P6 - Pop Band

Our P6s are embarking on a pop band series. This was the first lesson we had.

We started with this video. We discussed what the singer did with the nursery rhymes that made them sound like pop songs, and why this was interesting.



Students got to play an accompaniment for the song I'm yours with xylophones and bell plates.

This is how I explain melody and accompaniment:

The melody of the song is usually the part that we can sing or hum to. We sometimes call it the tune. The accompaniment is sort of like the music that supports the tune, something like the background music. It is not as prominent as the melody.

Here is the song by Jason Mraz. He sings the tune, but notice which instruments play the accompaniment.



Below is an example of the melody being played by an instrument instead of being sung.



And, behold Mike Tompkin's wonderful version of Trouble. He sings the melody and imitates other instruments as the accompaniment.



We ended the lesson with a sample of what the students would accomplish by the end of the pop band series.