Music Basket Activity Guide

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Teaching Resources from Drums for Schools Acclaimed Class Teaching Guides These expertly written teaching guides are suitable for both generalist teachers and specialist music teachers. You don't need to be able to read music, nor do you need any prior experience of each musical style as the guides, supported by online audio and video support, will take you and the class step by step from basics to first performance in just 10 carefully structured lessons.

Perfect for Wider Opportunities projects and class instrumental teaching.

from Sound Children Orly Zalel’s Musical Baby Bonding Guide & CD A step-by-step programme that uses singing and simple musical exercises to help parents find their own unique bond with their baby. The CD contains 10 nursery rhymes and baby songs and demonstrates the natural tone of voice and slow pace that is best for singing to your baby,

annA rydeR’s Music Cards Quirky and imaginative musical ideas cards that are all you need to start leading educationally rich, open-ended music sessions for children aged 1-5. Available in packs of 10 or 30 cards.

More teaching guides, song books and a range of the very best music resources for teachers and parents.

www.soundchildren.co.uk www.drumsforschools.co.uk

Music Baskets Activity Guide

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

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EXPLORING SOUNDS ! !

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This Guide has been written by Jane Leigh with input from annA rydeR and Craig Trafford. They’re all brilliant and inspiring teachers and Drums for Schools is very proud to be associated with them.

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Jane Leigh is an active GP and a Primary Teacher with experience across the full breadth of curriculum. Jane is Clinical Champion for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities and also Clinical Lead for Children’s Services with a Primary Care Trust.

Pewter Frog is Jane’s storytelling and creative arts company and provides tailor-made performances and workshops for any venue, any audience, and any age which are anchored around original stories, myths, legends and traditional tales, original and existing music, poetry, and bilingual storytelling. www.pewterfrog.co.uk

1. Creating Sounds

2. Sorting Sounds

3. Talking Sounds

4. Playing Pictures

5. Exploring and Building with Rhythms

6. What Animal is That?

7. Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales

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Page 9 - 11

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1. Echoes

2. Follow my Leader

3. Mixing Rhythms

4. Altogether Now

USING THE INSTRUMENTS TO IMPROVE LEARNING

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Page 2

Page 3 - 8

MAKING MUSIC

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Page 12 - 13

1. Times Table Games

2. Punctuation Sounds

3. Beating the Syllables

4. Spelling Strings

5. Counting Activities

6. Exploring Seasons

7. Colour Work

annA rydeR is an accomplished singer-songwriter as well as a fully qualified teacher with hands-on experience across all age groups and abilities. She has extensive experience in EY and SEN settings. annA has built outdoor sounds and instruments, multi-sensory environments and has worked with Pupil Referral Unit, secondary school students and teachers and training for people who work in education. Anna is based in Warwick and provides music-making and creative workshops to groups throughout the Midlands. www.annaryder.co.uk

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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS ! ! ! ! ! !

Page 1

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Singer-songwriter Craig Trafford has facilitated sound & music and creative learning programmes for thousands of people since 1989. His wide-ranging methods work to enhance balanced creativity for children, adults, and people with disabilities, businesses and professionals in education, social care and private sectors.

Craig, based in Malvern, is a certified Stress Management Trainer, has studied Brain Gym to consultant level and travels around the UK to give his Teacher Training and Early Years workshops.

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www.earlyearsmusic.com www.thelittlegreencd.com Page 14

3. Beating the Syllables

INTRODUCTION

A useful way to improve speech and pronunciation and to introduce spelling. Choose any instrument to mark each syllable of the spoken word or while reading text. Start with single words and encourage the child/children to beat/shake out the number of syllables heard/read.

This guide contains ideas to get you started and which can be adapted or used to inspire further creative approaches. They can be used in any order, as stand alone explorations, or as a series of progressive sessions designed to introduce the instruments, embed a creative, open-minded approach to music making and to link with other learning. They should result in stimulating and responsive sessions which may take a new direction each time they are undertaken. The activities can be split up into shorter sessions easily if time limits require.

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4. Spelling Strings

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For a more advanced approach choose a different instrument for the stressed syllable – the part of the word given more emphasis when spoken.

Using sounds to represent particular spelling strings makes spelling investigation fun!

Example of possible activities:

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All activities are suitable for individuals, pairs or groups and can be used with any age group from Early Years to Senior Seniors. The enjoyment of music making, sound creation and creativity is not limited in any way by age – only by attitude (and Early Years know best!). The important thing is to be responsive, open-minded and to have fun.

Use different sounds for different phonemes during phonic work. Extend by playing a ‘phonic I spy’ where the child or children play a particular sound to show they have heard each phoneme.

Safety Note: Use of these instruments should be supervised.Whilst the instruments are generally robust they are made from natural materials, not plastic, and should be treated with care. Some instruments are more fragile, such as the mother of pearl shaker and bird ocarina, so do check for sharp edges before handing out. Broken shells can easily be removed by an adult. The instruments don’t need any particular maintenance – just treat carefully, keep them clean and dry and be sure to put them away carefully at the end of each session (this can be an enjoyable activity in its own right for younger children).

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- Sort words with two or more different spellings of the same sound by

asking the child/children to play the sound which identifies the spelling e.g. ‘ee’ and ‘ea’.

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- Attach sounds to certain rules e.g. rules for spelling verbs: ‘adding’ –ing such

as drop the ‘e’ and add ‘ing’. The children can use different sounds to identify what rule has been used to spell the word e.g. hoping, hopping, etc.

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5. Counting Activities ! !

6. Exploring the Seasons !

All counting activities, mental maths, times table work etc can be enhanced with a regular beat/sound to maintain pace of working.

Discovering the sounds of the seasons leads to detailed discussion and discovery and is a great way to encourage discussion by young children.

E.g. Autumn – the rustling of the leaves, animals looking for food or somewhere to hibernate, rain, wind, birds pulling berries of bushes and trees, frost, conkers falling and so on!

