KS1 Music: Sun, sea and song! 5: A sailor went to sea, sea, sea

BBC Teach > School Radio > Music > KS1: Sun, sea and song!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Medleys - Warm up - Audio

Focus

Fast and slow

You will need...

...to be familiar with the words and music of the song. To have hands, voices and instruments ready for the activities.

Before you start...

Talk about what has happened so far. Nigel and Suki were rowing out to Golden Island. They have now almost reached the island.

Tutorial: A sailor went to sea, sea, sea

Nigel and Suki arrive on Golden Island and follow the map to a cave. Should they go inside?

Practise singing ‘sea, sea, sea,’ very clearly with a strong ‘S’ sound.
Practise the ‘slow, slow, fast, fast, fast,’ clapping.
Practise the rowing actions in ‘Row, boys, row’. Do it in time to the music.
Spot how the second verse of ‘Row, boys, row’ is different to the first verse. Which words change?

Song: 'A sailor went to sea, sea, sea'

Learn with the vocal version of the song.

Then polish your performance with the backing track.

Download / print the song lyric sheet.

Download / print the song music sheet.

Sing with the vocal version of 'A sailor went to sea, sea, sea'

Sing with the backing track of 'A sailor went to sea, sea, sea'

Song: 'Row, boys, row'

Learn with the vocal version of the song.

Then polish your performance with the backing track.

Download / print the song lyric sheet.

Download / print the song music sheet.

Sing with the vocal version of 'Row, boys, row'

Sing with the backing track of 'Row, boys, row'

Activity: Singing in two groups

Focus: slow and fast rhythms

The children clap - hands together and then tap knees - a slow rhythm, then a fast one.
The fast rhythm is twice as fast as the slower one. Notice that the pulse still stays the same. All music has a pulse - like a steady heartbeat. With the presenter, the children alternate between fast and slow.

Story: The Golden Crab - Part 2

Audio with scrolling text

The Golden Crab has overcome all the challenges set by the King and Queen but they still do not want him engaged to their daughter.

The Crab tells Rose he is under a witch's spell...if he reveals who he really is in public something worse will follow.

Meanwhile the King and Queen organise another challenge - this time to determine the fastest horse rider in the land.

THE GOLDEN CRAB - PART 2

The day after Princess Rose and the Golden Crab were engaged to be married they were walking in the magic garden the crab had created, with fountains spouting silver, gold and diamonds.

It was evening and the last rays of the setting sun were just about to disappear.

‘Now I can show you who I really am,’ said the Golden Crab...except the crab was no longer a crab...

Rose rubbed her eyes in disbelief. The crab had turned into a handsome young man in a velvet cape and gold crown!

‘My name is Hans and I am the son of a great King,’ he said. ‘But one day, a wicked witch cast a spell on me. At sun rise, I turn into a crab - only at sunset do I become my real self again. The wicked witch did the same to my eleven brothers, who live in our palace, hidden in the forest.’

‘So you are a prince in disguise,’ cried Rose.

‘Yes - but you must promise not to tell anyone my secret,’ replied Hans. ‘The witch said that if anyone reveals who we truly are she will turn us into something even worse!’

‘I promise!’ said Rose.

From then on every evening after sunset Princess Rose and Prince Hans would spend an hour walking in the garden in secret and they’d share an apple from the tree.

The most beautiful looking of all the apples was right at the top.

‘It’s such a shame we can’t reach it,’ sighed Rose.

Inside his castle the King was starting to worry. ‘That Crab should have turned into a prince by now,’ he complained.

‘Well I did warn you,’ replied the Queen. ‘The worst thing is - I think she’s fallen in love with it’!

‘I have an idea,’ said the King. ‘Let’s hold a tournament tomorrow night - a horse race, to which we shall invite the most handsome princes in the land.’

‘And whoever wins can marry Rose in place of the crab!’ said the Queen. ‘Oh, I do hope it’s Prince Rupert!’

‘What shall we do?’ cried Rose later that day when she heard the news.

‘I’ll have to take part in the tournament and win it!’ replied the Golden Crab. ‘But I need your help. Take this golden rod and tap on the garden gate with it three times.’

Rose did as she was asked...and when she opened the gate, there stood the finest horse she had ever seen. Its mane was pure white and it was wearing a golden saddle.

As the sun set the following day the crowds were cheering as the princes rode their horses to the start line. But who was the mysterious young man on the white horse with the golden saddle, everyone wondered?

‘I am the Prince with No Name’, was all Hans would say.

‘I’m pleased the Golden Crab hasn’t turned up,’ whispered the King to the Queen.

And then they were off! Hans’s horse was much faster than the all the others.

‘I declare the Prince with No Name, the winner!’ cried the King, as he raced past the finishing line.

‘How can a Prince have no name?’ asked the Queen. ‘We don’t know anything about this stranger! I insist we have another competition tomorrow night. The Prince that gives Rose the most valuable gift will have her hand in marriage.’

‘Oh alright,’ sighed the King.

‘Shall I tap the gate three times again,’ Rose asked Hans when she told him of this new plan.

‘No,’ he replied. ‘I want tomorrow to be a surprise...’

The next evening, just after sunset, the princes came to the palace one by one to present Rose with their precious gifts. There was a ruby ring, a silver necklace and - most impressive of all - a treasure chest full of gold from Prince Rupert.

Finally it was Hans’ turn. He presented Rose with a perfect, red apple.

‘It’s from the very top of the tree,’ he said with a smile.

‘Prince Rupert wins!’ announced the Queen.

‘No’, cried Rose. ‘Prince Hans - my beautiful Golden Crab wins! This apple is the most precious gift I could ever receive!’

‘The Prince with No Name is the Crab!?’ shouted the Queen.

‘Oh, no!’ cried Rose.

In her excitement she had forgotten that she must never reveal the truth about Hans. She looked around for him...but he’d completely disappeared.

That night Rose cried her heart out. How could she have been so forgetful? What would the wicked witch do now? And - most important of all - where had Prince Hans gone?

Listening music: 'By the Sleepy Lagoon' (composed by Eric Coates, 1930)

Focus: dynamics (quiet) / tempo (slow)

What are the dynamics of the music? (It is quiet and calm.)
Is the music fast or slow? (It is slow and has a relaxed feel.)
What does it make the children think of? Ask them to listen again, then share their ideas. The music would be good to describe Golden Island!
Can the children imagine the sea lapping gently against the beach and the wind rustling softly in the trees?
This piece of music is called ‘By the Sleepy Lagoon.’ Explain that a lagoon is a sort of sea lake. Do the children think this is a good title for the piece?