http://www.concentric.net/~Gamba/orchesinstruments.html
Sincerely,
David
Saphra
MIDI's
for Kiddies
----------
> From: David F. Saphra <gamba@concentric.net>
> To: musick8-talk@musick8.com <mk8list@musick8.com>
> Cc: musednet@cc.rochester.edu; music-ed@artsedge.kennedy-center.org;
sinor_kodaly@indiana.edu
> Subject: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
> Date: Thursday, March 30, 2000 5:24 PM
>
> Oh, Mighty Resource,
>
> I need some fast help - I feel like I just painted myself into a corner
by
> committing to presenting a 45 minute kindergarten lesson next Tuesday for
my
> annual formal observation that ..... I have little enthusiasm for at the
> moment.
>
> I somehow got talked into changing the (somewhat mediocre to begin with)
> plan I had started with into a lesson on sorting instruments by pictures
> into the four conventional categories - strings, brass, woodwinds and
> percussion. I only see the class once a week, and they really don't have
> enough background to pull this off with any certainty. But I'm told that
> whatever I told my administrator I was going to do at my pre-observation
> conference I'll have to stick with.
>
> At this point I'm planning on showing them examples from each category
and
> demonstrating how they are differentiated by the means of sound
production.
> I would show them a:
>
> guitar, violin, and (folk) harp
> recorder
> trumpet
> tambourine or whatever
>
> Originally I was just going to show them string instruments, but my staff
> developer and assistant principal (who's to observe me) felt it would be
> better to sort a wider variety of instruments out into families.
>
> Since it's a kindergarten group I wish I could come up with some more
ideas
> to actively engage them. At this moment the only thing I really have
going
> is a concentration type game where they flip the pictures of instruments
> over to match pairs. Although I'm requiring the kids to name the
instrument
> they reveal in order to get a chance to look for it's mate, there's
> otherwise not too much going on educationally in this activity even
though
> the students seem to like it. I guess it's a nice break from all the
> singing we usually do.
>
> At any rate, what I'm looking for are some easy lesson plan ideas that
will
> help a group of kindergarteners get a quick overview of how instruments
can
> be identified by families. I'll show how you play a guitar or harp with
> your fingers, a violin with a bow, but when you try to blow into a harp,
for
> example, it won't work very well. Same for the trumpet. I've got some
> extra mouthpieces, so I'll probably let a few children try blowing the
> trumpet after I show them the trick. Maybe I'll even bring in a cabasa
or
> some other percussion instrument that requires a special technique in
order
> to play.
>
> But mainly I need some whole group stuff that's going to keep everyone
> engaged, such as miming the playing of instruments. I'm not sure how
I'll
> be able to fit the whole thing with a sound rationale on paper either. I
> also need to keep reminding myself that the main goal here is to wend my
way
> through this observation with minimal trauma so that I can get to take my
> sabbatical in peace and perhaps become All the Teacher I Can Be at some
> later date. So if you've got any tidbits to offer, please float them
over
> my way. Muchas grácias, señores.
>
> Yours,
> Dave-in-da-Bronx
> http://www.concentric.net/~Gamba/taketest.html
> I LIKE TO TAKE A TEST song
> (But that doesn't include formal observations, of course!)
>
>
----------
From: Denise Gagne <tvmusic@telusplanet.net>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Mon, Apr 3, 2000, 7:46 PM
Hi David: You mentioned a song - I've got a couple suggestions for you.
I am a fine musician - traditional German (adapted words)
* mime playing instruments
Adapt a known song to use families of instruments:
Have four families of instruments out for children to play:
Sing 'Where is thumbkin', substituting the words:
Where are the woods?
When they sing 'here we are' they play along
etc.
If you're happy and you know it play the woods....
I do a rondo lesson with grade 1/2 using a little song I made up. The song
is the theme, and in between each theme, small groups of instruments play a
student created rhythm pattern.
Song goes:
I like to play the instruments, I play them every day
And when I play the instruments, this is what I play
Melody:
s mm ms mm ms ff fs m
s mm ms mm m ss ss d
If you can't figure it out from this, let me know and I'll fax you a copy.
I liked the guessing game idea with instruments behind the piano. That's
one I'll try next week!
----------
From: Paul May <pmay@bellsouth.net>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Mon, Apr 3, 2000, 6:22 PM
I am sorry this is probably not in time, but here goes anyway. Can you
change the way you sort to a more age appropriate collection (telling your
supervisor that this is preparation for sorting into the "conventional"
families in first grade). Example, things you blow (woodwind and brass)
things with strings (string) and things you hit, shake, or scrape
(percussion) I find that the woodwind and brass distinction for the young
ones makes no since. They don't understand why the flute is made of metal
and it is a woodwind. The black instruments could be painted wood to them
so it is OK. They also have wood in their mouthpieces but the flute does
not. They will want to put it into the brass family. If you must go the 4
families you might go the buzzing lips is brass direction and all others are
woodwind (the kids will want to be tied to the words wood and brass). Would
your supervisor be as impressed with a division of instruments within the
percussion family. You could talk about the vibrations and how they are
produced. (Vibration is in a K or 1st grade science unit) Let them make the
sounds, feel the vibrations, see the vibrations (dip the triangle in a bowl
of water, sand on the drum head, low strings vibrate enough that they can be
seen.) Good luck. Susan May Alpharetta, Ga.
----------
From: Daniel_J._Fee@fonddulac.k12.wi.us (Daniel J. Fee)
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Mon, Apr 3, 2000, 4:31 PM
as long as you're stuck with this lesson, you may want to start (OK -
you've probably thought of this already) by having them talk about about
things in their own families that are the same. (name, eye color, live in
the same house - maybe!) Then spread out to families of inst. They might
see some similarities.
You could give each kid a poster of an inst and then move to a pre-set
spot in the room for inst in his/.her family.
Don't know what else to say., This is a tough one for kind. And if
you're kindergartens are like mine this year - all three are the worst
I've ever worked with - it'll be a stretch. Good Luck!!
Dan
----------
From: Jodi Bohr <jbohr@ga.k12.pa.us>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Mon, Apr 3, 2000, 1:38 PM
Dear David:
If it is possible, arrange to show the students the inside of a piano. You
can show them the different lengths of strings and have them find the
higher sounds/ lower sounds. This transfers nicely into sizes of
instruments and the sounds of their voices. It also makes a great basis
for a discussion of why the piano is a percussion instrument and not a
member of the string family. This works with the bars on the Orff
instruments, too, but young children love to look inside the piano.
Peter and the Wolf is one of my favorite examples of of the sounds of some
of the instruments, and if you can find the Disney version of the movie it
is only 12 minutes or so long - be sure to pass the preview part. I keep
the instrument pictures out so that they can refer back to them while they
watch - the chalk tray is a great place to put the if it is handy.
The song "The Angel Band" is fun with this age, and if you have ten
instruments you can have one child hold each one and play it during the "B"
section of the song. Even if you have 30 students it only takes 3 times
through the song for everyone to have a turn to play. If angels and Sunday
are problematic in your school, try "drummers" or "children" instead of
angels and pick a different day of the week.
Echo singing with the recorder is good also - for some children this is a
great thing because of the pure sound of the recorder - some of my older
students find it easier to match the sound of the recorder than the sound
of another voice.
If you have enough instrument pictures,each child can have one picture and
they can arrange themselves into families and explain why the instruments
belong together after you have explained it to them. You could arrange
them in orchestra or band order. Don't forget about electronic instruments
- those are the ones with which they will be most familiar from the radio,
and they are a family of their own, whether we like them or not.