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7. Colour Work ! ! !

Assigning sounds to colours can be a creative discussion topic and is useful for introducing the idea of primary and secondary colours and pigment mixing.

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There are some instruments which are more difficult for younger children or those with fine motor difficulties. These include: Frog twirlers, bamboo buzzers, panpipes, animal clacker, thumb piano, monkey drum, thunder drums, bamboo flutes, jaw harp and klikklak shell.

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If you have any feedback about the instruments or this guide or would like to share other ideas and activities that have worked well for you, we would be delighted to hear about them through the contact pages of www.drumsforschools.co.uk and www.soundchildren.co.uk

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©2008 Pewter Frog Storytelling

This guide may be photocopied for educational purposes but may not be reproduced or transmitted in any way for profit or commercial gain.

Published by Drums for Schools Ltd

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EXPLORING SOUNDS

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USING THE INSTRUMENTS TO IMPROVE LEARNING

The activities in this section explore the instruments and investigate working with sounds in a range of ways. They lead on well to developing skills for music-making, which is the focus of the next section, but the sections work equally well independently or in any order.

!1. Creating Sounds

There is increasing awareness of different learning styles and the need to include visual, movement, and tactile elements to promote more effective learning. These instruments are ideal for this kind of work.

Examples:

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1.Times Table Games

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Early Years/Special Needs Note: This activity is wonderful for developing curiosity, an approach to questioning, body awareness and gross motor control as well as introducing the instruments.

Look at the outside of the basket – What could it contain? Where has it come from? What is it made of? How was it made? Examine it closely.

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Open the basket and explore each instrument – What is it made of? Where might it have been made? What sound do you think it will make? Then explore how to play the instrument and discover what sound it makes. Can it make more than one sound depending on what you do? What movement does your body have to make so that the instrument can make a sound?

In large groups divide the participants into smaller groups with a small number of instruments for each group/pair to explore and then demonstrate to everyone. Some of the instruments [see list in the Introduction] are difficult for very small children and those with poor fine motor control so be aware of this when sharing instruments.

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Suggested follow on activities could include: Read traditional stories from some of the countries identified.

Establish the countries/regions of origin and plot the instruments onto a world map [this could be done with photos of the instruments and a large scale map for displays with resulting children’s work or further research information].

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Find out what languages are spoken in these countries. What are the countries of origin of these languages? Link to the MFL curriculum, history exploration of settlement, invasion, slavery etc. could follow on from this.Discussions of children’s lives in these countries, weather topics, children’s rights, fair trade etc are just a few examples of where these explorations can lead.

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Counting up from 1, numbers in e.g. the 3 times table are represented by a sound and not said.

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The instrument would be played each time these numbers occurred thus:

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1, 2, {sound}, 4, 5, {sound}, 7, 8, {sound} and so on

This game can be played with one child or a whole class!

For an advanced version play the same game with more than one times table at once using a different sound for each times table. Using the 3 times and 6 times tables with sound 1 for 3 times and sound 2 for 6 times would go like this:

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2. Punctuation Sounds

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1, 2, {sound 1}, 4, 5, {sound 1 and sound 2}, 7, 8, {sound 1} and so on

Combining 2 and 3 times tables leads to even more fun and leads to a good discussion on even numbers

A great way to focus on punctuation and its correct use. Here different chosen sounds (let the child/children make the choices) are used to represent different punctuation types.

!

Start as simply as required. A good starting point is to ask one or more of the children to play the instrument at the end of a spoken sentence first to record just full stops. Then go on to identifying full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks.

[The bamboo buzzer makes a great exclamation mark!]

! ! ! !

This is also an effective way to embed the correct position of speech marks and punctuation associated with speech/dialogue.

The activities can build up to be as complicated as you wish. Can be great fun for group or whole class redrafting of a piece of work too!

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Discuss the ‘silences’ (the ‘rests’) and how they must be there to keep with the overall ‘beat’. Discuss how tuned instruments can establish a melody around this beat in the same way.

Early Years Note: Young children enjoy talking about different countries, the way people live, the weather etc. They love to set up a ‘travel agents’, ‘homes of other countries’ or ‘instrument shops’ in the house or school home corner.

!

In small groups or pairs one person keeps the four beat going whilst the other(s) try fitting other rhythms around it. Where possible divide into groups.

Each group is given a blending rhythm to play as above. Once these are established with the four beat continuing gradually bring in each group until everyone is playing together.

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This activity can be repeated as often as you like to establish understanding and to try out using other rhythms. Also try using a different base pulse – maybe a 1 – 2 – 3 or a jig-like 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6. Older players who like a challenge may also like to investigate what it feels like to play a 5 beat! Why are some beats easier than others?

!4. Altogether Now! !

2. Sorting Sounds

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Spend some time sorting the instruments into different categories. Ask the children for ideas: What ways can you think of for sorting them? E.g. what type of sound they make, how the sound is made/how must they be played, how many different sounds can one instrument make, what they are made of, are they melodic (pitched) or rhythmic etc.

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Suggested follow on could include:

Start this activity with all the children using a familiar beat like the four beat.

Again claps may be appropriate prior to using the instruments. Get the children to try out their own ideas of rhythms/riffs/melodies etc. (NB. Better not to use too many tuned instruments when working with large groups of children initially, one or two is feasible for free exploration at this stage).

In a class situation try dividing into groups, each taking a category of instruments. What does it sound like when all the similar instruments in a group are played together? What does it sound like when different types of instrument play together (start with just one instrument from each group)?

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Play continuously, with small breaks to discuss how the children are enjoying it and whether they think there should be any changes, for as long as is available and the children are comfortable with. Children as young as 3 will play for 15 minutes easily and may play happily for 30 minutes to an hour with only small breaks!

