ask them to include at least one rest in each bar. 

Resources

Encourage the children to listen to the rhythm frequently by clicking Play; the rhythm 

will automatically loop from the end of the last bar containing a note. Click on the Stop 

button to stop the playback. Ask the children to continue to experiment and make 

changes by adding notes, or deleting them by dragging them to the Trash. 

When they have fi nished the fi rst rhythm, click on the Play button to hear it. 

Next, guide the children as they create a snare drum rhythm by selecting and dragging 

graphic notes to the second rhythm line. Remind the children to include rests. Encourage 

them to put notes in different places to the bass drum to create an interesting effect. 

Listen back frequently so the children hear their rhythms as they work. 

Now invite the children to build the third 

rhythm for the closed hi-hat. Remind 

them to use rests and to look and listen 

for how sounds overlap. Encourage them 

to click on the Play button frequently 

to listen. 

Finally, the children drag notes onto the 

open hi-hat rhythm line to create the 

fourth rhythm, listening to their work as 

they compose to inform their decisions. 

When the children have completed all four 

rhythms, click on the Play button to hear 

them. Invite them to revise their work by 

adding or deleting notes. When they are 

satisfi ed with their music, click on the 

Done button. 


Invite the children to experiment with different percussion instrument tone colours for 

their rhythms. Ask the children to click on the Instruments and Dynamics button and 

then drag the different instruments to the pictures at the beginning of each rhythm 

line. Click on the Play button to hear the new sounds. Encourage the children to 

experiment with different combinations of instruments. 

The children can add more layers to the texture by clicking on the 

New object button and dragging another ‘blank’ Rhythm 

Tree into bar one on the Play Space. The children can 

input rhythms as before and click on Done to return 

to the Play Space. (Note that any unused rhythm 

lines will be lost when the Tree is re-opened). 

To see how the rhythms are represented in normal 

notation, the children can click on the Normal 

Notes button. 

To make your own rhythm, add 

graphic notes to the stave of 

each percussion instrument 

A short note is added 

to the Open Hi-Hat 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1a, 

1c, 2a, 2b, 

3c, 4a, 4b 

53

54 

Lesson 9 – Upward and Downward 



Identify upward and downward melody direction with 

one and two instruments playing at once. 

Move to show melodic direction. 

Using the Editor, create a melody which uses upward and 

downward movement and also stays on the same note. 


Give the children a note and ask them to sing it to ‘oo’. Then ask 

them to change the pitch according to your hand movements which 

go up, down or stay the same. Next, divide the group in two, and 

repeat the exercise with one half following your right hand and the 

other half following your left. Invite the children to give the hand 

movement instructions. 

Ask the children to plan a four-bar melody by putting arrows pointing 

upward, downward or straight across into a series of four boxes. 

Then invite them to perform their melodies using pitched percussion 

instruments or keyboards. 

Using a xylophone or glockenspiel, play the children three-note 

melodies that move upward (e.g. G, A, B), downward (e.g. B, A, G) 

or stay the same (e.g. G, G, G). Ask them to use their hands to show 

the direction of the melody. Next, ask them to draw the direction 

of the melody, using coins or pebbles – one coin or pebble for each 

pitch. Explain that we read notes in music like words in a book, from 

left to right, and that each pebble represents one note. Start by 

playing three notes that stay the same (the children should put three 

pebbles in a straight line from left to right). Next, play a phrase that 

moves upward (they should put the pebbles in a diagonal line from 

low to high – a low pebble represents a low pitch and a high pebble 

represents a high pitch). Then play a phrase that moves downward 

(they should put the pebbles in a diagonal line from high to low). 

The children can write three-note melodies using pebbles to be 

played by other pupils on pitched percussion instruments.



Steps A–C 

Ask the children to draw the shapes of the 

melodies in the air using their hands as 

imaginary paint brushes or arm movements 

that move upward, downward, or stay on the 

same level. Review tone colour by asking: 

Which instruments are playing? (Piano, 

vibraphone and oboe). 