Having older students who play the instruments come to visit is often fun -
they can demonstrate one family at a time and it is good for both groups.
If you have private teachers or a band teacher available, now is the time
to collaborate.
Good luck - I hope you find some of this helpful!
I'm anxious to hear how it goes!
Sincerely,
Jodi Bohr
Primary Music
Germantown Academy
Fort Washington, PA
http://www.ga.k12.pa.us
jbohr@ga.k12.pa.us
~----------
From: <VickiRP@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Sun, Apr 2, 2000, 8:04 PM
How about Peter and the Wolf?? I use it to teach the sounds the instruments
make - and of course which character is identified by each sound (Peter =
strings, etc.) The kids love the story. The Leonard Bernstein version gives
a great introduction of the characters and the instruments - you might want
to do the intro yourself and play the sound portion only! Then you can
introduce the pictures and the games. Let us know how it turns out! Good
luck!
----------
From: "Martha Osborne" <osbornem@prodigy.net>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Sun, Apr 2, 2000, 7:06 PM
Perhaps you could do what is developmentally appropriate as an INTRODUCTION
to instrument families, and give your supervisor an outline of where it
leads, ultimately to understanding the 4 inst families and being able to
place instruments in the correct categoty. My principal loves to hear where
I am going AFTER the observed lesson. Hope this helps. Martha
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Andriesse" <andriesse@freewwweb.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Sun, Apr 2, 2000, 2:21 PM
Hello David,
Try reading a story about the families to them. It will solidify the names
of the instruments and keep them engaged. I suggest "Zin, Zin, Zin a Violin"
or "What Instrument is This". Show them one instrument from each family
because more will just confuse them. Stick to the big differences between
the families. All the strings have strings, all the pecussion are played by
hitting one thing against another, all the keyboards have the same
distinctive pattern, all the woodwinds cover holes, and all the brasses are
played by buzzing the lips (and are made of brass). I'll tell you right now,
kids of all ages love making that lip buzzing noise! Most photographs of the
instruments are color coded. The truth is any kindergartener that sorts
instruments will do it by the color in the background. Bring in an example
from each family and play for them. They don't care if you sound terrible
because you can still play it better than they can. Try to play the sound of
each family so they can hear them while they see them. Pick a different
letter sound for each instrument. For example, z for brass, v for strings,
oo for woodwinds and k for percussion. Have the kids imitate the sound using
a letter sound or some other imitative sound. Have them write a song using
only these letters and perform it. If I were you, I would stick with only
one family and teach it for only five minutes;then move on. Your supervisor
should be more impressed that you realized all four were too much than how
well you stuck to your original plan. It is much better to adapt to the kids
than to adapt to your supervisor.
Good luck.
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Newman <cnewman@softhome.net>
To: Deborah Pratt <music4kids@2-life.com>, gambe@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Sun, Apr 2, 2000, 2:53 AM
Maybe play "Witchety Jamboree" but with pictures representing the four
groups placed in each corner of the room and play a recording of each
instrument instead of singing a colour. You could modify the words to
suit but "colour" still makes sense and maybe you could explain the term
"sound colour" to the kids if you think they'll catch on.
Chris Newman
----------
From: <Jgsbass@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Sat, Apr 1, 2000, 12:00 PM
Dave
You could also sing Grandpa's Band Instead of Grandpa's Farm and make the
kids do instrument sounds
----------
From: Cherie Bligh <cbligh@pluggers.esu8.k12.ne.us>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 3:12 AM
Hi Dave,
How about having the children learn a sound they can make with their
voices as they pretend to play the instruments then create a band or
orchestra with the different sounds. It will be noisy but fun! Then
you can bring in the idea that music is organized sound. Have each
student be different instruments. Maybe take the matching cards you
were going to use and have them select which instrument they will be so
that you don't have the problem of all wanting to be brass because they
get to make a funny buzzing sound. Seat the children in their
respective section or family. And have them pretend to play Twinkle
Twinkle Little star or something like that. I seem to be on a roll and
may use this idea myself thanks for the idea.
Just one question, if these people observing you are educators what
makes them think you can keep a class of kindergarteners on task and
learning for 45 minutes? I find 30 too much sometimes and 20 ideal if I
can see them 4 times a week. They remember shorter lessons.
Let me know how the lesson goes and what you end up doing. Cherie
----------
From: <EBardekova@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Sat, Apr 1, 2000, 3:22 AM
Play a record of a symphony and teach them to recognize the different
instruments in addition to the pictures.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: <IM4XMOM@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 20:35:33 EST
David,
How about making a ton of flashcards (xeroxing pictures of the instruments
and glueing onto heavy paper or oaktag), putting the kids into pairs or
groups, and having them sort the cards into instrument families. You would
need quite a few sets of cards to do this. You could have teams, and time
them to see who can separate them faster.You could work in some vocabulary
and reading by giving each kid a picture card and then holding up a card with
the family name printed on it, and if they are holding that family card they
have to stand up. You could have each group imitate how their instrument is
played.
Hope some of these ideas help! good luck!
Ann in Boston
im4xmom@aol.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Judith A Schneider <judyschneider@juno.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 9:00 PM
OK David -
Do you remember the old
Orchestra Song?
1. "The violin's ringing, like lovely singing the violin's ringing like
lovely song?
2. The clarinet, the clarinet makes doodle, doodle doodle det :ll
3. The horn, the horn awakes me at morn :ll
4. The tympani's 2 tones are always the same tone 5 1 1 5 5555 1.
Easy tunes - one for each family.
Then there's the good old 4 corners game.
Get out your big Bowmar posters - put one family poster in each corner of
your room.
While you close your eyes, the kids stand under one of the families.
You display one of the rest of the cards from your stack, and everyone
standing in the corner with that family has to sit down.
The others must move to a different corner when you close your eyes
again. I usually sing one of the verses
to give the kids a specific amount of time to move.
Game continues till there's only one left standing.
(Make them tell you what family each instrument is in when you show it.
It's easy with the Bowmar pictures, cause they are all color coded.)
Have fun and good luck with your evaluation.
Judy
----------
From: <SueRS@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net, music-for-children@lists.realminfo.com
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 7:36 PM
David,
I think I'd start by sorting unpitched classroom instruments by their sound,
let the kids play something on them as you point to the category "pictures"
for drums, woods, metals, and scrapers/shakers. Then go to the idea of
categories, introduce the categories for the four orchestral families, then
hold up picture of the instruments one at a time, and let the kids tell a
partner which family pile they should be placed in. Then you place the
picture, and they congratulate each other if they "guessed" the right one.
This would be an introductory lesson on categorizing instruments, starting
with what they know. At your post lesson conference you could tell the
observer that now the kids would need lots of chances to practice this
sorting skill visually, aurally, and kinesthetically until they had
assimilated the idea. Especially you would want to make the point that there
is no reason for the kids to sort pictures if they have no idea what the
sounds are like, and that you will be working on this over the next series of
lessons - helping them match the sound to the image.
Just an idea - hope it helps?
Sue Snyder
----------
From: <MTurner88@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 6:00 PM
Hi Dave-in-de-Bronx,
I'm not sure how many hand percussion you have access to, but for tonal
discrimination you could simply limit your discussion to metals, woods and
skins. My kindergarteners love to guess the sound in a mystery box or behind
a screen. It could be as specific as naming the exact instrument or by
category. I have also used the rhyme "Little Bo Peep" as a take off for
"finding these hidden instruments."