Suggested follow on could include: This activity can develop in a multitude of ways. Consider: Using different base beats. 1 – 2 – 3 or 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 for example. Starting with ‘random’ words such as ‘sausages and mash’ ‘bean stew’ ‘fast red car’ ‘wicked witch’ etc (generated by the children) and develop the rhythm from there.

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Create songs by putting words together – silly combinations of ‘random’ words are great fun, the latest school dinner menu is a ready made set of words, etc.

Focus on the rhythm and musicality.

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Work more with tuned instruments. Those available in the boxes should be played rhythmically and confidently and will sound great. If using tuned percussion already in school, try using a pentatonic scale initially. E.g. for Cmajor pentatonic scale use only notes: C , D , E , G , A , C. For C-minor pentatonic scale use only notes C , D# , F , G , A# , C

Science exploration of sound: Find out what part of the instrument is making the sound. How is the sound produced? Use instruments like the bamboo buzzer and the thunder drums to develop the idea that sound is a result vibration, of moving air, etc. Vibration can be felt on parts of both of these instruments and the moving air can be felt against an open palm held about 2 cm away from the open end of the thunder drum while it is sounding.

Science exploration of materials: Identify the materials used to make the instruments. Why have these been chosen? Where are the materials found?

What is special about the materials that make them good at making sounds?

Could other materials be used? Can you think of a material that would be no good at all for making sounds? (This also leads onto Design Technology activity suggested later).

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In schools this activity could begin to introduce Venn and Carroll diagrams with overlapping sets or sorting according to two criteria.

Mix movement and music, perform to others or design and make your own instruments using knowledge and experience gained from the other exercises.

Early Years/Special Needs Note: Even very young children are fascinated by the experience of ‘feeling sound’ and have fun discussing what the instrument is made of. They can surprise you with their ideas during the talk around the second activity. Allow them to explore their ideas at their own pace and in their own words. Gently challenge and encourage these ideas.

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This is the same for everything. We all find different things ‘easy’ and ‘hard’, it’s having fun that matters! And the more fun you’re having the easier it gets.

3. Talking Sounds

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Early Years/Special Needs Note: Young children and those with learning difficulties love the novel interaction and mimicking involved in this activity.

It is an effective way to develop an awareness of the ‘rules of conversation’ e.g. taking turns and use of intonation

Once the idea is established this activity can be carried out in small groups or pairs, starting with claps rather than instruments and so on. For a challenge – carry out the activity with the leader out of sight. This really makes the group focus on the listening!

!2. Follow my Leader

Think about all the talking you have done so far. What have your voices been doing?

Talk about how they go up and down [dynamics], how they stop sometimes, how people ‘take turns’ to talk, how they sometimes interrupt each other, how some voices are louder/softer [volume], lower/higher [pitch] or gruffer/sweeter [timbre] than others, etc.

Early Years/Special Needs Note: Great for improving co-ordination and listening skills in a fun atmosphere. Ensure the children have instruments which they can handle and move easily and initially set the lead so that imitation is practical and feasible.

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Explore the instruments or just share them out. Try to imitate a conversation that is going on – this could be between a pair or by observing two people having a conversation. Take it in turns, interrupt occasionally, get lower and higher sounds, make louder and softer sounds.

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How would you make a whisper? Find the right instrument or find a way to play the same instrument more quietly. Explore how some of the sounds could be angry sounds, happy sounds, sad sounds, etc. Use these in the ‘conversation’.

!4. Playing Pictures !

Look at the picture of a scene e.g. the beach, a busy street, a rainforest, etc. Share ideas for the sounds that might be heard in that scene. One thing, e.g. the sea, the wind in the trees, the sound of a lorry etc can be picked out and time spent choosing the best instrument or instruments to represent that sound. Note how some instruments make sounds which are very close to the imagined sounds whereas others are different but still work.

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The children/child can choose instruments to recreate those sounds e.g. rainsticks and shakers for the sea. What are the rhythms of those sounds e.g. the waves of the sea crashing on the beach? Together create the whole scene in sounds. Would these all be heard at once? Begin to structure times and places within the scene so that sounds are played at different times. How often and for how long would the sounds be heard? It may be possible to finish with a whole ‘composition’.

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This activity moves on from the idea of the lead and the copier taking turns and can become as fast and furious as desired! The lead starts as before but continues to play.

As the copiers establish their playing, the lead chooses the moment to change the rhythm/riff. The copiers must then adapt! Move through repeated changes and where appropriate increase the frequency of the changes.

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Again, share the lead role around as much as possible. Take the opportunity of any ‘hiccups’ in the process to discuss such things as: What kind of rhythms are easier to copy? How important is it to play the rhythm/riff in a regular/even way? Is this as important when playing alone? Is there a ‘best place’ for changing the rhythm? And so on.

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Managed around a certain base rhythm (e.g. four strong evenly placed beats on a continuing basis) the children will begin to experience how rhythms/riffs can blend with each other as in the next activity. There’s no harm at all in starting with rhythms or riffs copied from songs or theme tunes you or the children know.

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3. Mixing Rhythms !

As a large group, small group or pair, begin to explore how different rhythms fit together. You may want to start with claps only (where this is accessible to the children – do ensure any chosen activity is inclusive) and then move onto the instruments.

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Start with four strong evenly placed beats on a continuing basis: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4.

Talk and demonstrate the count of four. Get the children to copy this. Then count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and with the ‘ands’ coming between the beats.

Demonstrate playing different riffs/rhythms using this counting as the base.

E.g. Playing on 1 and 2, 3, 4 (with the ‘ands’ after 2, 3 & 4 being silent i.e. not played) or 1 and 2 and only (3 and 4 and will be ‘counted’ in silence).

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! !

MAKING MUSIC

Suggested follow on could include:

Music existed and was being played and created for thousands of years before it was formalised and written down (so that it could be shared more widely and compositions ‘owned’). It is important that children (and adults even more so!) understand that music is simply about playing with sound and that it can be created in a very free and expressive way.Whilst we may all have our own preferences for certain musical sounds and combinations, music can take any number of different forms.

