Musical Storytelling with Instruments

Lesson Overview

Subject: Music
Year Group: Year 1
Time: 30 minutes
Class Size: 24 students
Curriculum Area: National Curriculum for Music (KS1)
Focus: Exploring sounds and instruments to represent characters and actions in The Three Little Pigs

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

• Recognise and explore how different instruments create different sounds.
• Use instruments to represent characters and actions in The Three Little Pigs.
• Work collaboratively to create a musical performance.

Resources

• Selection of classroom percussion instruments (e.g., tambourines, drums, triangles, maracas, chime bars).
• Book: The Three Little Pigs (or familiarity with the story).
• Visual cue cards for characters (Pig 1, Pig 2, Pig 3, Wolf).

Lesson Structure

1️⃣ Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Activity: "Sound Explorers"

• Begin with a short discussion: What sounds do different materials make? What sounds do different animals make?
• Demonstrate how different percussion instruments sound (e.g., a drum makes deep sounds, a triangle makes a high ‘ting’).
• Ask pupils to close their eyes and listen to different instrument sounds. Can they guess what is being played?

2️⃣ Introducing the Story with Sound (10 minutes)

Activity: "Character Sound Matching"

• Recap the story of The Three Little Pigs.
• Assign different instruments to each main character and event:
  • First Pig (straw house) – Shakers (soft, rustling sound).
  • Second Pig (stick house) – Claves (wooden knocking sound).
  • Third Pig (brick house) – Drum (strong, sturdy beat).
  • Wolf – Guiro or Low Drum (scraping or deep ‘stomp’ for the big bad wolf).
  • Blowing the houses down – Tambourine swishing or a loud cymbal crash.
• As the teacher reads a section of the story, pupils play when their character is mentioned.

3️⃣ Group Performance (10 minutes)

Activity: "The Three Little Pigs Soundtrack"

• Divide pupils into small groups, each assigned a part of the story.
• Allow them to experiment with their assigned instruments, deciding on sound effects.
• As a class, perform the full story with each group playing at the correct times.

4️⃣ Reflection and Cool Down (5 minutes)

Activity: "Discuss and Demonstrate"

• Brief discussion: How did the sounds help tell the story?
• Ask a few students to explain why they chose their instrument for their character/event.
• End with a calming listening exercise—encourage students to listen to soft chime notes or a simple rhythm.

Assessment Opportunities

• Observation of pupil engagement and confidence with instruments.
• Assessment of how well they match sounds to story elements.
• Listening to their ability to follow cues and play in time with the story.

Extension Activities

• Pupils could create their own new sounds for the story using body percussion (e.g., clapping for the wolf’s footsteps).
• Challenge pupils to tell another familiar story using instruments.

Teacher Tips

• Encourage creativity—pupils might have their own ideas for instrument choices!
• If time allows, swap instruments so pupils experience different sounds.
• Keep the performance playful and engaging; it’s about exploring sound rather than perfection.

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This engaging lesson helps pupils develop their musical awareness in a fun and interactive way while fostering teamwork and creativity. 🎵 🎶