Beats and Pieces – music – Stage 4
Teaching video resources to support teaching of the Stage 4 music unit Beats and tunes.
Syllabus
Outcomes referred to in this document are from Music 7–10 Syllabus (2024) NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.
These teaching videos are not a standalone resource. They have been designed for use by department teachers in connection to Stage 4 resources designed by the Creative arts curriculum team for the Music 7–10 Syllabus (2024). These include the Stage 4 scope and sequence, Stage 4 Beats and tunes unit, resources and sample assessment task. All documents associated with these videos can be found on the department’s Music 7–10 and Beats and tunes webpages.
Beats and Pieces performance
Watch a complete performance of Beats and Pieces (1:40).
[Catherine Betts and Joshua Webster perform Beats and Pieces by clapping their hands, clicking their fingers and tapping their legs, chests and shoulders.]
[End transcript]
Beats and Pieces tutorial
Watch this tutorial video and learn to play Beats and Pieces (5:31).
CATHERINE BETTS
Hi. It's Cat and Josh from Kaboom Percussion here. There are three sections we need to learn to play bits and pieces. Section A sounds like this.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
So our first bar is, lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. We play it like this. Lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Then the second bar will be lap, lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Like this. Lap, lap, clap cross, cross, clap. So when we put those two bars together, we have lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Lap, lap, clap, cross, cross, clap.
Now, in the piece, that happens four times in a row without stopping. So let's try that now. Ready? 1, 2, here we go. Lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Lap, lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Lap, lap, clap, cross, cross, clap. Third time.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Cross, cross, clap. Lap, lap, clap, cross cross, clap.
CATHERINE BETTS
Last one.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Cross, cross, clap. Lap, lap, clap, cross, cross--
CATHERINE BETTS
And stop.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Section B sounds like this.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
So the first part of this rhythm is clap, clap, chest, chest, lap, lap, lap. So that is two claps, [CLAPPING SOUND] two chests, [BEATING SOUND] and then three laps. [SLAPPING SOUND] So putting that together, we have clap, clap, chest, chest, lap, lap, lap. After that, we have rest, click, rest, click, which is, rest, click, rest, click.
So if we put those two bars together with the first bar loud and the second bar soft, it'll sound like this. Clap, clap, chest, chest, lap, lap, lap. And rest, click, rest, click. And in the piece, that's going to happen four times in a row. So let's try that together. 1, 2, here we go. Clap, clap, chest, chest, lap, lap, lap. Rest, click, rest-- Second time.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
Rest, click, rest, click. Third time.
CATHERINE BETTS
Chest, chest, lap, lap, lap. Rest, click, rest--
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Last time.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
Rest, click, rest.
CATHERINE BETTS
Section C sounds like this.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
So in this section, we're starting with rest, click, rest, click. Nice and soft. Let's try that. Rest, click, rest, click. And then our second bar, our rhythm is ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta. We play ticka, ticka, tee tee on our laps. Ticka, ticka, tee, tee, and then tee, tee, ta as chest, chest clap. Tee, tee, ta. So putting that together, we have ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta. So if we put that with our clicks, the clicks will be nice and soft, but the second bar will be nice and loud. It'll sound like this.
Rest, click, rest, click, ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta. Now, in the piece, that's going to happen four times in a row. So let's try that now. Ready? 1, 2, here we go. Rest, click, rest, click, ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta. Second time.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Rest, click, ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta.
CATHERINE BETTS
Third time.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Click, rest, click, ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta.
CATHERINE BETTS
Last one.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Click, rest, click. Ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta.
CATHERINE BETTS
Now, in the piece, sections B and C will always happen at the same time. So let's try now with me playing section B and Josh playing section C. 1, 2, here we go.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Rest, click, ticka, ticka, tee, tee, tee, tee, ta.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
OK, let's now try swapping parts. I'll play section B.
CATHERINE BETTS
And I'll play section C.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
1, 2, Here we go.
[PERCUSSION SOUNDS]
CATHERINE BETTS
So that's all you need to play beats and pieces. Happy practicing, and good luck.
[End transcript]
Beats and Pieces play-along
Rehearse your performance of Beats and Pieces with this play-along video (1:49).
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Hi, everyone, it's Josh and Cat here from Kaboom Percussion. Let's play through Beats and Pieces.
CATHERINE BETTS
Starting with Section A, ready? 1, 2, here we go. Lap, clap, cross, cross, clap, lap, lap, clap. Cross, cross, clap. 2, 3, 4. Ready to split. Here we go. Clap, clap, chest, chest, lap, lap, lap.
Tika, tika, ti-ti, ti-ti, ta.
[CLAPPING RHYTHMICALLY]
Back to section A. 2, 3, 4. Now, split and change parts.
[CLAPPING RHYTHMICALLY]
Section A, nice and soft.
[CLAPPING SOFTLY]
2, 3.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Getting louder.
CATHERINE BETTS
4. Now, keep going. Getting a bit faster. 2.
JOSHUA WEBSTER
Even faster.
CATHERINE BETTS
3. Last one. And stop.
[End transcript]