LEVEL A — FIRST SOUNDS
Pieces 1–3
Foundations of instrumental technique, shared pulse and musical understanding.
LEVEL OVERVIEW
Students begin their instrumental journey by producing controlled sounds, playing simple one-note parts and participating in a shared ensemble. Practical music-making introduces basic rhythmic, melodic and harmonic concepts, reinforced through listening, creative activities and elementary notation.
1. PERFORMANCE
Course Content
Solo Performance and Ensemble Performance
Students explore their chosen instrument, develop appropriate posture and basic playing technique, and learn to produce a clear, controlled sound using the shared note G. Through Pieces 1–3, they practise coordinating sound and silence, maintaining a steady 4/4 pulse and responding to ensemble starts and stops.
Learning Objectives
Develop appropriate posture and basic instrumental technique. Produce a controlled sound on the note G, coordinate notes and rests, and maintain a steady pulse while playing independently and with others.
Learning Outcomes
Students can produce a clear, controlled sound on their instrument, perform a simple one-note part using G, maintain a steady pulse and respond appropriately to ensemble starts and stops.
2. CREATING & COMPOSING
Course Content
Composition, Improvisation and Arranging
Students explore how musical ideas can be created using a single pitch, different note durations and rests. They experiment with short rhythmic patterns, repetition and contrasting sound and silence, creating simple musical responses within the ensemble.
Learning Objectives
Explore ways of organising sound and silence into short musical ideas. Create and repeat simple rhythmic patterns using the note G, and experiment with basic variations in note duration.
Learning Outcomes
Students can create and perform a short rhythmic idea using one pitch, organise notes and rests into a recognisable pattern, and repeat or slightly modify their musical idea.
3. LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING
Content
Pitch & Intervals, Rhythmic & Harmonic Recognition, Musical Analysis & Description
Students listen to different classroom instruments and recognise contrasting instrumental sounds. They identify a steady pulse, distinguish between sound and silence, and recognise repeated rhythmic ideas and simple changes within the music they perform.
Through One Note Samba, students explore how rhythm, repetition and accompaniment create musical interest around a single repeated pitch. They listen to and imitate short rhythmic patterns aurally, including syncopated patterns that are not yet introduced through formal notation.
Learning Objectives
Develop attentive listening and recognise differences in instrumental timbre. Identify and follow a steady pulse, distinguish between notes and rests, and recognise repetition in short musical passages.
Listen to One Note Samba and identify its repeated-note melody. Develop the ability to reproduce rhythmic patterns by ear through listening, imitation and repetition, and recognise how accompaniment contributes to the overall musical character.
Learning Outcomes
Students can recognise different instrumental sounds, identify and follow a steady pulse, distinguish sound from silence and recognise when a simple musical idea is repeated.
They can identify the repeated-note melody in One Note Samba, reproduce a short rhythmic pattern by ear without relying on notation, and describe in simple terms how rhythm and accompaniment contribute to the music.
4. HISTORY & STYLE
Course Content
Music History & Cultural Context, Musical Styles & Genres
Students are introduced to the main classroom instruments and their musical roles. They explore how different instruments produce sound and how contrasting instrumental timbres contribute to a mixed-instrument ensemble.
Through the thematic unit Making Music with One Note, students explore Brazilian bossa nova, its origins and its relationship to samba and jazz. They are introduced to Antônio Carlos Jobim through One Note Samba and investigate his contribution to Brazilian music.
Learning Objectives
Recognise the main classroom instruments and understand their basic sound-producing methods. Explore the roles of different instruments within an ensemble and begin identifying contrasting musical styles.
Develop an introductory understanding of Brazilian bossa nova and its cultural background. Research the life and musical achievements of Antônio Carlos Jobim and present two interesting facts about him to the class.
Learning Outcomes
Students can identify familiar classroom instruments, describe basic differences in how they produce sound and recognise their roles within an ensemble.
They can identify bossa nova as a Brazilian musical style, demonstrate an introductory understanding of its cultural origins and present two researched facts about Antônio Carlos Jobim's life or musical career.