To link this to movement, assign a direction to each one for a group of
children to walk to, perhaps forward for metal, backward for wood and stop
for skin.
The recording of Carnival of the Animals could also be a handy sound source
for the different family groups or Handel's Hornpipe which is somewhat
antiphonal between the woodwinds, string and brass.
I don't know if this is anything like you were hoping for. Good luck.
Sabbatical is only two and a half months away.
Michelle Turner, P.S. 36, District 8-in-de-Bronx.
----------
From: "Kay Lovingood" <kaylov@csranet.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 5:59 PM
Dave,
My suggestion won't sort the instruments into families, but it will
familiarize the kids with the names of those families:
Four Corners
The object is to get everyone "out"; the last remaining person will be the
new IT.
Put a poster of an instrument family in each corner of your room. Name the
families for the kids, explaining briefly how they got those names. Choose
an IT, who will be blindfolded. (I usually choose the line leader, unless I
see a birthday ribbon.)
As the blindfolded IT counts slowly to 10, the other kids move quietly into
corners. They must be in a corner by the end of the count, and can't move
after that.
IT names an instrument family. The kids who are in that corner must sit in
the middle of the room. IT counts again and calls again.
NOTE: When four or fewer kids remain, you say "separate corners", after
which, there can be only one kid per corner. (Otherwise, you run the risk
of getting them all out, with no one left to be the new IT.)
If you need clarification, let me know before Sunday; aftwer that I'll be
out of town for a week.
Kay
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Theresa Auld" <tauld@mail.sctboces.org>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 11:37:42 -0500
Gee...to me, sorting and matching are math skills, perfect for the grade level you indicated...This could be part of your rationale you are looking for. It'll give you a few brownie points with admin, as well if you show you are integrating math skills with music. GOOD LUCK!!!
Theresa Auld
Elmira, NY
tauld@mail.sctboces.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: ]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Stephanie" <panzicas99@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 09:00:28 -0800 (PST)
Instrument lesson ideas:
1. play a game where children hide their eyes and you
take one instrument away, They have to guess which is
missing (using the correct name). On the next round
let one of the children come forward and name all 4
(or however many you use). That child gets to remove
an instrument for the class to guess. Whomever guesses
right becomes the next child to remove an instrument.
2. Have several instruments or pictures of instruments
and do a "which one doesn't belong" game. They would
need to tell you why their choice doesn't belong (3
have strings, 4th one you blow, etc.) Even if you use
only non-pitched percussion you could play this: 3 you
strike, 4th one you scratch, etc.
3. Make cards with pictures of instruments, 2 of each.
Give out the cards randomly and when you say "go" the
kids have to find who has a picture that matches
theirs. Each pair of students then has to say
something about their instrument (it's name, or how
you make the sound, or what it's made of, the family
it belongs to, etc.)
=====
Stephanie
panzicas99@yahoo.com
__________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------------------------
End of mk8list Digest
----------
From: Joan Riley <joan_riley@educ8.org>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 3:14 PM
After reading several of the replys, I feel I would also like to add my "2
cents worth". I agree with Pam that limiting it to categories of shakers,
etc. would be more age appropriate, so the game I'm sending you would also
work with just percussion, or with all instruments. (One of my student
teachers came up with this one a few years ago!)
You would need a category mat as in one of the other games, and
instruments, or pictures of those instruments to put on the mat. The song
with it goes somewhat like this: S M D S M D D R R M F
M
Musicians, musicians, what are you going to do?
S M D S M D D R M R D
Your instrument was taken, but taken by whom?
While the song is sung, 4 students sit in chairs in the front of the room,
facing away from the rest of the class. Under their chairs are instruments
(or the pictures of them). 4 thieves are chosen by the teacher during the
song, and they come take the instrument from underneath their chair. When
the song is done, the thief & the musician from that chair decide together
which mat (or family) the instrument belongs in.
I usually play the above game after we have spent time with this rhyme ( I
believe by Marilyn Davidson): "Listen to the music, my own kind of music,
listen to the music my mouth makes now". Usually here, I improvise a few
mouth percussion sounds, followed by this rhyme: "Make yourself some
music, your own kind of music, make yourself some music with your mouth
right now."
This usually brings on a discussion about the different sounds we can make,
and how our body is also a Percussion instrument. We usually follow this
up with doing the same thing with the categories of shakers, scrapers etc.
First I play, then those with shakers or whatever I had echo my rhythm,
then improvise their own.
I think this could somehow be combined with Pam's lesson to provide 45 minutes!
Joan Riley
Bismarck, ND
----------
From: "Romanoski, Kate" <KRomanoski@pshouston.org>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: RE: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 11:36 AM
David,
I'm an art teacher not a music teacher - but an idea ( I did forward
your message to our music teacher) - Why don't you give each of the
children an instrument to act out vocally and physically (i.e. one tune/
sound for the strings, one for percusion, etc.) Then ask them to stand in
their instrument section and "play" their instruments, while you conduct.
They can play as solo sections first and the other children can identify
that sound as strings/ etc. - then try it as a complete orchestra. Other
children could get to be the conductor and experiment with making music by
instrument section, the symphony would change depending on which instruments
were playing when. You could discuss how each instrument is special in its
own right and as a part of the whole. A thought.
Katie Romanoski
-----Original Message-----
----------
From: "Cordell, Harry" <hcordell@sp.princeton.k12.oh.us>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>, "'Pam Stover'" <pstover@MAIL.CLARION.EDU>
Subject: RE: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 11:27 AM
I don't know if you are familiar with THE SOUND HOUSE GAME but it is a
wonderful way to teach tone color.
I introduce 5 or 6 percussion instruments to the children. They play
them, listen to the sounds and we talk about how they were made and even
discuss their ethnic background, when appropriate. (integrating
curriculum you see) I then have them place them behind the piano and
one at a time a child goes back, picks up the instrument and plays it
without anyone seeing it. The children listen and raise their hand to
name the instrument and the country from which it comes. The person who
names it correctly then goes back and has their turn.
It is a wonderful way to develop great listening techniques, identity
tone color and learn about the perscussion family. hc
----------
From: <Spw212@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 11:26 AM
Hi!
Off the top of my head, there's a wonderful song, found in many Early
Childhood grade books, called "I am a Gay Musician" which is adaptable for
many instrument enactings.
What about accompanying "If I Had a Hammer" changing the words appropriately.
There's always listening to and discussing "Peter and the Wolf."
Now I'll start to think.
Good Luck.
Sheila
----------
From: Deborah Pratt <music4kids@2-life.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 11:25 AM
How about finding some short excerpts of music from each category, each
one invoking a different type of movement, and inviting the class to
move to it?
--
Deborah Pratt
music4kids@2-life.com
Music4Kids Studio Website: http://www.2-life.com/music4kids
Music Education for Young Children website:
http://www.2-life.com/meyc
----------
From: <Marilyn497@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:46 AM
This is a worthy idea, but perhaps too complicated for kindergarten (or even
older children) in the time you've got. Just pare it back and practice with
other grade levels before your demo date is my advice. Have you ever seen
the old cartoon. "Toot! Whistle! Plunk! and Boom!"? You might think about
using those four terms and perhaps making up a little rhyme the kids could
say. For example:
Toot! Whistle! Plunk! and Boom!
Look at the instruments in this room!
Toot! Whistle! Plunk! and Boom!
How do you play each one?