Take a walk through the scene on the picture using and changing sounds/ instruments to match where the walk takes them.

! !

Ensure that the children have opportunities to play freely on the instruments, to try things out, to combine sounds and rhythms, to share and discuss ideas with other children and to swap instruments freely with the adult being as un-intrusive as possible (e.g. simply managing safety, comfort issues, care of instruments and perhaps enthusing about ideas and sounds and listening to spoken or played ideas on request). Also remember that children will naturally begin to move and sing as they play (usually swaying shoulders, nodding heads etc). As far as possible allow this to happen (though keep an eye on things for safety purposes).Trying to prevent it can lead to reducing the creativity and enjoyment. And remember that music’s closest cousin is dance – and that many of the greatest musical performers, classical as well as pop, move and sing as they play.

! !

Imagined scenes – Ask the children to imagine their own scene. Go through the same process and perhaps perform them to the rest of the group. Can the group guess where/what the scene is?

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Imaginary walk / journey – as above but with an imagined walk e.g. through the woods, down to the beach, a train journey through countryside, cities and several stations etc.

!

These activities are a great introduction to creative writing or developing an approach to descriptive techniques.

5. Exploring and Building with Rhythms Early Years/Special Needs Note: This activity works best whatever the age of the children if it begins with something recently or regularly experienced or something that brings a clear image into the children’s thoughts.

The following activities provide a more structured approach to music making but should be allowed to develop naturally as music has a tendency to ‘take off’!

1.

!

Echoes Early Years/Special Needs Note: Great for improving co-ordination and listening skills in a fun atmosphere. Ensure the children have instruments which they can handle and move easily and initially set the lead so that imitation is practical and feasible.

In this activity one person takes the lead.This can be an adult or child and as the activity progresses or repeats, this role should be experienced by as many as possible of those who wish to.

!

The lead plays a sound, rhythm, or riff (a catchy ‘phrase’ of melody or rhythm which is usually repeated). Everyone else, playing together, then copies using the instrument that they have.The original may need to be repeated more than once in order for everyone to copy accurately.Whilst the number of sounds and the rhythm should be the same – each instrument will result in differences in quality, pitch, volume and depth of sound.

Spend a little time discussing these.Which instruments are closest to the original? Is it more difficult to establish the rhythm on some instruments? What happens when the lead instrument or a copying instrument is tuned (plays notes) and others are not? If necessary reassure the children that some people find this easy and others find it hard.

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Use existing knowledge, perhaps of another area of the curriculum or of recent events. Select relevant days or events to explore in the same way as above.

Think of the changes that occur in the day or the way an event unfolds. Begin to explore the different rhythms that may be related to the chosen topic.

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E.g. think of a factory, whether Victorian mill or Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory there will be lots to explore! – What noise/noises does each piece of factory machinery make? Does it work all day long? When is it switched on and off?

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What other noises are there? – The factory clock? A whistle? Mice scurrying?

Footsteps? Etc. If working with more than one child ask each individual or group to focus on one machine or one sound (such as the clock). Create the factory day perhaps starting with the clock and the mice scurrying off. The clock continues to tick-tock throughout the day as gradually one machine after another is ‘turned on’ and eventually ‘turned off ’ (in reverse order).

! ! -

Possible subjects could be: A trip on a bus/in a car/on a train,

- A Victorian factory

- An erupting volcano

- A thunderstorm

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! !6. What Animal is That? !

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Suggested follow on could include:

7. Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales

This can lead to wonderful displays of pictures and onomatopoeic words, drama performances, poetry and so much more.

Using all the ideas you have discussed and now you know the instruments well, develop an accompaniment for a familiar nursery rhyme or story e.g. Humpty Dumpty, The Three Little Pigs, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Explore the different instruments. What animal moves in a way that the sound makes you think of? E.g. Rainstick/Snake, Bamboo Buzzer/Rabbit or Kangaroo, Thunder drum/Lion, Tiger or Dragon etc. Many children will respond to the unasked question: What animal makes that sound? This can lead to a great discussion about whether an animal really makes that sound or whether the sound simply makes you think of that animal. Do lots of animals make the same sounds or are they all unique? Do animals always make the same sound or does it depend how they are feeling or what they are doing? What about imaginary animals?

! ! -

Suggested follow on could include:

! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! !

Create an imaginary animal of your own with words or pictures (great opportunity for multimedia picture or ‘recycling’ sculptures!)– think about the different sounds it would make in different situations – if you have the facility to record the sounds it can make a great audiovisual display.

Have a “Which creature?” quiz by playing the sounds and asking which animal?

Create a walk round the zoo or jungle!

Practise moving in the way the animal would when the sound is played, change when the sound changes, stop when the sound stops.

What sound could be used for a person walking, running, hopping, jumping etc?

Great opportunity for creating a multimedia picture/collage with graphics programmes, or ‘recycling sculptures’.

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What sound would be best for each character – think what sort of person they are, are they loud or quiet, happy or sad, does this change through the story etc. Look for sounds that do not necessarily ‘sound like’ e.g. the wolf, but somehow make you think of the wolf.

!

What sounds are needed for different events in the story e.g. when the house of sticks blows down, when all the kings horses arrive, when Little Red Riding Hood is walking through the forest and the birds are singing. Take the opportunity to discuss sound effects in more detail. Are they about recreating an exact sound or about a reaction we have to a sound?

!

Read or tell the story and use the instruments to make the story even better!

(Begin to understand that lots of sound effects are not necessarily as effective as a few well chosen and well placed sounds.)

!8. Creating a Story ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Now you are ready to make up your own story/rhyme with sound accompaniment!

Enjoy!

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! !6. What Animal is That? !

!

Suggested follow on could include:

7. Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales

This can lead to wonderful displays of pictures and onomatopoeic words, drama performances, poetry and so much more.

