Harmony: Singing and Playing Together

You need: a simple round (for example 'Frère Jacques' or 'Dona nobis pacem') · a clear space to stand in groups · a conductor

1. Learn the round in unison until everyone knows it well.
2. Split into two groups. Group 2 starts when Group 1 reaches line 2.
3. Keep your eyes on the conductor and your ears on the other group.
4. Add a third group, then a fourth.
5. Try an ending where each group stops in turn, so the round thins out to one voice.

How you'll know: Your group holds its part without joining the others, and you can hear the harmony when all parts overlap.

Safety: Sing at a comfortable volume; never shout to keep your part.

Go further: Sing the round in two languages at once (for example English and French, or English and a language from your class).

You need: four short recordings: a school or youth choir, a Pacific church choir, a barbershop quartet, a waiata-ā-ringa with guitar · a page with columns: Hear / Think / Wonder

1. Listen to each recording once just to enjoy it.
2. Listen again and write what you hear: how many parts, voices or instruments, who leads, any body percussion.
3. Write what you think the song is for (worship, welcome, celebration, entertainment), with a clue.
4. Write questions you would ask someone from that tradition.
5. Compare with a partner: which traditions sing without instruments (a cappella)? Which use a strong leader?

How you'll know: Your notes separate what you hear from what you guess, and your questions show respect for the people who hold these songs.

Go further: Read about the New Zealand Youth Choir or Pacific church choirs on Te Ara and share one fact with the class.

You need: a keyboard, xylophone or ukulele to give the starting note · the class split into two groups

1. Group 1 hums a steady C (the drone). Breathe in turns so the sound never stops.
2. Group 2 sings slowly up the scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.
3. Stop on each note. Does it feel restful or does it want to move?
4. Mark the restful notes. You should find the 3rd (E) and 5th (G).
5. Change the drone to A. Sing the same tune. Does it feel brighter or darker?

How you'll know: You can find the 3rd and 5th above a drone by ear and describe how changing the drone changed the mood.

Go further: Make up a four-bar tune that uses only C, E and G over the drone, then add a note that creates tension and resolve it.

You need: a ukulele tuned G–C–E–A (one between two) · chord cards for C, Am, F and G7 · a steady beat

1. Hold the ukulele with the neck to your left (or right if you are left-handed), and strum over the sound hole with a relaxed wrist.
2. C: third finger on the third fret of the A string (the one nearest the floor). Strum four times.
3. Am: second finger on the second fret of the top string (G). Strum four times.
4. Switch between C and Am every four beats without stopping. Then add F and G7 from the cards.
5. Play C–Am–F–G7 as a loop while the class sings a round over it.

How you'll know: You can change between at least two chords in time without stopping the beat, and hear when a chord fits the melody.

Safety: Keep practice short at first (10–15 minutes) and press lightly: fingertips toughen over a few days.

Go further: Learn a Pacific-style 'island strum' (down, down-up, up-down-up) and use it for the whole loop.

You need: a keyboard, xylophone, chime bars or bass ukulele · a melody on a lyric-and-note chart · the chord names for each bar

1. Find the root note of each chord on your instrument: C, A, F, G.
2. The whole class sings or plays the melody while the bass group plays one root note at the start of each bar.
3. Swap roles so everyone tries the bass part.
4. Split into groups of four: two on melody, two on bass. Keep together without the teacher.
5. Try it in pairs: one melody, one bass.

How you'll know: The bass changes when the chords change, and your pair can keep together to the end.

Go further: Play two notes per bar in the bass (the root and the 5th) to make it move.

You need: a large chart of the song's sections · coloured pens (one colour per part) · each student's own part-map page

1. List the sections across the top: intro, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, ending.
2. List the parts down the side: melody, harmony, ukulele chords, bass, drone or percussion.
3. Colour in who plays or sings in each section. Keep the intro and first verse thin; make the last chorus the fullest.
4. Mark dynamics (p, f, cresc.) and breathing points.
5. Each student copies their own row onto their part map.

How you'll know: Every student can say what they do in each section, and the chart shows a clear build from thin to full texture.

Go further: Add a moment where only voices sing (a cappella) and explain why it will matter to the audience.

You need: a phone or tablet on a stand at audience distance · a speaker for playback · feedback cards

1. Set the device where the audience will sit and record one full run.
2. Listen back once all the way through without talking.
3. Listen again part by part: can you hear the melody? The harmony? The bass?
4. Give feedback with 'I notice… I wonder… What if…' about the group, not individuals.
5. Choose two changes, rehearse them and record again. Compare the two recordings.

How you'll know: The second recording shows the changes you chose, and every part can be heard.

Safety: Keep recordings within the class; share them only with consent and following the school's media policy.

Go further: Draw a 'balance meter' for each part (too soft, just right, too loud) for both recordings.