Then categorize four or five classroom instruments in this way, ending with
their taking turns playing on the appropriate word as you say the rhyme and
finally
introducing briefly the traditional names of the families and showing them
pictures of each. Marilyn Davidson
----------
From: DIANE FORSTER <MDFORSTER@bvmcong.org>
To: "'David F. Saphra'" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: RE: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:44 AM
David,
Try:
1. Miming instruments with recorded music. Something short and clear, or
several short pieces. Britten's longish one comes to mind. Title escapes
me, but it might be as straightforward as "Instruments of the Orchestra."
I know there are others.
2. Do you have any large cardboard cutouts (size of actual instrument)
they can hold to mime? I used to have some cheap inflatables of guitar and
woodwinds that kids really enjoyed. (Really gaudy colors.)
3. Kids would love to be/mime a marching band.
4. Listening responses as simple as stand up/sit down to ID instruments in
recorded music, or ID your miming, or ID another student's miming.
5. I think I would include a few tempo and dynamics awareness items. 45
min is a Looooooong time.
Actually, this sounds like a pretty advanced lesson for Kdg. Best wishes.
Diane Forster
-----Original Message-----
----------
From: "Rand, Cindy" <CindyR@lee.k12.fl.us>
To: "'David F. Saphra'" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: RE: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:27 AM
How about Music family 4 corners - Use your concentration cards but assign
a family group to each corner. When the students draws a card and the rest
of the class has to go to the corner that matches the instrument family.
The first one to the right corner is the next student to choose a card.
The individueal students can still name the instrument and try to find the
matching card. You can change, create or adapt it to almost any need. I
like it because it involves the whole group and they get to move around
which is always a hit with my little ones.
Good luck!
Cindy Rand
Ft. Myers, Florida
> ----------
----------
From: "Karen E. Loss" <keloss@erols.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:25 AM
Dave,
I know this idea will not be too exciting, but when I had long
kindergarten classes years ago and was teaching instrument families, I
spent a portion of time having them color handouts of instrument
drawings (by family group). On the back, I would have them copy down
the names of the instruments from the printed spellings I would put on
the board. I used a class quiz of sorts to do this -- point to the
instrument in the picture, name it, print it, color it, etc.
If you have any short stories like "Tommy Tuba" or some such, that might
also be useful. As you know, 45 minutes is an awfully long time for
5-year-olds to maintain their attention on one subject, so I tried to
include quite a variety of genre (auditory musical concepts, visual
artistic stuff, prose -- I almost always used a short story with
pictures, singing, etc.).
Good luck.
Karen
----------
From: "Lori Hooten" <lhooten@mckinneyisd.net>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:14 AM
Dear David,
I have some ideas that you can take or leave. I am currently working with
1st grade on grouping instruments by families. One of my favorite
activities is to take big posters of each orchestral instrument family and
split the class into 4 groups. Each group gets one poster and they answer
the following questions:
1 - What are 3 things that are the same about these instruments?
2 - What are 3 things that are different about these instruments?
3 - How does it look like you make a sound on these instruments?
Then each group presents to the rest of the class; that way peer teaching
is going on.
Another thing I have recently found that has worked well with several grade
levels (I have k - 5) is instrument websites, especially those focused on
orchestral instruments. They break them up by families. Some good ones:
http://www.playmusic.org/stage.html
http://www.newyorkphilharmonic.org/fs_main.htm
http://DataDragon.com/education/
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/MHN/enclpdia.html
I also like to use a lot of recordings when the students are younger that
are typical of each family. Vivaldi for strings, Canadian Brass for brass,
etc. etc. The sounds as a whole are fairly easy for them to pick out if
they have pictures to look at while categorizing the sounds.
I have some other ideas that are not popping to mind at this moment but
might come to me later. I will keep your message around and let you know
if something comes to me later in the day.
Feel free to contact me for questions. I would also love to have copies of
anything else people send to you, as I am constantly adding to my
repertoire of tricks for teaching. Thanks and good luck.
Lori Hooten
Music Specialist
McKinney ISD, TX
----------
From: "Lori Hooten" <lhooten@mckinneyisd.net>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:14 AM
Dear David,
I have some ideas that you can take or leave. I am currently working with
1st grade on grouping instruments by families. One of my favorite
activities is to take big posters of each orchestral instrument family and
split the class into 4 groups. Each group gets one poster and they answer
the following questions:
1 - What are 3 things that are the same about these instruments?
2 - What are 3 things that are different about these instruments?
3 - How does it look like you make a sound on these instruments?
Then each group presents to the rest of the class; that way peer teaching
is going on.
Another thing I have recently found that has worked well with several grade
levels (I have k - 5) is instrument websites, especially those focused on
orchestral instruments. They break them up by families. Some good ones:
http://www.playmusic.org/stage.html
http://www.newyorkphilharmonic.org/fs_main.htm
http://DataDragon.com/education/
I also like to use a lot of recordings when the students are younger that
are typical of each family. Vivaldi for strings, Canadian Brass for brass,
etc. etc. The sounds as a whole are fairly easy for them to pick out if
they have pictures to look at while categorizing the sounds.
I have some other ideas that are not popping to mind at this moment but
might come to me later. I will keep your message around and let you know
if something comes to me later in the day.
Feel free to contact me for questions. I would also love to have copies of
anything else people send to you, as I am constantly adding to my
repertoire of tricks for teaching. Thanks and good luck.
Lori Hooten
Music Specialist
McKinney ISD, TX
----------
From: "Susan B. Cavin" <scavin@york.k12.sc.us>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: 2nd Note
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:12 AM
Maybe you could make a large puzzle with all of the instruments pictured
to put together at the end of class. Or have the students group
themselves in to orchestra families by the picture cards they are
holding. And then share the members in that famaily by name. Realize
that there will be some confusion and that it is your handling of their
learning and behavior that will be considered in the observation. Not
their perfection of answers. Susan
----------
From: "Susan B. Cavin" <scavin@york.k12.sc.us>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Kinder class
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 10:08 AM
What are your district goals as far as K is concerned. In our first
grade books Mac/Mac/Hill in SC a lesson on different percussion
groupings would be appropriate. Shakers, Struck, Woods, Metals......
Trying to do al 4 orchestra groupings and throwing in folk instruments
as well would be a bit much for one lesson. Unless you had done
preparation with each group separately in the earlier weeks.
Try to narrow down your focus to one group and identify the
characteristics of that group and apply them to specific insturments.
I hope this quickie makes sense and that maybe you can adapt and use
some of it. Susan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Julie Perham" <jperham@azstarnet.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 19:40:31 -0700
Hi Dave-
I don't know if this is at all what you're looking for, but......
I often do a lesson where I give the children a set of instrument cards and
then ask THEM to classify them. Then they tell why they group them the way
they do. Then, I talk about traditional orchestra families, etc. It may be
too hard for K, but maybe you could modify. Contact me at
jperham@azstarnet.com if you have questions.
Juli from Tucson
-----Original Message-----
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: RE: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Kotche, Joni" <jkotche@d13.dupage.k12.il.us>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 20:41:13 -0600 (CST)
Dave in da Bronx wrote:>
>I somehow got talked into changing the (somewhat mediocre to begin
with)
>plan I had started with into a lesson on sorting instruments by
pictures
>into the four conventional categories - strings, brass, woodwinds
and
>percussion
Dave,
Here's my suggestion:
Strings; have strings on them (focus on violin and harp)
Brass; you blow into them and push valves (call them buttons)
Woodwinds; you blow into them and push keys
Percussion; you shake them or hit them with hands or sticks
Then, focus on percussion...this is the group that the children
will like the most. Have them make their own percussion
instruments...have lots of different materials for the children and
see what they can figure out to do...for example, have some
margarine tubs with rice in them (with the cover taped on), have
several rhythms sticks, use popsicle sticks, tambourines, wood
blocks and mallets (if you have them), maracas, hand drum, etc.