5. THEORY
Course Content
Melody, Harmony, Rhythm & Metre, Notation & Score Reading, Form & Structure
Students are introduced to the note G, basic rhythmic notation, crotchets (quarter notes), rests, barlines and 4/4 metre. They explore the organisation of notes into bars, recognise repeated musical ideas and simple two-phrase structures, and encounter basic C-major and G-major harmonic support within the ensemble.
Learning Objectives
Recognise and understand the note G, basic note values and rests, barlines and 4/4 metre. Follow elementary notation, identify repeated patterns and recognise how a simple melody can be supported by harmony.
Learning Outcomes
Students can identify the note G in their instrumental part, recognise and follow basic rhythmic notation, maintain and count four beats within a bar of 4/4 metre, recognise repeated musical patterns and simple phrase divisions, and demonstrate an introductory awareness of how harmony supports a melody within an ensemble.
THEMATIC UNIT — MAKING MUSIC WITH ONE NOTE
Musical Connection: One Note Samba — Antônio Carlos Jobim
Musical Style: Bossa Nova — Brazil
-
Listen: One Note Samba — One Note Samba — Ella Fitzgerald's interpretation
-
Practise: One-note arrangement — learn the rhythm by ear
IMPACT Level: A — First Sounds (Pieces 1–3)
Inquiry Question:
Can you make interesting music using just one note?
Unit Overview
Students explore how a single note can become part of an expressive musical performance through rhythm, repetition, articulation, dynamics and ensemble interaction.
Using One Note Samba by Antônio Carlos Jobim, they discover Brazilian bossa nova within the wider context of Latin American music and explore how rhythm, melody and accompaniment work together.
Students learn the repeated-note rhythm by ear, without needing to read syncopated notation. They then create their own short rhythmic patterns using G and combine their ideas in an ensemble, developing instrumental confidence, creativity and collaboration.
Unit Objectives
-
Explore how rhythm, repetition, articulation and dynamics create musical interest using a single note.
-
Listen to One Note Samba and recognise how melody, rhythm and accompaniment work together.
-
Discover Brazilian bossa nova, its origins and its relationship to samba and jazz.
-
Research Antônio Carlos Jobim and present two interesting facts about his life or musical achievements.
-
Create and perform a short one-note musical idea using G, individually or within an ensemble.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, students can:
-
By the end of this unit, students can:
-
Create and perform a short musical idea using the note G, demonstrating rhythmic repetition, dynamics and a steady pulse.
-
Recognise the repeated-note melody in One Note Samba and reproduce a short rhythmic pattern by ear without reading syncopated notation.
-
Describe how rhythm, melody, accompaniment and instrumental sounds contribute to the musical character of One Note Samba.
-
Identify bossa nova as a Brazilian musical style, recognise its relationship to samba and jazz, and demonstrate a basic understanding of its cultural origins.
-
Present two researched facts about Antônio Carlos Jobim and his contribution to Brazilian music.
Practical Application
Students learn and perform the repeated-note melody from Section A of One Note Samba using G. The rhythm is taught by ear through listening, imitation and repetition, without requiring knowledge of syncopated notation.
The ensemble may include a simplified bossa nova drum groove, harmonic accompaniment and differentiated instrumental parts. Students maintain a steady pulse and perform their parts confidently together.
Practical Ensemble Resource — Bossa Nova Drum Groove
A simplified bossa nova drum groove provides rhythmic accompaniment for the ensemble. Beginners learn the pattern by ear, while more experienced drummers can explore the complete version.
Musical Reference — One Note Samba (Original Melody and Harmony)
The original score is provided for teacher reference. Students learn the adapted one-note melody by ear and are not expected to read syncopated notation or advanced chord symbols.
Additional Listening Activity — Find the Repeated Note
Musical Reference: Additional One-Note Motif Example
Students listen to another song featuring a repeated-note motif and identify the pitch by ear. Encourage them to find the repeated note on their own instrument and attempt to play along with the recording.
Learning Objectives
-
Recognise a repeated-note motif by listening.
-
Identify and reproduce the repeated pitch on a chosen instrument.
-
Develop pitch recognition, listening skills and instrumental confidence.
-
Explore how rhythm and repetition make a simple musical idea memorable.
Practical Application
Play the recording and ask students to listen for the repeated note. Allow them to experiment on their instruments until they find the matching pitch. Once identified, encourage them to play along, maintaining a steady pulse and following the rhythm of the motif.