Step D 

Click on the shapes to hear melodies. Ask the 

children to draw the direction of the melodies 

with their hand, and then guide them as they 

drag the shapes to the matching arrows. 

Step E 

Ask the children to read the words and notice 

how the words bend up and down like the 

arrows. Click on the shapes to listen and 

encourage the children to use arm movements 

to identify the direction of the melodies. Then 

guide them as they drag the shapes to the 

matching words. 

Drag the shape to 

the matching arrow 


the matching word 

55

56 



Steps F–G 

Ask the children to describe the direction 

of each arrow, and trace its shape with 

their hand. Click on the arrows to hear the 

melodies, and ask the children to move to 

show the shape of the music. 

S t e p H 

Click on the shape to hear a melody that 

changes direction frequently. Invite the 

children to describe what they hear (e.g. 

a melody that hops around). 

Steps I–J 

Ask the children to trace the shape of each 

arrow with their hands and describe it using 

words. Click on the shapes and listen to the 

music, tracing the direction of each melody 

with hand movements. Which shape matches 

the arrow? Guide the children as they drag the 

shapes to the arrows. 

Steps K–L 

Help the children drag the arrowheads upward 

and downward as directed. Listen to the upward 

and downward melodies and ask the children to 

move to show the direction of the music. 


the matching arrow



Steps M–N 

Help the children discover that they are hearing 

two melodies at the same time. Sometimes 

the melodies move in different directions and 

sometimes in the same direction. 

Steps O–Q 

Click on the shapes to hear two melodies 

playing together. Ask the children to listen to 

the higher-sounding instrument fi rst and trace 

the direction of its melody with their hand. 

Which of the top arrows matches this melody? 

Then listen to the lower melody and trace 

its direction. Which of the bottom arrows 

matches? Guide the children as they drag the 

shapes to the matching arrows. 

Step R 

Click on each shape and ask the children to 

describe the direction of each melody using 

words or hand movements. Invite them to 

drag the shapes that match the arrows onto 

the Play Space. When fi nished, click on Play 

to hear the music. 


the matching arrows 


the matching arrows 

57

58 

Introduction 



use the Editor to create 

melodies that move upward, 

downward and stay on the 

same note . Then 

we’ll use them to 

create a longer 

music 

composition . 


Open the Shapes Create mode and click on the New Shape button. Shapes will 

appear in the menu at the top of the Play Space. Ask the children which shape 

represents melodies (the magenta circle). Click on this and drag it to the left side of bar 

one on the Play Space. The Editor will open automatically to show a blank stave with 

a treble clef at the beginning. The clarinet picture indicates that the music we write will 

be played by the clarinet. 

Invite the children to drag the graphic notes into the empty bars on the stave to create 

a melody. Prompt the children with questions, such as: Will your melody move upward, 

downward or stay on the same note? Invite the children to drag the graphic notes into 

the leftmost bar to represent their chosen contour. Click on the Play button to hear 

the melody; it will repeat automatically from the last graphic note. Click on the Stop 

button to stop or pause the melody. Invite the children to make changes; they can 

make notes higher or lower by dragging them to different places on the stave. 

Click Done to close the Melody shape in the Editor. Then listen to the melody in the 

Play Space. 

Next, ask the children how the melody will continue. 

Will it move upward, downward or stay on the same 

note? Invite the children to drag a new blank Melody 

shape to the second bar of the Play Space. With the 

shape open in the Editor, invite the children to drag 

graphic notes into bar 2 to refl ect the chosen contour. 

Click on the Play button to listen to the melody, then 

Done when children are fi nished. Click on the Play 

button in the Play Space to listen to the fi rst two 

bars of their melody. 

There is no fi le for this lesson, we will 

be using the Editor instead. 


whiteboard, turn turn the the Screen Toggle 


TIP 

To make the melody 

sound smooth, avoid 

large leaps, and start 

new phrases using a 

note close in pitch to 

the last note of the 

previous bar. 

