Ewww! It's a fish! |
Playing Instruments is FUN!
Even the youngest students at MES get to play instruments. Many kindergartners see, hear, and play percussion instruments for the first time in music class. Two activities that introduce the instruments are "Old MacDonald Had a Band" and parades.
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Shake it, baby! |
These activities quickly become favorites. Students enjoy playing, singing, and marching; and they learn to wait for their instrument to be called.
The kindergarten students trade instruments to ensure that all students get to play every one. They listen to the other sounds while they wait to play their own instrument. |
Making Music Together |
Old MacDonald's Band
During "Old MacDonald Had a Band", students must wait until their turn to play. "And in his band, he had some maracas, E-I-E-I-O."
This is early training for ensemble playing. Sometimes instruments play alone. But if Old MacDonald has "everybody", then everyone plays together. What a sound! |
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Marching in a Parade
Children love a parade. They like music, marching, and fun. So, several times each year, we have a music class parade. When we have a parade, the children get a choice of instrument. Whatever they choose, they can march around the room to the sound of my snare drum. But when they hear the cymbal, everyone must stop.
I will tell them which instruments play next, but I don't name the instrument. Instead, I will give a basic description ("round", or "wooden", or "metal", or "rattles"). If they think their instrument fits that description, they can play. If not, they have to wait. This is good fun, but also a thinking exercise for them, as they learn shapes, colors, and other things about their instrument. Besides the musical learning in this activity, we work on sorting skills and following directions.
We take several opportunities throughout the year to have a parade in music class, as special days occur. |
Musical Opposites
Younger students also learn the basic concepts of music. Opposites such as high and low, fast and slow, loud and quiet, sound and no sound are some of the concepts we practice through a variety of activities. We stretch high and crouch low when we hear music playing in that register. We sing loud and quiet on different parts of a song. We sing songs that have fast and slow sections. We sing songs about falling leaves and growing flowers; and as we sing them, our hands fall like leaves or come up through the ground like flowers in the spring. |
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