Following the Sing up scheme of work, we will be studying “I’ve been to Harlem.”
“I’ve been to Harlem” is a traditional pentatonic song about travelling around the world, full of creative possibilities. We shall use it to invent cup rhythm games, explore pentatonic melodies from around the world, sing as a round, and compose ostinato accompaniments. It’s thought that the song originally came from Virginia on the east coast of the United States of America, where it was popularly performed as a drinking/cups game song at harvest suppers.
By the end of this unit most children will be able to:
- Compose a pentatonic ostinato.
- Sing a call-and-response song in groups, holding long notes confidently.
- Play melodic and rhythmic accompaniments to a song.
- Listen and identify where notes in the melody of the song go down and up.
For more information, please view our I’ve been to Harlem year 3 knowledge organisers