Using all the ideas you have discussed and now you know the instruments well, develop an accompaniment for a familiar nursery rhyme or story e.g. Humpty Dumpty, The Three Little Pigs, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Explore the different instruments. What animal moves in a way that the sound makes you think of? E.g. Rainstick/Snake, Bamboo Buzzer/Rabbit or Kangaroo, Thunder drum/Lion, Tiger or Dragon etc. Many children will respond to the unasked question: What animal makes that sound? This can lead to a great discussion about whether an animal really makes that sound or whether the sound simply makes you think of that animal. Do lots of animals make the same sounds or are they all unique? Do animals always make the same sound or does it depend how they are feeling or what they are doing? What about imaginary animals?

! ! -

Suggested follow on could include:

! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! !

Create an imaginary animal of your own with words or pictures (great opportunity for multimedia picture or ‘recycling’ sculptures!)– think about the different sounds it would make in different situations – if you have the facility to record the sounds it can make a great audiovisual display.

Have a “Which creature?” quiz by playing the sounds and asking which animal?

Create a walk round the zoo or jungle!

Practise moving in the way the animal would when the sound is played, change when the sound changes, stop when the sound stops.

What sound could be used for a person walking, running, hopping, jumping etc?

Great opportunity for creating a multimedia picture/collage with graphics programmes, or ‘recycling sculptures’.

Page 7

!

What sound would be best for each character – think what sort of person they are, are they loud or quiet, happy or sad, does this change through the story etc. Look for sounds that do not necessarily ‘sound like’ e.g. the wolf, but somehow make you think of the wolf.

!

What sounds are needed for different events in the story e.g. when the house of sticks blows down, when all the kings horses arrive, when Little Red Riding Hood is walking through the forest and the birds are singing. Take the opportunity to discuss sound effects in more detail. Are they about recreating an exact sound or about a reaction we have to a sound?

!

Read or tell the story and use the instruments to make the story even better!

(Begin to understand that lots of sound effects are not necessarily as effective as a few well chosen and well placed sounds.)

!8. Creating a Story ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Now you are ready to make up your own story/rhyme with sound accompaniment!

Enjoy!

Page 8

! !

MAKING MUSIC

Suggested follow on could include:

Music existed and was being played and created for thousands of years before it was formalised and written down (so that it could be shared more widely and compositions ‘owned’). It is important that children (and adults even more so!) understand that music is simply about playing with sound and that it can be created in a very free and expressive way.Whilst we may all have our own preferences for certain musical sounds and combinations, music can take any number of different forms.

Take a walk through the scene on the picture using and changing sounds/ instruments to match where the walk takes them.

! !

Ensure that the children have opportunities to play freely on the instruments, to try things out, to combine sounds and rhythms, to share and discuss ideas with other children and to swap instruments freely with the adult being as un-intrusive as possible (e.g. simply managing safety, comfort issues, care of instruments and perhaps enthusing about ideas and sounds and listening to spoken or played ideas on request). Also remember that children will naturally begin to move and sing as they play (usually swaying shoulders, nodding heads etc). As far as possible allow this to happen (though keep an eye on things for safety purposes).Trying to prevent it can lead to reducing the creativity and enjoyment. And remember that music’s closest cousin is dance – and that many of the greatest musical performers, classical as well as pop, move and sing as they play.

! !

Imagined scenes – Ask the children to imagine their own scene. Go through the same process and perhaps perform them to the rest of the group. Can the group guess where/what the scene is?

!

Imaginary walk / journey – as above but with an imagined walk e.g. through the woods, down to the beach, a train journey through countryside, cities and several stations etc.

!

These activities are a great introduction to creative writing or developing an approach to descriptive techniques.

5. Exploring and Building with Rhythms Early Years/Special Needs Note: This activity works best whatever the age of the children if it begins with something recently or regularly experienced or something that brings a clear image into the children’s thoughts.

The following activities provide a more structured approach to music making but should be allowed to develop naturally as music has a tendency to ‘take off’!

1.

!

Echoes Early Years/Special Needs Note: Great for improving co-ordination and listening skills in a fun atmosphere. Ensure the children have instruments which they can handle and move easily and initially set the lead so that imitation is practical and feasible.

In this activity one person takes the lead.This can be an adult or child and as the activity progresses or repeats, this role should be experienced by as many as possible of those who wish to.

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The lead plays a sound, rhythm, or riff (a catchy ‘phrase’ of melody or rhythm which is usually repeated). Everyone else, playing together, then copies using the instrument that they have.The original may need to be repeated more than once in order for everyone to copy accurately.Whilst the number of sounds and the rhythm should be the same – each instrument will result in differences in quality, pitch, volume and depth of sound.

Spend a little time discussing these.Which instruments are closest to the original? Is it more difficult to establish the rhythm on some instruments? What happens when the lead instrument or a copying instrument is tuned (plays notes) and others are not? If necessary reassure the children that some people find this easy and others find it hard.

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Use existing knowledge, perhaps of another area of the curriculum or of recent events. Select relevant days or events to explore in the same way as above.

Think of the changes that occur in the day or the way an event unfolds. Begin to explore the different rhythms that may be related to the chosen topic.

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E.g. think of a factory, whether Victorian mill or Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory there will be lots to explore! – What noise/noises does each piece of factory machinery make? Does it work all day long? When is it switched on and off?

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What other noises are there? – The factory clock? A whistle? Mice scurrying?

Footsteps? Etc. If working with more than one child ask each individual or group to focus on one machine or one sound (such as the clock). Create the factory day perhaps starting with the clock and the mice scurrying off. The clock continues to tick-tock throughout the day as gradually one machine after another is ‘turned on’ and eventually ‘turned off ’ (in reverse order).