If you don't have these articles, then see what they can do with
just the desktop and their hands or elbows.
Kindergartners (for the most part) aren't going to care or
understand about all the different instruments. If you focus the
beginning of your lesson on the four families (btw, do you have any
instrument posters by Bowman or others? Put them on the board with
magnets or whatever) then you can concentrate on making percussion
music. Choose a couple of songs that are familiar and have strong,
steady beats. Let the children experiment with clapping, stamping,
tapping the desk...then give them the materials/instruments to try.
Have a parade. Choose a song that has a march beat and parade
throughout the room with their instruments. Got any cymbals?
Children LOVE cymbals...
Hope this helps.
Joni in IL
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Brian J. Hopkins" <ride8294@ride.ri.net>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 4:33 AM
How about color coding a chart of the typical orchestral seating
arrangement? I know it sounds like alot of thinking on their part but at
least they can get more of a visual. This could allow you to have several
group activities at one time. Have a picture handy so they (the K students)
can place the pictures roughly where they belong. You may as well get two
birds with one stone. I find tactile and visual are very successfull at
this age. Good luck on your observation.
Brian Hopkins
Music Specialist
Providence Street School, WWSD
Mail to: ride8294@ride.ri.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Julie Perham" <jperham@azstarnet.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 19:40:31 -0700
Hi Dave-
I don't know if this is at all what you're looking for, but......
I often do a lesson where I give the children a set of instrument cards and
then ask THEM to classify them. Then they tell why they group them the way
they do. Then, I talk about traditional orchestra families, etc. It may be
too hard for K, but maybe you could modify. Contact me at
jperham@azstarnet.com if you have questions.
Juli from Tucson
-----Original Message-----
From: David F. Saphra <gamba@concentric.net>
To: musick8-talk@musick8.com <mk8list@musick8.com>
Cc: musednet@cc.rochester.edu <musednet@cc.rochester.edu>;
music-ed@artsedge.kennedy-center.org <music-ed@artsedge.kennedy-center.org>;
sinor_kodaly@indiana.edu <sinor_kodaly@indiana.edu>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: RE: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Kotche, Joni" <jkotche@d13.dupage.k12.il.us>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 20:41:13 -0600 (CST)
Dave in da Bronx wrote:>
>I somehow got talked into changing the (somewhat mediocre to begin
with)
>plan I had started with into a lesson on sorting instruments by
pictures
>into the four conventional categories - strings, brass, woodwinds
and
>percussion
Dave,
Here's my suggestion:
Strings; have strings on them (focus on violin and harp)
Brass; you blow into them and push valves (call them buttons)
Woodwinds; you blow into them and push keys
Percussion; you shake them or hit them with hands or sticks
Then, focus on percussion...this is the group that the children
will like the most. Have them make their own percussion
instruments...have lots of different materials for the children and
see what they can figure out to do...for example, have some
margarine tubs with rice in them (with the cover taped on), have
several rhythms sticks, use popsicle sticks, tambourines, wood
blocks and mallets (if you have them), maracas, hand drum, etc.
If you don't have these articles, then see what they can do with
just the desktop and their hands or elbows.
Kindergartners (for the most part) aren't going to care or
understand about all the different instruments. If you focus the
beginning of your lesson on the four families (btw, do you have any
instrument posters by Bowman or others? Put them on the board with
magnets or whatever) then you can concentrate on making percussion
music. Choose a couple of songs that are familiar and have strong,
steady beats. Let the children experiment with clapping, stamping,
tapping the desk...then give them the materials/instruments to try.
Have a parade. Choose a song that has a march beat and parade
throughout the room with their instruments. Got any cymbals?
Children LOVE cymbals...
Hope this helps.
Joni in IL
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Kathleen Bragle" <kbragle@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 02:50:46 PST
right about this time every year, our fifth graders do "demonstrations" in
the younger grades in our school. The kids are responsible for going to the
classroom teacher, arranging a time, planning what exactly they will play
and say and set a time limit. Believe me they are VERY proud of themselves
and the little ones are are all eyes AND ears!
Kathleen
>From:
TDA108@aol.com
>Reply-To: "musick8-talk@musick8.com"
<mk8list@musick8.com>
>To: mk8list@musick8.com
>Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument
Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
>Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 20:54:04
EST
>
>After you play the instruments, have the children listen to recording
and see
>if they can play "name that instrument".
>
>Also, maybe you could
invite some 4th or 5th graders who play trumpet,
>violin, or whatever
instrument to come to your music period and have them
>play alittle. Just
adds some "spice" to what will be an already brillant
>performance. I'm
doing this with Peter and the Wolf in a week or two with my
>1st grade.
Good
luck!
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: <AllmanSipe@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 7:25 AM
Hey Dave,
Relax! You're not going to get fired...you would already know if that were
about to happen. Just be positive and enthusiatic, remember you're not
teaching at Juillard, and enjoy the lesson with the students.
Hope it goes well for all involved.
Best regards,
Len Allman
----------
From: "Hal&Mary Prather" <hmprather@mindspring.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: RE: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 7:05 AM
What about the book "Orchestranimals"? It is very cute and keeps
Kindergarteners involved in a lesson about the instruments. The book "Zin,
Zin, Zin" a violion is cute for instrument reinforcement, as well.... that
one is a Caldecott Award winner. And...... you will be incorporating
reading into your music lesson!
Just a thought.
Mary Prather, Gwinnett County Schools (Atlanta, GA)
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-musednet@ats.rochester.edu
[mailto:owner-musednet@ats.rochester.edu]On Behalf Of David F. Saphra
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 6:25 PM
To: musick8-talk@musick8.com
Cc: musednet@cc.rochester.edu; music-ed@artsedge.kennedy-center.org;
sinor_kodaly@indiana.edu
Subject: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
----------
From: <RTrio@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 2:50 AM
Dear Dave,
I would relate the different timbres to percussion intruments that you
have. Woods ( sticks) Metals ( Jingles, triangles, etc.) and Skins
( if you don't have drums- I have used empty coffee cans with the plastic
lids beat with rhythm sticks)
I would have them play the rhythm of the words to a familiar rhyme~
and let them play it first all together ( tutti) Then have each timbre play
one line (or phrase) and notice how it sounds different in each timbre. That
is why there are different instruments.
I hope this gives you something to play around with.
Tari
----------
From: Meg de Mougin <spirit@iquest.net>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 1:55 AM
If you can just do percussion....I suggest that you give each child a
percussion instrument. After a brief demo on how to hold and play (assuming
they have had no experience) ask them to slowly walk around the room
QUIETLY playing their instruments. Their goal is to find instruments that
are played in a similar way. When they find a similar one..they should walk
together to find others.
They should be able to sort them selves into groups of shakers, membranes,
etc. Once sorted you can have a brief discussion of the types and science
of sound.
Then have the children create a simple sound map.using stickers or die cut
shapes top notate a piece that they can remember and play. There are many
examples in Music for children American edition (preschool and primary
volumes) if you are not familar with the process.