Resources

Continue this process – drag new 

Melody Shapes onto bar 3 and bar 4 

and write notes into bar 3 and bar 4 

respectively – until the children have 

written four bars of melody. Click on 

the Play button to listen and ask the 

children to trace the direction of the 

melody with their hands. 

Invite the children to make changes to 

their work. Click on any shape to open 

it, and then move notes up and down on 

the stave. Listen frequently so that the 

children hear the changes they make. 

When the children are satisfi ed, click 

Done to return to the Play Space. 


The children can change the timbre of the melody by clicking on the Instruments and 

Dynamics button and dragging their chosen instrument onto the melody shape. They 

can also experiment with having different instruments play in different bars. 

The children can make the whole or part of the melody sound higher or lower by 

moving the shapes to the top or the bottom of the Play Space. Encourage them to 

experiment and explore. 

Invite the children to add Rhythm Shapes to accompany their melody. 

Children can extend their melodies (perhaps to twelve or sixteen bars) by dragging the Stop 

sign to the right. Add more blank Melody Shapes to each bar and carry on composing! 

When working in pairs or sharing computers, the children can plan their melodies using 

arrows in boxes – one box for each bar of the melody. Then guide them as they create 

melodies with those shapes in Editor. 

Invite the children to add Bonus Shapes to their music for 

special effects. 

Remember: you can modify any 

shape by double-clicking on it 

Does the music go 

upward and downward? 

Click on the Play button to hear the melody you have written. Click on the Song Name 

sign and give your melody a name. 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1a, 

1c, 2a, 2b, 

3c, 4a, 4b 

59

60 

Lesson 10 – High, Low, Middle, Steps & Leaps 



Use body movements to show understanding of pitch as 

high, low and middle. 

Identify stepwise melodic movement and melodic leaps. 

Create a melody made up of phrases moving in steps and 

leaps, and using high, middle and low pitches. 


Play high, medium and low pitches on a keyboard, xylophone or 

chime bars. When you play a high note, ask the children to reach 

high. When you play a low pitch, have them bend low, and when 

you play a medium pitch, they should stand straight. Challenge the 

children by playing from a place where the children cannot see, so 

that they respond solely to what they hear. 

Using a xylophone or keyboard, show the children phrases moving 

in steps (pitches moving consecutively up or down without skipping 

bars or keys) and leaps (skipping bars or keys). Play the children short 

phrases and ask them to describe the phrases as ‘steps’ or ‘leaps,’ ‘up’ 

or ‘down.’ Invite whoever answers correctly to improvise the next 

phrase for the class. As children become familiar with these sounds, 

play from a place where they cannot see the instruments so that 

they rely on their ears. 

Extend the previous activity by playing the phrases at higher (shorter 

bars) and lower (longer bars) pitches.



Step A 

Ask the children to listen and hold their 

hands high above their heads, low to the fl oor 

or at their waist for high, low and middle 

pitched sounds. 

Step B 

Ask the children to read the words ‘high’, 

‘middle’ and ‘low’. Click on the shapes and have 

them continue to move their hands to match 

the pitch of the sounds. Then drag the shapes 

to the matching words. 

Step C 

Click on the shape to hear a melody made up of high, low and middle pitches. 

Step D 

Help children describe the different kinds of melodic motion. For example, movement in step 

is like walking up and down stairs, one step at a time. Leaps in music jump up or down, like 

skipping steps. The same note looks fl at. 

Step E 

Ask the children to read the words ‘steps’, ‘leaps’ and ‘same.’ Click on the shapes to hear them 

and ask the children to move to show what they hear or to describe the music. Then, drag the 


Steps F–I 

Invite the children to read the pairs of words. 

Then click on the shapes to hear them. Ask 

the children to describe the sounds they hear 

using the vocabulary ‘high’, ‘low’, ‘upward’, 

‘downward’, ‘stepping’, ‘leaping’ and ‘staying 

the same,’ and then drag the shapes to the 

matching words. 

Step J 

Drag the shapes that match the words onto 

the Play Space. Then click on the Play button 

to hear the music. 

