Class: Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1, JSS 1)
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 3
Age: 12 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Cultural And Creative Arts
Curriculum Theme: Cultural And Creative Arts
Previous Lesson: Fundamentals of Music – Pitch, Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Texture, Timbre, and Notes Identification
Topic: Ear Training And Harmony
Subject Matter: Define ear training and harmony in music, parts of harmony, rudiments of harmony

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain:
(a) Identify the parts of harmony in music.
(b) Explain the rudiments of harmony in simple terms.
Affective Domain:
(a) Show interest and appreciation for musical harmony and ear training.
Psychomotor Domain:
(a) Perform simple ear training activities such as identifying pitch differences or singing scales.
Social Domain:
(a) Work in pairs or groups to listen and respond correctly to musical tones and chords.

Reference Materials

The following resources was used in planning this lesson:

9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
Lagos State Unified Scheme of work for Junior Secondary Schools
Musical U – “What Is Ear Training?” (https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-is-ear-training/)
Relevant Textbooks

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

Musical instruments (keyboard, guitar, flute, or recorder)
Audio recordings of melodies and harmonies
Flashcards with musical notes
Chart showing musical scales and intervals
Chalkboard and staff notation sheet

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps students to develop their listening skills, understand the concept of harmony, and build the foundation for singing or playing musical instruments correctly.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have previously learned about sound, rhythm, melody, and basic musical notes, which prepare them to understand harmony and ear training.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Ear Training and Harmony

Ear Training

Ear training is the process of improving the ability to recognize, identify, and reproduce sounds, notes, chords, and melodies by ear. It helps musicians and learners to understand pitch, tone, rhythm, and intervals more accurately.

The following are the main types of ear training:

Interval training – learning to recognize the distance between two notes.
Chord recognition – identifying the sound of two or more notes played together.
Melodic dictation – listening to and writing down melodies by ear.
Rhythmic dictation – identifying and reproducing rhythm patterns.
Pitch identification – recognizing whether a note is high, low, or middle.

Meaning of Harmony

Harmony in music is the combination of two or more musical notes played or sung at the same time to produce a pleasing sound. It adds fullness, beauty, and depth to a song.

The following are the basic elements of harmony:

Chords – a group of three or more notes played together.
Chord progression – a series of chords played in a sequence.
Intervals – the difference in pitch between two notes.
Consonance and dissonance – consonance means pleasant harmony, while dissonance means harsh or unstable harmony.

Parts of Harmony

Harmony is divided into several parts based on the roles each voice or instrument plays in creating a complete sound.

The main parts of harmony include:

Soprano – the highest vocal part, usually sung by females or boys.
Alto – the second highest part, also mostly for females.
Tenor – a middle part usually sung by men.
Bass – the lowest vocal part that supports the harmony.

Rudiments of Harmony

The rudiments of harmony are the basic rules and guidelines that govern how notes and chords are combined to produce pleasant sounds.

These include:

Understanding scales and key signatures.
Knowing the relationship between chords and keys.
Following proper chord progression patterns.
Balancing consonance and dissonance for a smooth sound.
Maintaining voice leading—smooth movement from one note or chord to another.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques:

Lecture, Discussion, Demonstration, Audio-visual aids, Question and Answer, Group Work, Practical demonstration

Instructional Procedures

To deliver this lesson, the teacher will adopt the following steps:

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Set Induction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays short musical sounds and asks pupils to identify whether the sounds are high or low to introduce the idea of ear training.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen carefully and respond to the sounds.
Learning Point: Pupils are introduced to ear training through listening exercises.

Step 2: Explanation of Ear Training

Time: 10 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains ear training and demonstrates interval and pitch recognition using a keyboard or voice.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and attempt to repeat the pitches.
Learning Point: Pupils understand ear training and its importance in music.

Step 3: Explanation of Harmony and Its Parts

Time: 10 minutes
Teaching Skill: Discussion
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains harmony, its meaning, and parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) with examples from a recorded choral piece.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify different vocal parts as they listen.
Learning Point: Pupils understand the meaning and structure of harmony.

Step 4: Rudiments of Harmony

Time: 10 minutes
Teaching Skill: Demonstration
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates chord progression and shows how harmony works in music using a simple song.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along and practice blending their voices.
Learning Point: Pupils can demonstrate the basic principles of harmony in singing.

Step 5: Note-Taking

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Reinforcement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes or dictates the board summary for pupils to copy.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy notes into their exercise books.
Learning Point: Pupils record the key points of the lesson.

Step 6: Evaluation/Review

Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Questioning
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

What is ear training?
Mention three types of ear training.
What is harmony?
Name the four main parts of harmony.
List three rudiments of harmony.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer the questions orally.
Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of ear training and harmony.

Step 7: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes
Teaching Skill: Summarization
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarizes the lesson, reinforces the importance of ear training and harmony, and encourages regular practice.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and ask questions for clarity.
Learning Point: Pupils appreciate the need to develop musical hearing and harmony skills.

Lesson Keywords

Ear Training – practice of recognizing and identifying sounds by ear.
Harmony – combination of different musical notes played together.
Chord – three or more notes played simultaneously.
Interval – the distance between two musical notes.
Soprano – the highest voice part in harmony.

Differentiation

The teacher provides practical demonstrations and visual aids for slower learners, while advanced pupils lead simple harmony exercises in small groups.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Ensure pupils listen attentively during demonstrations. Use familiar songs for exercises. Reinforce learning with practical repetition and ensure class participation.