You might also do "reading cards". Make 4-6 pictures of any subject. The
children "read" the pictures to create an ostinato. I copied the following
from a workshop I recently presented. Maybe it will help you understand
what I'm trying to say. You might make the pictures of instruments of the
Orchestra. So they read rhythmically, violin, clarinet, french horn, drum.
Do this with enough photos and they will know them, plus be rading rhythms!
Reading Pictures
Purpose: This activity improves rhythmic improvisation, vocabulary
enrichment, enunciation, experience with fluid midline crossing.
Position: Normal classroom setting
Equipment: Today we will use INSECT pictures! Picture Cards (coloring
books are a good source). Use a variety of pictures to create a rhythmic
improvisation. Subject matter of the cards can vary with the age of the
children. Young children can learn colors, animal names, holiday items,
phonic sounds, etc.. Older children can learn geography, authors,
presidents, composers, species of flowers and animals, etc. Collaborate
with the classroom teachers for subjects the children need to learn. When
the teachers learn how quickly children retain through rhythmic memory,
they may even try it on their time!
Procedure: Choose one child to sit in front of the cards. The child should
point to each card as the children read the rhythmic sequence. Always read
from left to right and back. Insist that the child who is "teacher" sit
exactly in the middle of the card sequence so that they may experience
fluid midline crossing. Smooth tracking with arms and eyes will insure that
the children will have no trouble reading and writing due to midline
problems.
Extension and Exploration: Add opportunities to read the rhythmic notation.
Introduce without notation. Gradually add notation. Finally match notation
to pictures, and write notation. Display two sequence sets to the children.
Clap, play, or patch one set instructing the children to select the one
played.
Assessment: Allow time for the children to discuss which rhythmic
arrangement was most pleasing and musical. Stimulate discussion with
leading questions. Example: Which arrangement was most pleasing? Why did
you like it best? Which arrangement was easiest to remember? Why do you
think it was easiest? Which arrangement was most challenging? Why?
If you do need to do all instruments..try creating a sound map for the
children to follow on a chart or overhaed using Young People's Guide to the
Orchestra or Carnival of the Animals.
You might also dig out that old song...can't remember all the titles, but
it's in all the old music series. The clarinet, the clarinet goes doodle,
doodle, doodle, det,,,The violins singing etc.
Make mini posters for each instrument (several of each). Have the children
holding that instrument poster stand and improvise a simple movement as it
is sung by the others. This is not exactly the best range for traditional
Orff kindergarten, but it will keep them involved.
Hope this helps a little.
----------
From: Heather McLaughlin <hmclaughlin@senri.ed.jp>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: RE: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 1:55 AM
Dave,
Can`t you include the instrument identification as only part of the lesson
and do some more active music-making for the rest of the session which you
feel more confident about?
With the instruments, I get a lot of mileage out of doing a `demonstration`
(e.g. showing different sizes of recorders, or violin) and having the
children just do beat actions while I play. The next step is getting a
couple of kids out the front of the group to play the beat on tambourines
along with me, then swap them often.
Getting the group clapping a simple pattern is sometimes effective as well -
e.g. ta, ti-ti ta ti-ti.
Involving those watching usully sends them away thinking `What a great
teacher!` as well - it can be something really simple. . .
Good luck,
Heather McLaughlin.
----------
From: <LIB212@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 1:17 AM
1) How about playing some pre-recorded music and asking children to listen
for each instrument ? They can mime what they hear...
2) Ask each child which instrument they would like to pretend to be and make
a little orchestra out of the group - instruments on parade kind of
thing...those how can't/won't can hold a picture of an instrument and join in
the parade.
With this, you can then play a stop and go game ("only winds on
parade...only strings...etc...), then two groups at a time, then all
groups...
GOOD LUCK and remember that it is all good !!!
LIB212
----------
From: Keith Mervine <thalor@earthlink.net>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Instruments
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 12:55 AM
Wow, What a great undertaking you are doing in a kindergarten class! I
usually do not expect my children to separate the instruments into families
as a large group until 5th grade. We concentrate on Percussion instruments
in K and 1; Brass in 2nd; Strings in 3rd; and Woodwinds in 4th. Then in
5th and 6th we focus on band vs. orchestra with all the families.
You may want to try to have your kids divide the instruments into the new
classifcations of instruments;
membranophone (skins-drums),
idiophone (auxiliary perc.-tambourine, maracas),
aerophone (air - brass/woodwinds)
chordophone (strings)
I would not give them the adult sounding names but you could provide them
with the basics
focusing on how to make the sound (this can be a science extension in the
upper grades).
If you are trying to work on classification skills only you could give each
child a picture of one instrument and have four bags labeled with the above
simplified terms. When a child comes up for a turn ask them questions to
help them classify their instrument correctly. If they need further
assistance you could question the class. Each child that correctly
classifies their instrument could get a sticker.
Good luck to you.
Sherry :)
----------
From: Dale Ice <daleice@mcn.org>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 12:16 AM
I can't find this song, or really remember its name, but isn't there a
song that goes , "Clari clari clari, clari clari clarinet" and " Vio
vio vio, vio vio violin" (sort of, anyway) that the kids mime the
playing as they sing? Real simple words.
I know one in Spanish like that, but, its in Spanish. 'La Pulga de San
Jose' . You buy instruments at the flea market & they play sounds.
I hope these lyrics, (of the one in English), ring a bell. Wish I could
remember which of my books it is in. -Susan Spurlock
----------
From: Brian Buckmaster <briandms@rust.net> To: "David F. Saphra"
<gamba@concentric.net> Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas
Needed for Kindergaten Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 12:15 AM
Hi David, I'm not sure what you can do about this. One idea is an activity I
like to do with the small rhythm instruments in class. In my activity the
students go to the shelfs and choose a instrument. (all from the percussion
family in my case) They go to the floor on the carpet placing the instrument
on the floor and not playing. When everyone has chosen an instrument we name
them and show them the correcting playing technique, then of course the
student gets to try them. Then my student on cue pass them to the student on
the left so they get to try other instruments. I'm not sure if this is
practical with your lesson but perhaps you adapt my activity by labeling
your shelfs with the various instrument families telling them that you'll
ask them which "shelf " they got their instrument from. Perhaps with your
student's it might work if you hand pick (the best behaved and quiet
students) one at a time to pick an instrument. You can demonstate and the
best behaved get to try it. It seems like to me you could stretch this out
for quite awhile. Unfortunately 45 minutes is a very long time for
Kindergarten class. With my older kids (4th and 5th) I've played 4 corners
with instrument posters dividing the corners of the room into families
(woodwind, brass, string and percussion) putting an instrument poster in
each corner. The caller hides and counts to ten. When the caller says an
instument family kids in that corner are out and have to sit down. In our
game the last 4 students left have to identify the instrument family of the
poster, if they can they stay in the game. Eventually we come up with a
winner. You'll probably have to come up with several activities for the
little ones for 45 minutes...good luck, Brian Buckmaster.
----------
From: Pam Stover <pstover@MAIL.CLARION.EDU>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2000, 12:10 AM
Pam Stover <pstover@MAIL.CLARION.EDU> wrote to Music-For-Children:
David,
I agree that identifying all the instruments by families is more of an
upper grade lesson, BUT one of my favorite lessons for kindergarten is
classifying classroom percussion instruments. This is age and stage
appropriate.
