Summary
Students will learn terms that describe music, they will move to music, and express themselves with paint while listening to music.
Materials
Part 1 -- Experiencing Music Terms
- Various musical instruments
- Music Prompts (pdf)
- Music Chart
- CD/cassette player
- Variety of music
Part 2 -- Move to the Music
- CD player
- Variety of music
- Open movement area
Part 3 -- Music through Art
- Painting trays
- Construction paper
- Finger paints
- Wet wipes
- Paint shirts
- CD/cassette player
- Variety of music
Additional Resources
Books
- Five Ugly Monsters, by Tedd Arnold
- If You're Angry and You Know It! Cecily Kaiser; ISBN 043972998
Media
The following CDs are great for teaching dynamics, duration & pitch.
- Return to Snowy River Part II, by Bruce Rowland
- DVORAK Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" Symphonic Variations
- Tchaikovsky 1812 Romeo and Juliet -- Fantasy Overture, by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Mr. Holland's Opus, by Michael Kamen
- Dr. Jean and Friends CD
- Dr. Jean: Keep On Singing and Dancing CD
- Dr. Jean: Sing to Learn with Dr. Jean CD
- Jim Gill Songs Moving Rhymes Modern Times CD
- Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes CD
- Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi on his Toe Leg Knee CD
- Greg & Steve: Kids in Action CD
- Greg & Steve: Kids in Motion CD
- Greg & Steve: Playing Favorites CD
- Greg & Steve: Fun and Games
- Stephen Fite: Havin' Fun and Feelin' Groovy CD
- Stephen Fite: Watch Me Move CD
Articles
- Thinking About Art: Encouraging Art Appreciation In Early Childhood Settings, Young
Children (2001)
Background for Teachers
Music can greatly affect feelings and emotions. Music is an effective
medium through which educators can teach children how to identify
and express ideas. Music is a language of sound. Music is linked to all
other ways of knowing. Educators can focus on music experiences that
build skills and understanding, self-esteem and creative thinking skills.
Teachers need to understand music terms (e.g., dynamics, pitch, and
duration).
Intended Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate a positive learning attitude.
2. Demonstrate responsible emotional and cognitive behaviors.
3. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form.
Instructional Procedures
Invitation to Learn
Have students listen to a compilation of music with different
dynamics. Discuss how the music affected them. Did it make them
sleepy, jumpy, etc.?
Part 1 -- Experiencing Music Terms
Instructional Procedures
- Explain that with music we can describe sounds in terms of
dynamics (loud/soft), pitch (high/low), and duration (long/
short: fast/slow).
- Show the students the music prompts for each term: loud--
lion, soft--mouse, high-arrow pointed up, low--arrow pointed
down, long--long snake, short--inchworm, fast--rabbit, and
slow--turtle.
- Practice using prompts. Choose students for each term. As
the class listens to music, help children recognize the different
terms within the music. Let several students participate.
- Choose a familiar song and practice listening for the music
terms while singing.
- Introduce the Music Flower Chart, explaining that the flower
will grow when they demonstrate each music term. Practice.
Music Flower Chart: Half of regular poster board, cut "hot dog
style," blue and green yarn two feet of each, a large flower (about 18
inch diameter) drawn on cardstock or poster board and cut out. Make
a hole towards the top of the poster board. Put one end of the yarn
through the hole and tie the two pieces of yarn together with a small
knot. Next measure one of the colors straight down. That is where
the bottom hole needs to be. Tie the second knot in the back of the
poster. When finished, one side should have green yarn and the other
side should be blue. Make the holes big enough to allow the yarn to
pass through with ease.
Part 2 -- Move to the Music
- Invite the class to move to an open area and allow the students
to move to the same piece of music.
- Discuss the way music makes them feel and invite them to
move to the music is a way that shows an emotion.
- Allow students to experience emotions through music.
Part 3 -- Music through Art
- Explain that the last activity will be experiencing music through
body and mind.
- Give each child a tray with construction paper or finger paint
paper and pass out paint shirts.
- Tell the students that they will be listening to music with the
lights off. They need to finger paint to the music.
- Turn the lights on and have each child share his/her picture
describing a few feelings experienced.
Finger Paint Recipes
- Liquid laundry starch, tempera paint for color, a few drops of
non-detergent liquid soap.
- 1 c. cornstarch, 4 c. hot water, 2 envelopes unflavored
gelatin, 2 c. cold water, 1 c. detergent.
Dissolve cornstarch with 1 1/2 c. cold water. Soak gelatin in 1/2
c. cold water. Add cornstarch mixture to hot water. Cook on
medium heat till thick, stirring continually. Blend in gelatin and
detergent till dissolved. Store in fridge.
Extensions
- Writing experience about the feelings the music evoked.
- Listening Center with a variety of music to listen to. Provide
paper, crayons, and pencils.
Family Connections
- Send a note home asking parents to think of their favorite songs
or a family song. Ask if they could write it down or record it for
the class.
- Send a Music Experience Bag home with a mixture of songs for
the entire family to experience and ask the student to explain
about what he/she learned.
Assessment Plan
- Experiencing Music Terms--An assessment for this could be
the use of the Music Flower Chart. Assess with Music Prompts.
Make four sets / one for each table, pass them out. Ask students
to hold up the correct Music Prompt while the children listen to
music.
- Move to the Music--A visual assessment might be best during
the movement activity.
- Music through Art--An observation during the activity with
questioning afterwards about the experience would be a helpful
and quick assessment.
Bibliography
Research Basis
Snyder, S., (1999), MusicSmart, Fort Worth, TX.
This research finds that music can help children use emotional
states to regulate their lives, and that this skill can be learned.
Music reorganizes the brain for effective listening. Singing enhances
cognition. Music activates multiple memory pathways to improve
chances for retention and recall.
Jensen, E., (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
In his research, he states that the collective wisdom from real-world
experience, clinical studies, and research support the view that music
has strong, positive, neurological system wide effects.