Drag the Melody 

Butterfl ies to the words 

61

62 

Introduction 



use short melodies made up of 

steps, leaps or notes that stay 

the same to create a longer 

melody . We will also add a 

rhythmic accompaniment to 

the melody . 


StepsLeaps .grs 

You are given an eight-bar Play Space 

in the Jungle Create mode, with 

melody profi le instructions printed 

underneath each bar. 

There are eight Melody Butterfl ies: 

upward steps, upward leaps, 

downward steps, downward leaps 

and the same note at high, medium 

or low pitch. There is also a choice of 

three Trees. 




O p e n StepsLeaps .grs and click on the Melodies button to reveal eight Melody 

B u t t e r fl i e s. Click on these to hear phrases made up of steps, leaps and notes that stay 

the same at high, medium and low pitch. Ask the children to trace the melody shapes in 

the air with their hands, refl ecting the pitch with the height of their arm. 

Next, invite children to drag some of the shapes into the Play Space and double-click 

on them to open the Editor. Look at how the phrases are written (using graphic or 

standard notes), and ask the children to describe the melodies (e.g. stepping up, leaping 

down or staying on the same note.) Click on the Play button to see if the sounds 

match the children’s descriptions. Click Done to return to the Play Space. 

Guide the children as they create a melody using the Melody Butterfl ies and by following 

the instructions at the Text line. Ask the children to read the words under each bar of 

the Play Space, then fi nd the matching phrase by clicking on the Melody Butterfl ies. 

Encourage them to listen frequently as they work by clicking on the Play button. 

When they have fi nished, ask the children to click on Play to hear the whole melody. 

Ask them to identify any phrases that don’t match the instructions under the bar, and 

to make any necessary changes by swapping the Melody Butterfl ies or moving them 

to the Trash. 

Resources


Match the melodies to the 

words in the Text line 

When the children have placed the B u t t e r fl i e s in the correct order, click on the Rhythm 

Trees button to reveal three Rhythm Trees. Invite the children to add rhythms to 

accompany the melody. 

Finally, click on the Song Name sign and give the melody a name. 

Use the Editor to Practise identifying melodic movement in steps and leaps using both 

Graphic Notes and Normal Notation. Also, move a B u t t e r fl y to the top and then to 

the bottom of bars and open the Editor in each position to see and hear how high and 

low melodies are notated. 

Write a story based on the melody created, perhaps about a jungle animal or butterfl y. 

Ask children to write stories to use as a plan for a melody that moves in steps and leaps 

and that uses high, medium and low pitches. They can then create music to represent 

their stories using the Melody Butterfl ies we have been given in StepsLeaps .grs. 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 2b, 

3a, 3b, 3c, 

4a, 4b 

63

64 

Lesson 11 – Major and Minor 



Identify major and minor melodies and chords. 

Create the melody ‘Frère Jacques’ in a minor key. 


Sing songs in major keys such as ‘This Old Man’ and ‘If You’re Happy 

and You Know It’. Then, sing songs in minor keys such as ‘Walking in 

the Air’ or ‘Summertime’. Invite the children to describe the difference 

in sound and mood between major key and minor key songs. 

Sing the song ‘Frère Jacques’ as a class. Then invite the children to 

play the melody on xylophones or glockenspiels. Play in the key of D; 

place F-sharp and B-natural bars on the instruments, and start the 

song on D. Give the children time to work out the melody, then sing 

and play it together. Next, replace the F-sharp bars with F-natural 

and B-natural with B-fl at. Invite the children to play the melody 

again, and ask them to describe the difference in the sound. (The 

second version is in a minor key.) 

Play recordings of music in major and minor keys and invite the 

children to listen. Encourage them to describe the mood or feeling 

of the music.



Steps A–B 

Listen to the music in the major and then 

in the minor. Invite the children to describe 

the difference in sound using their own 

vocabulary. For example, major might be 

‘bright’ and minor ‘dark’. 

Step C 

Click on the shapes to hear more major and 

minor music. 

Steps D–F 



word ‘minor’ or ‘major’. 

Step G 

Click on the Chord shapes and listen to them. 

