Duke Ellington Class

Autumn 1

22.09.22

What does this image make you think of? Repeating patterns!

In music, repeating patterns are known as ostinatos. You can have a melodic ostinato or a rhythmic ostinato.

This week, we learnt about rhythmic ostinatos and had a go at learning how to layer them to see the effect.

We noticed how important beat and tempo were to keep the ostinato in time! These were the patterns we followed, can you have a go at home with your family?

15.09.22

This week, we experimented with various percussive instruments in order to familiarise ourselves with the beat. Some of us became conductors and controlled the tempo. It was really fun to see how challenging it is to stick to the beat when the conductor goes rogue.

We also learnt about syncopation and the off-beat whilst listening to and learning Jonathan Richman’s Ice Cream Van.

Both the song and the lyrics can be found below.