Use presentation mode

I'm new

Share lessons with your friends and colleagues for free. Learn more

Are you sure you want to download this lesson plan?

Downloading may not be your best option. Be sure you are looking at the most up-to-date version by always viewing your resources online.

Bookmark or save the link to this lesson so you can find it quickly! Click on the format below to continue download.

Cancel download

Subjects

Art and design Computing Design and technology French Geography History Music Physical education Spanish Religion and worldviews RSE & PSHE Science Wellbeing

Lesson 5: Battle of the bands

The topic culminates in a Battle of the Bands which sees pupils playing their music live and adapting their code as they perform.

Free trial

Content archive >
Computing > Upper key stage 2 > Archived unit: Programming 1: Music: Sonic Pi (laptop and desktop users) > Lesson 5: Battle of the bands

Learning objective

To program music for a specific purpose.

Success criteria

I can combine known commands.
I can code music

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

National curriculum

Computing

Pupils should be taught to:

Design,

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

Cross-curricular links

Music

Pupils should be taught to:

Improvise

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

Before the lesson

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

Lesson plan

Recap and recall

Arrange the children into pairs and display the Presentation: Explain the answer. ‘Live loops have to have a different name, e.g. rhythm and beat. They also have to have a ‘sleep’ at the end of every live loop.’ Ask the children to discuss this with their partner.

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

Adaptive teaching

Pupils needing extra support

Should take the example live loop included here and change the numbers/synths accordingly.

Pupils working at greater depth

Should experiment with code and change it whilst it is playing; should use multiple workspaces or ‘Buffers’ to test out different sections of code to add.

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

Assessing progress and understanding

Pupils with secure understanding indicated by: coding a piece of music that

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

Vocabulary definitions

buffer

When a computer buffers information or buffers, it stores it in its memory while dealing with it.
live code

Seeing a program work as it is built.

This content is for subscribers only. Join for access today.

Join Log in

In this unit

Assessment - Computing Y5: Programming: Music - Sonic Pi

Lesson 1: Tinkering with Sonic Pi

Lesson 2: Sonic soundtracks

Lesson 3: Musical storytelling

Lesson 4: Live loops

Lesson 5: Battle of the bands

Originally created by:

Sway Grantham

Computing specialist

Sway Grantham (@SwayGrantham) is a Primary School Teacher, a CAS Master Teacher and Specialist Leader in Education for Primary ICT. She also has a BCS Certificate in Computer Science Teaching (Primary). She has written several curricula and conducted research into the impact of 1:1…

Find out more