Then drag the major and minor chords into 

the Play Space and drop the shapes above the 

character’s head. Click on the Play button to 

hear the major and minor chords accompany 

the melody. 

Find the major and minor 

shapes and put them over 

the character’s head 

Drag the major and minor 

shapes to their matching words 

65

66 

Introduction 


In this lesson, we are 

going to create the 

melody ‘Frère Jacques’ 

in a minor key . 


MajorMinor .grs 

This opens an eight-bar Play Space 

in the Shapes Create mode. There 

are seven Melody shapes, each 

representing one bar of the melody 

‘Frère Jacques’ in either a major or 

minor key. There are two Chord shapes 

(one major and one minor), three Bass 

Line shapes and some Rhythm shapes. 

The words of the song are printed 

below the Play Space. 

If you you have an an interactive 



O p e n MajorMinor .grs. Invite the children to review ‘Frère Jacques’ by singing the song 

together. Then, click on the Melodies button to display seven Melody shapes in the 

menu. Ask the children to click on each Melody shape to hear part of the melody and 

ask the children to sing the phrases back like an echo, using the words of the song. Help 

them identify each phrase as major (‘bright’ sounding) or minor (‘dark’ sounding). 

Identify the Major 

and Minor shapes 

Use the Minor Chords shapes 

to accompany the melody 

Drag the minor Melody 

shapes onto the Play Space 

Resources

Next, ask the children to build ‘Frère Jacques’ in the minor key by dragging the minor 

(‘dark’ sounding) Melody shapes onto the Play Space. Help them match the phrases to 

the words underneath each bar. Encourage the children to listen to their work frequently 

by clicking on the Play button, and to make changes if necessary. Explain that the last 

phrase (‘Ding, ding, dong’) is the same in both major and minor keys. 

When the melody is complete, click on the Play button to hear it. Ask the children how 

we make the music repeat (put the Repeat sign on the Stop sign). Invite them to click 

on the Tempo button and drag the Repeat sign to the Stop sign. Now click on the Play 

button to hear the melody repeat. Sing ‘Frère Jacques’ in a minor key in time with Groovy. 


Invite the children to click on the Chords button and listen to the two Chord shapes 

we have been given. Ask the children to identify the chords as major and minor. The 

children can then add the minor chord to accompany the minor melody. 

Click on the Rhythm Shapes button to display three Rhythm shapes in the menu 

at the top of the Play Space. Click on these to hear them. Ask which shapes best suit 

the mood of the music and why, and then invite the children to add them to the Play 

Space. Allow the children to experiment with different combinations. 

Invite the children to change the instrumentation of the melody; different 

combinations of instruments may change the mood or feeling of the music. Click 

on the Instruments and Dynamics button and invite the children to drag the new 

instrument(s) to the Melody shapes. 

The children can experiment with different speeds (tempos or tempi) for their music. 

Click on the Tempo button and drag a Tempo sign to the beginning of bar one. Click 

on the Play button to hear the effect. Does a slow tempo (low number) or a fast 

tempo (high number) best suit the mood of the music? 

Sing ‘Frère Jacques’ as a two-part round with Groovy. Ask the children to sing the song 

from the beginning when the Groovy character is at bar 3. Next, create a three-part 

round by asking a second group to start singing the song from the 

beginning when the Groovy character is at bar 5 and the fi rst 

group of singers are at bar 3. 

National 

Curriculum 


2b, 3a, 3b, 

3c, 4a, 4b 

67

68 

Lesson 12 – Making Melody 



Move to show the direction of melodies and to match notated music. 

Create melodies that move in steps and leaps, and create ostinato 

patterns using standard notation. 

Use the Editor to compose melodies and ostinato patterns that can be 

used in a composition. 


Write the note names D and A on the board. Using pitched percussion 

instruments such as xylophones and glockenspiels, invite the children to 

compose a four-beat pattern using only these notes. (The children could 

also use keyboards). Allow them to experiment with rhythm, but limit 

their pitch choices to D and A. Ask the children to play their patterns 

several times in a row without pausing or stopping. Explain that we call 

a repeated pattern an ‘ostinato,’ and write this word on the board. 