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Possible subjects could be: A trip on a bus/in a car/on a train,

- A Victorian factory

- An erupting volcano

- A thunderstorm

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This is the same for everything. We all find different things ‘easy’ and ‘hard’, it’s having fun that matters! And the more fun you’re having the easier it gets.

3. Talking Sounds

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Early Years/Special Needs Note: Young children and those with learning difficulties love the novel interaction and mimicking involved in this activity.

It is an effective way to develop an awareness of the ‘rules of conversation’ e.g. taking turns and use of intonation

Once the idea is established this activity can be carried out in small groups or pairs, starting with claps rather than instruments and so on. For a challenge – carry out the activity with the leader out of sight. This really makes the group focus on the listening!

!2. Follow my Leader

Think about all the talking you have done so far. What have your voices been doing?

Talk about how they go up and down [dynamics], how they stop sometimes, how people ‘take turns’ to talk, how they sometimes interrupt each other, how some voices are louder/softer [volume], lower/higher [pitch] or gruffer/sweeter [timbre] than others, etc.

Early Years/Special Needs Note: Great for improving co-ordination and listening skills in a fun atmosphere. Ensure the children have instruments which they can handle and move easily and initially set the lead so that imitation is practical and feasible.

!

Explore the instruments or just share them out. Try to imitate a conversation that is going on – this could be between a pair or by observing two people having a conversation. Take it in turns, interrupt occasionally, get lower and higher sounds, make louder and softer sounds.

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How would you make a whisper? Find the right instrument or find a way to play the same instrument more quietly. Explore how some of the sounds could be angry sounds, happy sounds, sad sounds, etc. Use these in the ‘conversation’.

!4. Playing Pictures !

Look at the picture of a scene e.g. the beach, a busy street, a rainforest, etc. Share ideas for the sounds that might be heard in that scene. One thing, e.g. the sea, the wind in the trees, the sound of a lorry etc can be picked out and time spent choosing the best instrument or instruments to represent that sound. Note how some instruments make sounds which are very close to the imagined sounds whereas others are different but still work.

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The children/child can choose instruments to recreate those sounds e.g. rainsticks and shakers for the sea. What are the rhythms of those sounds e.g. the waves of the sea crashing on the beach? Together create the whole scene in sounds. Would these all be heard at once? Begin to structure times and places within the scene so that sounds are played at different times. How often and for how long would the sounds be heard? It may be possible to finish with a whole ‘composition’.

!! !! !! !

This activity moves on from the idea of the lead and the copier taking turns and can become as fast and furious as desired! The lead starts as before but continues to play.

As the copiers establish their playing, the lead chooses the moment to change the rhythm/riff. The copiers must then adapt! Move through repeated changes and where appropriate increase the frequency of the changes.

!

Again, share the lead role around as much as possible. Take the opportunity of any ‘hiccups’ in the process to discuss such things as: What kind of rhythms are easier to copy? How important is it to play the rhythm/riff in a regular/even way? Is this as important when playing alone? Is there a ‘best place’ for changing the rhythm? And so on.

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Managed around a certain base rhythm (e.g. four strong evenly placed beats on a continuing basis) the children will begin to experience how rhythms/riffs can blend with each other as in the next activity. There’s no harm at all in starting with rhythms or riffs copied from songs or theme tunes you or the children know.

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3. Mixing Rhythms !

As a large group, small group or pair, begin to explore how different rhythms fit together. You may want to start with claps only (where this is accessible to the children – do ensure any chosen activity is inclusive) and then move onto the instruments.

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Start with four strong evenly placed beats on a continuing basis: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4.

Talk and demonstrate the count of four. Get the children to copy this. Then count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and with the ‘ands’ coming between the beats.

Demonstrate playing different riffs/rhythms using this counting as the base.

E.g. Playing on 1 and 2, 3, 4 (with the ‘ands’ after 2, 3 & 4 being silent i.e. not played) or 1 and 2 and only (3 and 4 and will be ‘counted’ in silence).

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Discuss the ‘silences’ (the ‘rests’) and how they must be there to keep with the overall ‘beat’. Discuss how tuned instruments can establish a melody around this beat in the same way.

Early Years Note: Young children enjoy talking about different countries, the way people live, the weather etc. They love to set up a ‘travel agents’, ‘homes of other countries’ or ‘instrument shops’ in the house or school home corner.

!

In small groups or pairs one person keeps the four beat going whilst the other(s) try fitting other rhythms around it. Where possible divide into groups.

Each group is given a blending rhythm to play as above. Once these are established with the four beat continuing gradually bring in each group until everyone is playing together.

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This activity can be repeated as often as you like to establish understanding and to try out using other rhythms. Also try using a different base pulse – maybe a 1 – 2 – 3 or a jig-like 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6. Older players who like a challenge may also like to investigate what it feels like to play a 5 beat! Why are some beats easier than others?

!4. Altogether Now! !

2. Sorting Sounds

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Spend some time sorting the instruments into different categories. Ask the children for ideas: What ways can you think of for sorting them? E.g. what type of sound they make, how the sound is made/how must they be played, how many different sounds can one instrument make, what they are made of, are they melodic (pitched) or rhythmic etc.

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Suggested follow on could include:

Start this activity with all the children using a familiar beat like the four beat.

Again claps may be appropriate prior to using the instruments. Get the children to try out their own ideas of rhythms/riffs/melodies etc. (NB. Better not to use too many tuned instruments when working with large groups of children initially, one or two is feasible for free exploration at this stage).

In a class situation try dividing into groups, each taking a category of instruments. What does it sound like when all the similar instruments in a group are played together? What does it sound like when different types of instrument play together (start with just one instrument from each group)?

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Play continuously, with small breaks to discuss how the children are enjoying it and whether they think there should be any changes, for as long as is available and the children are comfortable with. Children as young as 3 will play for 15 minutes easily and may play happily for 30 minutes to an hour with only small breaks!

