Year 6 · Music · Composing · Lesson 1

Composing a melody

Composing a melody with the C pentatonic scale: pitch, steps and leaps, question-and-answer phrases, the tonic, and melody-writing tips, with notated and played examples.

14-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

Watch free for a month

What your child will learn

Explain melody and pitch
Use the pentatonic scale
Compose question and answer phrases
Use steps, leaps and repetition

The method

Scale.
Question.
Answer.
Play + improve.

Key words: melody, pentatonic, phrase, tonic, step, leap.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

What is a melody?

Step 1: Tune

Answer: a tune - notes one after another

Question 2

How many notes in a pentatonic scale?

Step 1: Penta

Answer: five

Question 3

Name the notes of C pentatonic.

Step 1: C D E...

Answer: C D E G A