Invite the children to write their ostinatos using letters (e.g. D, A, D, 

A), and then using note heads placed to represent high and low pitch 

below the letters, e.g. D A D A 

Next, write the letter names D, F, G, A and C on the board and explain 

that we will use these notes to compose melodies. Invite the children 

to improvise short melodies using these notes. Encourage them to 

start and end on D, to think about steps, leaps and repeated pitches as 

they improvise, and to experiment with different combinations. Then, 

organise the children into small groups to play their ostinatos and 

melodies together. For example, have one pupil play an ostinato while 

two others take turns playing their melodies. Then swap roles. 

For an additional challenge, invite children to notate their melodies. 

They may notate their melodies using letters and note heads as 

before, by drawing the shape of the melody, or by using a system of 

their own. Assist students who are ready to write their melodies on 

the stave using standard notation.



Steps A–B 

Listen to the music in the major and then 

in the minor. Invite the children to describe 

the difference in sound using their own 

vocabulary. For example, major might be 

‘bright’ and minor ‘dark’. 

Step C 

Click on the shapes to hear more major and 

minor music. 

Steps D–F 



word ‘minor’ or ‘major’. 

Step G 

Click on the Chord shapes and listen to them. 

Then drag the major and minor chords into 

the Play Space and drop the shapes above the 

character’s head. Click on the Play button to 

hear the major and minor chords accompany 

the melody. 

69

70 



Steps D–E 

Show the children how the notes ‘step’ up 

and down the stave from space to line in 

stepwise motion. 

Step F 

Click on the shapes to hear the melodies. Ask 

the children to draw the shape of each melody 

in the air with their hands. Guide them as they 

fi nd the notes that move in the same direction 

as their arm movements and drag the shapes 

to the stave. 

Step G 

Guide the children as they drag notes that 

‘walk’ down the stave, from line to space. 

Steps H–I 

Ask the children to point to the spaces 

between the notes that make the music sound 

as if it is jumping. 

Step J 

Click on the shapes to hear the melodies and 

ask the children to trace the melody shapes 

as they listen. Encourage them to move their 

hands high for high pitches and low for low 

pitches. Then ask them to match their hand 

movements with the contour of the notes on 

the stave. Guide them as they drag the shapes 

to the matching staves. 

Drag the correct shapes 

to their matching melody 


to their matching melody



Step K 

Guide the children as they drag notes onto the 

stave to create a melody that leaps. Remind 

them that the notes must not be next door to 

each other on the stave. 

Step L 

A short repeating pattern is called an 

‘ostinato’. What do the children notice about 

the notes in each bar? (They are the same). 

Steps M–N 

Click on the shapes to hear the music. Ask the 

children to raise their hands if they hear an 

ostinato. Drag shapes with repeated patterns 

to the word ‘ostinato’ and those that do not 

have repeating patterns to the words ‘no 

ostinato’. 

Steps O–P 

Ask the children how they will create an 

ostinato pattern. (Copy the notes from bar one 

into the other bars). Guide them as they drag 

the notes onto the stave. 


to their matching words 

71

72 

Introduction 


In this lesson, we are going 

to use the Editor to create a 

bass line ostinato pattern 

and melody phrases that 

move in steps and leaps . We 

will then use these 

phrases to build a 

composition in 

the Jungle Create 

mode. 


Melody .grs 

This fi le opens a four-bar Jungle 

Play Space. The children will create 

ostinato Bass Line Plants and Melody 

Butterfl ies with fi xed pitches in 

the Editor. You are also given a 

selection of Rhythm Trees, Arpeggio 

Insects and Chord Webs to use as 

accompaniments. 

If you have have an interactive 


on on for classroom classroom use. 

Children can also compose compose using a 

MIDI Keyboard. See See the Extension 

Tasks. 

O p e n Melody .grs. Tell the children that we are going to compose a bass line ostinato 

using the notes D and A. Write these letters on the board. 