Suggested follow on could include: This activity can develop in a multitude of ways. Consider: Using different base beats. 1 – 2 – 3 or 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 for example. Starting with ‘random’ words such as ‘sausages and mash’ ‘bean stew’ ‘fast red car’ ‘wicked witch’ etc (generated by the children) and develop the rhythm from there.

!

Create songs by putting words together – silly combinations of ‘random’ words are great fun, the latest school dinner menu is a ready made set of words, etc.

Focus on the rhythm and musicality.

!

Work more with tuned instruments. Those available in the boxes should be played rhythmically and confidently and will sound great. If using tuned percussion already in school, try using a pentatonic scale initially. E.g. for Cmajor pentatonic scale use only notes: C , D , E , G , A , C. For C-minor pentatonic scale use only notes C , D# , F , G , A# , C

Science exploration of sound: Find out what part of the instrument is making the sound. How is the sound produced? Use instruments like the bamboo buzzer and the thunder drums to develop the idea that sound is a result vibration, of moving air, etc. Vibration can be felt on parts of both of these instruments and the moving air can be felt against an open palm held about 2 cm away from the open end of the thunder drum while it is sounding.

Science exploration of materials: Identify the materials used to make the instruments. Why have these been chosen? Where are the materials found?

What is special about the materials that make them good at making sounds?

Could other materials be used? Can you think of a material that would be no good at all for making sounds? (This also leads onto Design Technology activity suggested later).

!

In schools this activity could begin to introduce Venn and Carroll diagrams with overlapping sets or sorting according to two criteria.

Mix movement and music, perform to others or design and make your own instruments using knowledge and experience gained from the other exercises.

Early Years/Special Needs Note: Even very young children are fascinated by the experience of ‘feeling sound’ and have fun discussing what the instrument is made of. They can surprise you with their ideas during the talk around the second activity. Allow them to explore their ideas at their own pace and in their own words. Gently challenge and encourage these ideas.

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EXPLORING SOUNDS

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USING THE INSTRUMENTS TO IMPROVE LEARNING

The activities in this section explore the instruments and investigate working with sounds in a range of ways. They lead on well to developing skills for music-making, which is the focus of the next section, but the sections work equally well independently or in any order.

!1. Creating Sounds

There is increasing awareness of different learning styles and the need to include visual, movement, and tactile elements to promote more effective learning. These instruments are ideal for this kind of work.

Examples:

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1.Times Table Games

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Early Years/Special Needs Note: This activity is wonderful for developing curiosity, an approach to questioning, body awareness and gross motor control as well as introducing the instruments.

Look at the outside of the basket – What could it contain? Where has it come from? What is it made of? How was it made? Examine it closely.

!

Open the basket and explore each instrument – What is it made of? Where might it have been made? What sound do you think it will make? Then explore how to play the instrument and discover what sound it makes. Can it make more than one sound depending on what you do? What movement does your body have to make so that the instrument can make a sound?

In large groups divide the participants into smaller groups with a small number of instruments for each group/pair to explore and then demonstrate to everyone. Some of the instruments [see list in the Introduction] are difficult for very small children and those with poor fine motor control so be aware of this when sharing instruments.

! !

Suggested follow on activities could include: Read traditional stories from some of the countries identified.

Establish the countries/regions of origin and plot the instruments onto a world map [this could be done with photos of the instruments and a large scale map for displays with resulting children’s work or further research information].

!

Find out what languages are spoken in these countries. What are the countries of origin of these languages? Link to the MFL curriculum, history exploration of settlement, invasion, slavery etc. could follow on from this.Discussions of children’s lives in these countries, weather topics, children’s rights, fair trade etc are just a few examples of where these explorations can lead.

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Counting up from 1, numbers in e.g. the 3 times table are represented by a sound and not said.

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The instrument would be played each time these numbers occurred thus:

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1, 2, {sound}, 4, 5, {sound}, 7, 8, {sound} and so on

This game can be played with one child or a whole class!

For an advanced version play the same game with more than one times table at once using a different sound for each times table. Using the 3 times and 6 times tables with sound 1 for 3 times and sound 2 for 6 times would go like this:

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!

2. Punctuation Sounds

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1, 2, {sound 1}, 4, 5, {sound 1 and sound 2}, 7, 8, {sound 1} and so on

Combining 2 and 3 times tables leads to even more fun and leads to a good discussion on even numbers

A great way to focus on punctuation and its correct use. Here different chosen sounds (let the child/children make the choices) are used to represent different punctuation types.

!

Start as simply as required. A good starting point is to ask one or more of the children to play the instrument at the end of a spoken sentence first to record just full stops. Then go on to identifying full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks.

[The bamboo buzzer makes a great exclamation mark!]

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This is also an effective way to embed the correct position of speech marks and punctuation associated with speech/dialogue.

The activities can build up to be as complicated as you wish. Can be great fun for group or whole class redrafting of a piece of work too!

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3. Beating the Syllables

INTRODUCTION

A useful way to improve speech and pronunciation and to introduce spelling. Choose any instrument to mark each syllable of the spoken word or while reading text. Start with single words and encourage the child/children to beat/shake out the number of syllables heard/read.

This guide contains ideas to get you started and which can be adapted or used to inspire further creative approaches. They can be used in any order, as stand alone explorations, or as a series of progressive sessions designed to introduce the instruments, embed a creative, open-minded approach to music making and to link with other learning. They should result in stimulating and responsive sessions which may take a new direction each time they are undertaken. The activities can be split up into shorter sessions easily if time limits require.

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4. Spelling Strings

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For a more advanced approach choose a different instrument for the stressed syllable – the part of the word given more emphasis when spoken.

Using sounds to represent particular spelling strings makes spelling investigation fun!

Example of possible activities:

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All activities are suitable for individuals, pairs or groups and can be used with any age group from Early Years to Senior Seniors. The enjoyment of music making, sound creation and creativity is not limited in any way by age – only by attitude (and Early Years know best!). The important thing is to be responsive, open-minded and to have fun.