Process:
Kids sit on floor in a circle and you dump all your instruments in the
center. Then you classify them into categories by how you play them: hit,
shake or scrape. Make a big pile out of each....the tambourine can be hit
and shaken, and what do they think about sandblocks? You can label the
instruments and demonstrate, if you wish. If you have enough instruments
for each child to have them you can have them all take an instrument and
echo back a simple rhythm pattern by category. (All instruments that are
hit play....then the scrapers.....then the shakers)
Then, you can classify the instruments by what makes the sound....Metal,
wood, or skin (membranes). Kids can play their rhythm patterns by these
groups OR you could just put them in piles again.
You can add mallet instruments and talk about pitched vs. unpitched, if
you have enough time.
What could extend this simple activity to 45 minutes would be creating a
little rhythm composition. Each of the groups plays a 4 beat or 8 beat
pattern and you could put it together into a culminating activity ABC
form, or a rondo ABACA....rotate who plays first. If they already know
quarter/eighth/and quarter rest, they should be able to tell you or write
in stick notation their rhythm pattern. (DON"T try this for an evalutation
if this would be new for the kids).
Kinders CAN work with iconic/stick notation....I just had the Kinders
discover the rhythms and form of "Cobbler, Cobbler, mend my shoe" and they
were successful. We used counting bears and changed it to stick
notation. They did a great job, which surprised me slightly since this is
at a lab school--30 minutes per week, two months off during university
break, and we had just started back at rhythm work. They LOVED creating
their own rhythm patterns and labeling them.
Just think of all the National Standards you hit with this lesson...
Good luck,
Pam Stover
Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **
From: <Jgsbass@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 11:44 PM
Dave,
You could try modeling the physics of each instrument family:
Rubberband for strings
Bang a desk(or student?) for percussion
An empty candy box(or paper folded like a paper airplane) for
woodwinds
A Bronx cheer for brass
You could also cut a straw so it forms a point- two 45 degree cuts to
produce a woodwind sound.Squeeze the straw by the mouthpiece to get it to
sound while you blow.
Then you could categorize the instruments by how they produce sounds and
show pictures. You could include pitch and the relationship between size and
frequency( the bigger the ax, the lower the pitch)
You could have the munchkins make instruments( the straw woodwind is
easy) as a follow-up activity.
Hope this helps
Bassically yours
Jerry Solomon
P.S. Good Luck!
----------
From: "The Heilmans" <timnetto@capital.net>
To: <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: kindergarten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 11:42 PM
Dear David,
This is just a quick idea: my kindergarten children love to move to music - of all kinds. I usually pick something with two distinct themes; the children and I decide how to move when they hear the theme and after dividing the class into two groups, each group is responsible for moving only when they hear their respective themes. (Such as in The King's March from Gary King's Shenanigans). You could possibly use this same approach, only prerecorde samples of the four types of instruments (depending on how you want to separate them by families or whatever according to your format). Mix them up. Divide into four groups.
Your administrator should like this listening skills activity involving creative movement. Good luck,
Annette Heilman K - 5 teacher, Cohoes, NY
----------
From: <Quistar@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 11:31 PM
I did an activity just like this from a wonderful book whose name escapes me
now. It's a spiral-bound deal about exploring music through classical music.
One K-2 lesson focuses on Beethoven's 5th. I added a picture chart showing
an orchestra arranged by instrument family types, and there are reproducable
cut-outs of instruments that are nice tiny cards. You can modify this as
needed.
I started by asking children to name instruments they heard in the song (they
list others as well). I put them into categories without naming the
families. Then I have students identify similarities in each group
(poster-charts showing the 4 families might be useful here). We find the
features that define each family and list them.
Then I pass out the cards and have the students sort them by family, and
explain their choices.
Admittedly simplistic, but with lower grades this is what you want to do.
I'm not going to be back in my building till monday, but I promise to send
you the name of this lovely book when I get back there. I'm sorry I didn't
take it home or I could share it with you. But what I've described is the
crux of the lesson. You can get copies of instrument cards easily enough if
you shop around, or print them on a computer.
Just remember, if you're tenured then an observation is more a formality than
a concern. Relax and have fun!!!!
-Andrew Hauptman <:-(}
Music teacher PS 178
"The optimist proclaims we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the
pessimist fears this is true." -- James B. Cabell
----------
From: <NeFePre@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 11:30 PM
I know we try to meet the demands, but to effectively teach the students I
don't believe in rushing a lesson just for an observation. Give them the
info in bite sizes. I am learning the hard way.
Anyway, here are some ideas:
1. Kindergarten always likes to color. Have them color the various
instruments by groups. (Have a conversation with an art teacher or their
classroom teacher for supplies). Strings in red. Brass in blue, etc. You
can quickly teach them that any instrument with "strings" is a stringed
instrument or any instrument that looks like its "metal" (just not the flute)
is brass or anyone that looks "wooden", and so on. They'll easily identify
the percussive instruments (plus the piano).
2. If you cut the instruments into shapes, as a group then can recombine the
pictures to create a completed jigsaw puzzle. Have completed pictures
available as a reference.
3. Put the pictures of the instruments on a stiff surface and as you play a
recorded sound of the instrument the group that holds up that correct
instrument the most wins something. If they don't know the sounds start with
the drums, the piano and the trumpet. You may even use this as a pivot point
to introduce the other instruments in the groups that they belong to.
4. Drill one instrument family at a time. The baby of the string family
would be the violin, his/her older brother, the viola, their uncle, the cello
and their grandfather the bass. They can create stories with pictures that
you can turn into books. A GOOD PORTFOLIO PIECE FOR YOUR MUSIC CLASSROOM.
I'm sure you already do this, have the music or sounds you are teaching in
the background or the foreground, regardless of the lesson.
Good luck.
----------
From: "The Smiths" <tsmith@digitalexp.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 11:22 PM
I've never taught that lesson as an evaluation lesson. Good luck. With my
kindergarteners, one thing I always begin with is the different type of non
specific pitched percussion instruments we use in the class. We sort them
into catagories. With K students, you can have pictures of the perc.
instruments and have them tape, velcro, etc. them to a chart you have put
up, with the different catagories of:
Tapping, Scraping, Ringing, Jingling, Shaking, Things that don't fit in
any of those catagories.
I then, let different children play different instruments and the class
decides what it is. Some things fit into 2 catagories, so have 2 pictures
of them, ex.: Some Rhythm sticks or some tone blocks that have rippled
surfaces so that you can either tap or scrape them.
With the exceptions of whistles, they figure out that most all the
instruments played in elem. school music are percussion. We even take the
cover off the piano and see how it has strings, but it also has hammers and
is struck.
You can always use Peter and the Wolf as a follow up with the Orchestra
instruments, since the clarinet, bassoon, flute, trumpets, horns, etc. are
all used in the story.
I never teach all 4 families at one time. When I play examples for them, I
try to let them hear different styles, etc. of playing the instrument.
Ex. The Clarinet, with one of the Mozart Sonatas, has a classic sound,
Benny Goodman has a good Jazz Sound, but who can forget the opening trills
and smear in Rhapsady in Blue.
With the Various Low Brass, I always like to let them hear some Sousa
Marches, to hear how grand the marches are when they are playing. Etc.
I don't know if any of this would help, but if any helps and I might know
more, let me know. Good luck.
Karen Smith,
Elem Music Teacher, former Band Director
----------
From: <Simonmcfuzz@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: instruments
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 10:30 PM
Hello! I am a elem music teacher from nj. In kindergarten, I often pass out
a different instrument for each student (examples .. drums, triangle,
sandblocks) and play a game of simon says. I say "Simon says triangle play"
and so on .. that way they get to know the names of each instrument and keeps
them activily involved. After a few rounds, they switch instruments.