Click on the New object button and ask the children which object represents bass 

lines? (Plants). Drag the Plant into bar one to open a blank stave in the Editor. Ask 

which instrument will play the bass line? (Bass guitar). Invite the children to drag notes 

into bar one using the pitches D and A only (D = third line, A = bottom space or top 

line). Click on the Play button to hear the bass line and invite the children to make any 

changes to their work. When they have fi nished, click Done to return to the Play Space. 

Ask the children how we can turn this phrase into an ostinato (repeat it). Show the 

children how to copy the Plant into bar two, by holding down the ALT key (z or Option 

on a Mac), clicking on the Plant, and then dragging it into bar two. Invite the children 

to copy the Plant into bars three and four. Click on the Play button to hear the 

ostinato pattern. To see the ostinato pattern notated using graphic notes, click on the 

Full Score button. To see the music notated using normal notes, click on the Normal 

notes button. Click on the Graphic notes button to return to graphic notes. 

Resources

Click on the New object 

button and create your own 

melodies and bass lines 

Click on the Full Score button to see 

your composition notated in full 

Click on the Play button to listen and watch the graphic notes turn yellow as they play. 

Invite the children to make any revisions, (e.g. they may wish to alter the ending) by 

dragging notes up or down the stave. Then listen again. Click on the Full Score button to 

return to the Play Space. 

Next, write the letter names D, F, G, A and C on the board and tell the children that we 

will compose four Melody Butterfl ies using these pitches. 

Invite the children to click on the New object button and drag a Melody Butterfl y into 

bar one. Ask them to think about how this phrase of their melody will move (e.g. steps 

upward, leaps downward). Guide them as they drag notes into the bar, and remind them 

to use only the notes written on the board. When fi nished, click on the Play button to 

hear the music and ask the children to move their arms to show its direction and shape. 

Does the music match their plan? Invite the children to make revisions by dragging the 

notes up or down, and then listen again. Click Done to return to the Play Space. Click on 

the Play button to hear the melody and bass line together. 

Repeat the above process for bars 2, 3 and 4. Ask the children to drag new Melody 

B u t t e r fl i e s into each bar and create melodies. Encourage them to think about similar 

and contrasting phrases as they compose and to listen to the music and make changes 

frequently as they work. 

When the children have completed the fourth bar of the melody, click Done to return 

to the Play Space and then click on the Play button to hear the music. Do the four bars 

of the melody work well together? Do they combine well with the bass line? Invite the 

children to make changes to their work by double-clicking on the B u t t e r fl i e s and Plants 

and editing notes as before. Click Done and then click on the Play button to hear the 

music. To see the whole composition notated, the children can click on the Full Score 

button. Click on the Normal notes button to see the music notated using normal notes, 

and click on the Graphic notes button to return to graphic notes. When they have 

fi nished, click on the Full Score button once more to return to the Play Space, and then 

listen again. 

The children can continue to develop their composition using the suggestions above and 

ideas from the Extension tasks on the next page. When they are satisfi ed with their 

work, they can click on the Song Name sign and name their composition. 

73

74 


A d d Rhythm Trees to the music by clicking on the Rhythms button and dragging 

Rhythm Trees to the bottom of each bar. They can also add Bonus Animals to create 

an exotic ‘Jungle’ sound and Arpeggio Insects or Chord Webs to thicken the texture. 

The children can change the speed of the music by clicking on the Tempo sign and 

dragging the tempo instructions onto the Play Space. Remind the children that high 

numbers are fast and low numbers are slow. Also experiment with phrases getting 

faster or slower. 

Add Chords and 

Arpeggios to your music 

Remember to give your composition 

a title and share your music! 

Add dynamics and tempo changes 

Add a Repeat sign or extend 

your composition by dragging 

the Stop sign to the right 

Click on the Instruments and Dynamics button to add different timbres and dynamic 

interest to the music. Encourage the children to experiment, and ask them to explain 

and describe their decisions, to build vocabulary and enhance understanding. 

