Fairy Tale Score

Overview

Unit: Fairy Tale Soundscapes
Lesson: 5 of 5 – Creating a Fairy Tale Score
Class: Year 1
Duration: 45 minutes
Class size: 25 students
Subject: Music

This lesson culminates the unit by having children collaboratively compose and perform a musical score inspired by a chosen fairy tale. The focus is on using dynamic symbols and responding to performance cues, in line with The National Curriculum for England’s aims for Key Stage 1 music.

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National Curriculum Links

• Key Stage 1: Music
  • Listening, memory and movement: Pupils should be taught to listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
  • Experimenting with sounds: They should be taught to explore and engage in creating sounds.
  • Playing tuned and untuned instruments musically: Pupils should have opportunities to play instruments and create musical patterns.
  • Understanding and exploring dynamics (loud and soft sounds).
• Specific Learning Objectives:
  • Yr1 MU1/1.3: Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
  • Yr1 MU1/1.4: Play tuned and untuned instruments musically to create rhythmic and melodic soundscapes.
  • Yr1 MU1/1.5: Listen with concentration to sounds and talk about changes in pitch and dynamics.
  • Yr1 MU1/1.6: Follow simple visual or verbal instructions when performing music.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, pupils will be able to:

• Collaborate in small groups to create a musical score representing a fairy tale using tuned and untuned instruments.
• Identify and demonstrate loud (forte) and soft (piano) dynamics using appropriate musical symbols and body language.
• Follow simple visual or verbal instructions to start, stop, and change dynamics during a group performance.
• Use imagination to express narrative elements of a fairy tale through sound.

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Resources

• Variety of classroom percussion instruments (xylophones, drums, shakers, tambourines)
• Large laminated cards with dynamic symbols (f > loud, p > soft)
• Visual story prompts or picture books of selected fairy tales (e.g., Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood)
• Whiteboard and marker for drawing simple scores and dynamics
• Recording device (optional) for performance playback and reflection

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction & Recap (5 minutes)

• Briefly revisit the previous lessons where children explored sounds and dynamics linked to fairy tales.
• Demonstrate loud (forte) and soft (piano) sounds with an instrument and using hand signals.
• Explain that today they will be composers and performers working in teams to tell a fairy tale story through music.

2. Group Formation and Fairy Tale Selection (5 minutes)

• Divide class into 5 groups of 5 children.
• Each group chooses or is assigned a different familiar fairy tale from prior lessons.
• Hand out visual story prompts and instrument sets.

3. Creating the Score (15 minutes)

• Groups brainstorm key moments from their fairy tale (e.g., “Jack climbing the beanstalk,” “wolf sneaking,” “princess sleeping”).
• Using whiteboard or paper, groups draw simple shapes/symbols representing different sounds, alongside the dynamic symbols (f, p).
• Encourage use of untuned instruments for rhythms and tuned instruments for melodies.
• Teacher circulates to support and ask probing questions about sound choices and dynamics.

4. Rehearsal with Dynamics and Cues (10 minutes)

• Groups practise performing their musical story, emphasising loud and soft sections.
• Teacher introduces simple conducting cues or call-and-response signals for start/stop and dynamics changes.
• Each pupil has a role: performer, signal responder, or dynamics monitor.

5. Performances and Peer Feedback (8 minutes)

• Each group performs their fairy tale score to the rest of the class.
• After each performance, classmates share one thing they liked about the dynamics or storytelling in the music.
• Optional: Record the performances for playback or to create a class soundscape album.

6. Plenary and Reflection (2 minutes)

• Highlight how they used loud and soft sounds to make the story exciting.
• Ask: What was tricky about following cues? What sounds did you like making most?

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Assessment Opportunities

Assessment Focus	Method	Criteria for Success
Using dynamics intentionally	Observation during group rehearsals and performance	Pupils vary loudness using f/p symbols and cues accurately
Collaboration and listening to peers	Teacher notes and peer feedback	Pupils take turns, listen to instructions, and support each other
Following performance instructions	Listening to responses to start/stop and dynamics signals	Pupils start and stop playing on cue and adjust volume as directed
Creative expression of fairy tale sounds	Review of musical ideas and final performances	Pupils clearly represent elements of the fairy tale through sound

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide visual symbols of dynamics and cues for pupils who need additional help. Pair less confident children with supportive peers for group work.
• Challenge: Encourage more able pupils to invent their own sound symbols or lead conducting signals. Invite them to describe why they chose particular dynamics for story moments.

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Extension Ideas

• Create a class “Fairy Tale Soundscape” performance video combining each group's score for sharing with parents.
• Develop an illustrated class scorebook with symbols and explanations of dynamics for each tale.
• Hold a “storytelling with music” assembly where children narrate their fairy tales alongside their compositions.

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This lesson plans a rich, hands-on musical experience aligned tightly with the National Curriculum’s requirements for Year 1, fostering creativity, listening skills, teamwork, and dynamic control in authentic musical storytelling.