_caitelyn
----------
From: <Gormid@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 10:29 PM
Dave,
If you have a whole bunch of classroom instruments, let them sort them into
families of skins, metals and woods, or shakers, strikers, and scrapers.
Give each child an instrument, let them sort their instruments (some are
tricky!), and then do some playing. Put on some music, play steady beat, and
have different "sections" play, with or without a visual prompt. Keep it
simple - red for the woods, blue for the metals, yellow for the skins, etc.
Personally, I'm not sure kindergartners are going to be able to sort
orchestral families just from pictures yet. There are too many variables. A
friend of mine who has a lot of Foss science background says that young
children can only sort one characteristic at a time. For example, not metal
AND shaking.
If you make it hands-on, and let your administrator play, too, you'll all
have more fun!
Midge Olsen
Minneapolis, MN
----------
From: <Catchipp@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: instruments
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 10:27 PM
David,
I do something with my second grade that I think may work with Kindergarten.
It is from Las Vegas Writes II, I think. It emphasized the Orff families of
instruments with kids songs.
Ex. Twinkle, twinkle glockenspiel happy do you make me feel,
like a ballerina bright, you're so little and so light,
Twinkle, twinkle glockenspiel happy do you make me feel.
on the word glockenspiel the play a pentatonic cluster. I think it may work
because it doesn't involve perfect notes or beat I guess. There are 2 more
for Metallophone and xylophone if you are interested. I make a visual too, to
help them identify when to play. I also have them guess what the "real" song
is.
If you are interested in the other ones let me know. I know this isn't really
the traditional instruments, but they are easier to group I think, but sound
and look. Hope this helps a little. let me know if you need more.
Good luck!
Cathy
----------
From: "Beth Rankin" <beth.rankin@latrobe.edu.au>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 10:06 PM
Instrument family lesson
For this game you need photos or pictures of the different orchestral
instruments in envelopes. Place all the envelopes (there needs to enough for
at least one for each child) in a shoulder bag.
Start with all the children sitting in a circle with one child walking
around the outside of the circle as the Postperson and all the children sing
the song 'Postie postie do have a letter, postie postie two would suit me
better....' etc or any other postie song you know.
The postie drops a letter behind a child and blows his whistle, this can be
a recorder top or teach children how to make a whistle sound just using
their mouths and trilling the tongue.( this can be a chasing game if you
want)
When all the letters are delivered, play examples of the orchestral music or
play any of the intstuments you have with you and those whose letter matches
that group of instruments or individual instrument, places them in the
middle of the circle on a mat designated for a particular group of
instruments. Ask all the children if they agree with the grouping etc.
best of luck, have fun with it.
let me know if you want more information.
cheers
Beth
----------
From: <Aahmean@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 9:23 PM
Hi, what you need to do is keep your lesson simple. Show big color pictures
of each family of instruments (get it in a teachers store), then you draw
circle map for each family, listing the characteristics of each family. For
example: strings have strings; percussion instruments need to be struck,
hit, banged, shaken; brass instruments are made of brass with tubing and
valves; and woodwind instruments need wind or air blown into it to create a
sound and all use a wooden reed (exept flute, but the prehistoric flute was
originally made of wood). There you have it, a visual aid a thinking map and
then you can demonstrate what you have from each family. If you have more
time you can use pop-out pictures and have children place each instrument
with the correct family on the board (use more of a variety). By the way,
the piano is a percussion instrument, because the sound is produced by the
hammers hitting the strings inside the piano. Well good luck!!!!! Let me
know how it went.
----------
From: <MichBrod@aol.com>
To: gamba@concentric.net
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 9:11 PM
Dave;
One song that I have used with the little ones is "I Visited the Orchestra"
by Kathy Poelker. It is on one of her tapes. Though it is a bit cheesy,
it does use the violin, clarinet, trumpet, drums, cymbals and piano. I
usually have the students mime along with the song.
Michelle Brodsky
Park View School
Morton Grove, IL
----------
From: <bluesman1@earthlink.net> To: "David F. Saphra"
<gamba@concentric.net>, "musick8-talk@musick8.com" <mk8list@musick8.com>
Subject: RE: Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten Date:
Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 9:07 PM
Well, Dave, It sounds like a lesson for fourth and fifth graders more than
it does a kinder lesson, but each to his own.
I would scale it down a bit for about twenty minutes of the 45 if I had the
chance.
Singing games, circle games, movement songs, cutesy stuff. Let the children
SING SING SING! And let them MOVE MOVE MOVE!
If you wanted to have them play some instruments, I'd stick to the rhythm
sticks, drums, cabasa (maybe), maracas and jingle bells.
I'd do some echo clapping, I'd do some solfege singing on So Mi and La and
I'd have them do a copy cat game too.
I would have those litte babes doing Pizza Pizza Daddy-O and Johnny Works
with One Hammer, and BlueBird, (in and out my window). They would do, Waddly
Atcha and some rhythmic ostinati, they'd do Hey, Mr. Knickerbocker and Hot
Dog and Ronald McDonald and lots of fun rhythmic activities, mixed with some
steady beat reviews, rhythmic reviews for ta, ti-ti and ta-rest. They could
clap some rhythmic flash cards and play pitch detective games.
All in all, I'd stick to purely five year old activities, but then again,
that's me.
Good luck, it sounds like you have your hands full.
Talk with ya later, deborah
----------
From: <aliceo@teleport.com>
To: "David F. Saphra" <gamba@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: MFC- Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2000, 8:47 PM
The best overview I've ever seen is the film "Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom".
If your school has it, you might want to show it and then get out those
cards and sort by sound. It is short ( 15 min?) and keeps even a
kindergartner's attention.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Janet June Way" <janetway@bigplanet.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 18:18:55 -0700 (MST)
How about using classroom percussion instruments to group in some way. We'd
probably do woods and metals, but they might come up with big and small, or
whatever. Depends on the size of the group and behavior if you want everyone
to hold them at the same time. Then, maybe you could do something similar
with pictures of instruments - find kids who have instruments like yours in
some way, or if you have the Bowmar charts stand by the picture of your
instrument. Even if they blow this part, the lesson is that from a mere
picture it is harder to group the instruments than it is when you can play
them and hear them! As a wrap, they could play the instrument to a recording.
Oh well,off the top of my head. Good luck!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: "Mary" <presfam@stans.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 19:47:19 -0600
Do you have access to a computer? There are a couple of CD-Rom's that
help identify the instruments and their sound. "Peter and the Wolf" is one
of them. There are a few more out there, but I can't think of the titles.
Do you also teach the upper grade levels? If you do, maybe you could have
a couple of the band students come in and demonstrate the instruments also.
I also use the video "Once Upon a Sound". It is a film strip, transfered
to video. The kids really like it. Each family is about 10 minutes in
length with a listening quiz at the end of each section.
I hope this helps some.
Mary in Illinois
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: [MK8]Instrument Family Lesson Ideas Needed for Kindergaten
From: <TDA108@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 20:54:04 EST
After you play the instruments, have the children listen to recording and see
if they can play "name that instrument".
Also, maybe you could invite some 4th or 5th graders who play trumpet,
violin, or whatever instrument to come to your music period and have them
play alittle. Just adds some "spice" to what will be an already brillant
performance. I'm doing this with Peter and the Wolf in a week or two with my
1st grade. Good luck!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
End of mk8list Digest