Sing Up Music | Year 1 | Nautilus
Before you begin the unit
- Download the PowerPoint and enable content so the video/audio links work.
- Download the Listening map for the piece and familiarise yourself with its structure.
- Listen to the suggested pieces.
- Look through the unit content to get a feel for the activities.
- Gather all the resources that you will need.
About the music – Nautilus (for the teacher):
- Nautilus blends acoustic and electronic sounds. It is scored for tuba, cello, electric guitar, drum kit, keyboard, and synthesised sounds. See this film of Anna and her band performing the piece.
- A nautilus is a type of underwater mollusc. It is protected by a striped spiral shell, which is jet propelled through the water. It lives at depths of c.300m, rising to 100m at night to feed, mate, and lay eggs. Perhaps this giant, jet propelled sea creature can be heard in the music, rising upwards through the water to feed?
- Since appearing on Meredith’s debut EP Black Prince Fury, ‘Nautilus’ has been interpreted in a variety of ways. It has been featured in diverse contexts ranging from a Prada advertising campaign to a TV documentary about humpback whales. Tremble, a choreographed dance by Scottish Ballet, uses the piece as backdrop to a surreal dining experience, complete with dancing waiters, spinning plates and quivering jellies.
- Nautilus is open to many interpretations and offers a new and exciting sound world for children to become absorbed by.
NB: Before introducing the children to Meredith’s piece, warm up the children’s listening ears and bodies using the suggested warm-ups and focus building activities.