Invite the children to make the composition longer by moving the Stop sign to the 

right to add more bars, or you could add a Repeat sign to make your music loop back. 

The children can create ‘duet’ bars by adding a second Melody Butterfl y to the bar. 

They can either copy an existing Melody Butterfl y, or create new Melody in the Editor. 

Finally, save and share your work! Encourage the children to give their music a title and 

at a later date, fi nd their composition in the Song Menu and drag it to the Play Space 

to share with others. Simply click on the Play button and enjoy! 

Using a MIDI keyboard 

You can connect a MIDI keyboard to enable the children to record 

their melodies and ostinato patterns directly into a MIDI Record 

Keyboard (like the icon on the left) on the Play Space. Simply 

click on the New objects button, drag the Keyboard shape 

into the required bar on the Play Space, click on the Record 

button (fl ashing red), wait for the count-in and play! Click on 

the Stop button to fi nish recording and then click on the Play 

button to hear your work. (Pages 12–13 in the Groovy Jungle 

Guide for more details). 

National 

Curriculum 

areas: 1b, 1c, 

2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 

3c, 4a, 4b

Notes 

75

76 

Credits and Acknowledgements 

Designer and Producer Michael Avery 

Technical Design Hans Lindetorp 

Programming Hans Lindetorp and Mattias Hallqvist 

Authors Sandra Stauffer, Mary Elizabeth, Pauline Adams 

Music and Audio Katya Sourikova, Geoff Shell, Rune Fränne, 

Aquarium Studios 

Graphics Springload Design, Ami Plasse, Liz Cairns 

Voices Phillipa Alexander, Alison Kerr, Geoff SHell 

Additional Programming Mike Copperwhite, Graham Westlake, David Matthewman 

Executive Producers Jeremy Silver, Alison Kerr, David Harvey, Justin Baron, 

Ben Finn 

Testing and Installers Anthony Hughes, Michael Piraner, Michael Eastwood, 

Akiko Ogawa, Tsuyoshi Matsunaga, Sam Hogarth, 

Stephen Penny, Tim Adnitt, Maggie Bennett-Goodman, 

Larry Marchese, Bruce Munson, Robin Hodson, 

Greg Smith, Pam Davies 

Documentation Michael Avery, Jane Butterfield, Sandra Stauffer, 

Anthony Hughes, Georgia Pearson 

Guide Graphic Layout Marten Sims 

Additional Project Management Bill Marten 

Version 1.0 January 2006 

Copyright © 2006 Sibelius Software Ltd. and its licensors. 

All images and recordings used under license. All rights reserved. 

‘Sing A Rainbow’ 

Words and music by Arthur Hamilton 

© 1955 (renewed) Mark VII Ltd ., USA 

Warner/Chappell Music Ltd ., London W6 8BS 

Reproduced by permission of Faber Music Ltd . 

All Rights Reserved .

Groovy Jungle is a children’s music program and 

teaching resource aimed at 7 to 9 year olds. Designed 

after extensive worldwide research with children and 

educators, this program makes music and learning fun! 

Jungle Create mode Explore mode 

Graphical MIDI sequencer/editor for children 

Bonus animals for students 

Explore mode uses an award system of Bonus animals where students 

receive various animals for use in the Jungle Create mode. This creates 

a dynamic and pedagogical link between exploring and creating music 

while providing further motivation for students to use the program. 

Sibelius, Sibelius Groovy Music, and associated logos, designs and taglines are all trademarks or 

registered trademarks of Sibelius Software Ltd or Sibelius USA Inc in the USA, UK and other countries. 

All other trademarks acknowledged. All information is believed correct at the time of going to press, 

but is subject to change without notice. © Sibelius Software Ltd 2006. All rights reserved. E&OE 

For more information, contact your dealer or Sibelius: 

Freephone: 0800 458 3111 

Email: infoUK@sibelius.com 

www .sibelius .com 

An Interactive exploration of musical 

concepts, structured as topic and steps.

Groovy Jungle Lesson Plans (Resized ... - Groovy Music

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