Use different sounds for different phonemes during phonic work. Extend by playing a ‘phonic I spy’ where the child or children play a particular sound to show they have heard each phoneme.

Safety Note: Use of these instruments should be supervised.Whilst the instruments are generally robust they are made from natural materials, not plastic, and should be treated with care. Some instruments are more fragile, such as the mother of pearl shaker and bird ocarina, so do check for sharp edges before handing out. Broken shells can easily be removed by an adult. The instruments don’t need any particular maintenance – just treat carefully, keep them clean and dry and be sure to put them away carefully at the end of each session (this can be an enjoyable activity in its own right for younger children).

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- Sort words with two or more different spellings of the same sound by

asking the child/children to play the sound which identifies the spelling e.g. ‘ee’ and ‘ea’.

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- Attach sounds to certain rules e.g. rules for spelling verbs: ‘adding’ –ing such

as drop the ‘e’ and add ‘ing’. The children can use different sounds to identify what rule has been used to spell the word e.g. hoping, hopping, etc.

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5. Counting Activities ! !

6. Exploring the Seasons !

All counting activities, mental maths, times table work etc can be enhanced with a regular beat/sound to maintain pace of working.

Discovering the sounds of the seasons leads to detailed discussion and discovery and is a great way to encourage discussion by young children.

E.g. Autumn – the rustling of the leaves, animals looking for food or somewhere to hibernate, rain, wind, birds pulling berries of bushes and trees, frost, conkers falling and so on!

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7. Colour Work ! ! !

Assigning sounds to colours can be a creative discussion topic and is useful for introducing the idea of primary and secondary colours and pigment mixing.

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There are some instruments which are more difficult for younger children or those with fine motor difficulties. These include: Frog twirlers, bamboo buzzers, panpipes, animal clacker, thumb piano, monkey drum, thunder drums, bamboo flutes, jaw harp and klikklak shell.

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If you have any feedback about the instruments or this guide or would like to share other ideas and activities that have worked well for you, we would be delighted to hear about them through the contact pages of www.drumsforschools.co.uk and www.soundchildren.co.uk

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!

©2008 Pewter Frog Storytelling

This guide may be photocopied for educational purposes but may not be reproduced or transmitted in any way for profit or commercial gain.

Published by Drums for Schools Ltd

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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

CONTENTS

!

INTRODUCTION

!

EXPLORING SOUNDS ! !

!

This Guide has been written by Jane Leigh with input from annA rydeR and Craig Trafford. They’re all brilliant and inspiring teachers and Drums for Schools is very proud to be associated with them.

!

Jane Leigh is an active GP and a Primary Teacher with experience across the full breadth of curriculum. Jane is Clinical Champion for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities and also Clinical Lead for Children’s Services with a Primary Care Trust.

Pewter Frog is Jane’s storytelling and creative arts company and provides tailor-made performances and workshops for any venue, any audience, and any age which are anchored around original stories, myths, legends and traditional tales, original and existing music, poetry, and bilingual storytelling. www.pewterfrog.co.uk

1. Creating Sounds

2. Sorting Sounds

3. Talking Sounds

4. Playing Pictures

5. Exploring and Building with Rhythms

6. What Animal is That?

7. Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales

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Page 9 - 11

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1. Echoes

2. Follow my Leader

3. Mixing Rhythms

4. Altogether Now

USING THE INSTRUMENTS TO IMPROVE LEARNING

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Page 3 - 8

MAKING MUSIC

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Page 12 - 13

1. Times Table Games

2. Punctuation Sounds

3. Beating the Syllables

4. Spelling Strings

5. Counting Activities

6. Exploring Seasons

7. Colour Work

annA rydeR is an accomplished singer-songwriter as well as a fully qualified teacher with hands-on experience across all age groups and abilities. She has extensive experience in EY and SEN settings. annA has built outdoor sounds and instruments, multi-sensory environments and has worked with Pupil Referral Unit, secondary school students and teachers and training for people who work in education. Anna is based in Warwick and provides music-making and creative workshops to groups throughout the Midlands. www.annaryder.co.uk

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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS ! ! ! ! ! !

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Singer-songwriter Craig Trafford has facilitated sound & music and creative learning programmes for thousands of people since 1989. His wide-ranging methods work to enhance balanced creativity for children, adults, and people with disabilities, businesses and professionals in education, social care and private sectors.

Craig, based in Malvern, is a certified Stress Management Trainer, has studied Brain Gym to consultant level and travels around the UK to give his Teacher Training and Early Years workshops.

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www.earlyearsmusic.com www.thelittlegreencd.com Page 14

Activity Guides A5 Dec13_Layout 1 16/12/2013 22:38 Page 3

Activity Guides A5 Dec13_Layout 1 16/12/2013 22:36 Page 2

Teaching Resources from Drums for Schools Acclaimed Class Teaching Guides These expertly written teaching guides are suitable for both generalist teachers and specialist music teachers. You don't need to be able to read music, nor do you need any prior experience of each musical style as the guides, supported by online audio and video support, will take you and the class step by step from basics to first performance in just 10 carefully structured lessons.

Perfect for Wider Opportunities projects and class instrumental teaching.

from Sound Children Orly Zalel’s Musical Baby Bonding Guide & CD A step-by-step programme that uses singing and simple musical exercises to help parents find their own unique bond with their baby. The CD contains 10 nursery rhymes and baby songs and demonstrates the natural tone of voice and slow pace that is best for singing to your baby,

annA rydeR’s Music Cards Quirky and imaginative musical ideas cards that are all you need to start leading educationally rich, open-ended music sessions for children aged 1-5. Available in packs of 10 or 30 cards.

More teaching guides, song books and a range of the very best music resources for teachers and parents.

www.soundchildren.co.uk www.drumsforschools.co.uk

Music Baskets Activity Guide