“If you can read and keep a beat, then you can do music, because music is more than melody!” enthused preschool music teacher Ellen Hoffman in May’s Music is More Than Melody workshop.
Music is More Than Melody Podcast Part I Listen to Streaming Audio || Download MP3
(length: 57 minutes - file size: 54.6 MB)
Music is More Than Melody Podcast Part II Listen to Streaming Audio || Download MP3
(length: 46 minutes - file size: 46.2 MB)
Catalog - Rhythm Band Instruments - web site can be confusing to navigate - I suggest you order their catalog. Telephone is 800-424-4724. Web site is http://www.rhythmband.com
A supply of simple and inexpensive instruments can greatly enhance story time. Castanets, jingle bells, maracas, rhythm sticks, and sand blocks are all reasonably priced. Drums are more expensive, but can be worth it. I use the Tom Boy drum, which is $6.00.
LOOKING AT INSTRUMENTS VISUALLY
I like to challenge children to use instruments in other ways - to look at the shapes, and see what else they could be. For example:
CASTANETS
Look and sound like ducks. Ideal for any books with duck characters. Children click them and can make quacking noises. Suggested song - "6 Little Ducks" Castanets also look like clam shells, and can be incorporated with any book about the beach or sea life.
Another use - a counting song. Capitals show when to click castanet. Song can be chanted.
There was ONE, there were TWO, there were THREE, there were FOUR
There were FIVE little children in the band.
There were SIX, there were SEVEN, there were EIGHT, there were NINE
There were TEN little children in the band.
*WASN ’ T that a BAND LITtle CHILDren
WASN ’ T that a BAND LITtle CHILDren
WASN ’ t that a BAND LITtle CHILDren
WASN ’ t that a BAND. * (do lines between * two times)
SAND BLOCKS
With imagination, children can maneuver the two sand blocks into positions similar to modes of transportation. Line up a few, short-end to short-end, and you have a train. Put one vertically, and place the other horizontally on top of it ( so the two red handles line up one behind the other, as pilot and co-pilot) and you have an airplane. Place one with handle up, and put the other (handle up) on top of it and spin it around, and you have a helicopter. Put both on floor vertically, with handles down, and you have the gas and brake pedals of a car. Other uses - make a sailboat with anchor (red handle down) a submarine, a snowplow, etc. Ideal with any books about transportation.
Suggested song: "I Want to Go a Traveling Today" (can be chanted) - scrape sand blocks on capitalized words of the chorus.
"I Want to Go a Traveling Today"
Chorus: WANT to GO a TRAVel ING, aTRAVel ING toDAY
i WANT to SEE the WHOLE wide WORLD
FAR FAR aWAY (do this 2 times)
Have children move sand blocks into different positions. Sample rhyme as they do so:
On a train, a train, chugging down the track. A train, a train will get you there and back. (chorus)
On a plane, a plane, flying in the sky. A plane, a plane, make it go up high. (chorus)
On a helicopter flying in the air, a helicopter, sure will get you there. (chorus)
In a car, a car driving down the street. A car, a car, a car just can’ t be beat. (chorus)
On a boat, a boat, sailing on the sea, a boat, a boat, come sailing with me. (chorus)
DRUMS
The drums I use have handles, turned upside down they can become pots or pans, and the mallets become spoons. Ideal for any book about cooking. Stone Soup is an example. Drums also look like giant lollipops, or the pendulum of a grandfather clock..
RHYTHM STICKS
What can you build with two straight lines? Children have come up with - oars, ski poles, skis, hammer and nail, violin and bow, bow and arrow, rabbit ears, insect antennae, walrus tusks, long, dangly earrings, the letters L, X, T, and V, the number 11, a plus sign, a cross, railroad tracks, a teepee , a roof, construction truck gears, etc.
TRIANGLES
A three cornered hat, a bracelet, a pocket, a witches hat, a teepee; using all three pieces (striker and holder) a tree with an apple hanging down, a Christmas tree with an ornament, a pond and fishing rod.
POM POMS
Not an instrument, but fun for play can be silly hair, a hula skirt, a broom, a paintbrush, a horse ’ s tail.
LOOKING AT INSTRUMENTS FOR THEIR SOUND
SANDBLOCKS - choo choo trains, toothbrushes, claps of thunder
DRUMS - scrape fingers across top for wind, tap fingers gently on top for rain, hit with mallet for thunder.
RHYTHM STICKS - (one smooth, one ridged) - pull ridged one over smooth to saw a log. Hold under your chin to make a violin, make hammer and nail, bang on floor for heavy rain, thunder or horses hooves. Scraping sound can be a duck, tapping sound a clock.
JINGLE BELLS - hold up high, pretend to shake down rain or snow. Cover jingles with hands to muffle sound to turn rain into drizzle.
TRIANGLES - fire truck bell
CASTANETS - duck quacks, footsteps of someone with high-heeled shoes
POM POMS - wind rustling through leaves
RHYTHMIC BOOKS
Mary Wore Her Red Dress (and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers) Merle Peek
Have children rock side to side with arms out on capital letters.
MARY wore a RED dress, a RED dress, a RED dress.
MARY wore a RED dress ALL day LONG.
RED(hit knees) Dress(hit knees)
ALL DAY LONG - (clap on each word)
Repeat this three times, on the third time when you say the word LONG - make it LOOOOONG - spread your arms slowly as far as they will go while holding the word then yell “ Catch it ” and clap hands. You caught that note before it burst! On each page have children find the rhythm of each article of clothing by patting their knees.
PUR PLE PANT (3 even beats) ALL DAY LONG (Claps)
YEL LOW SWEAT ER 9 (four even beats) ALL DAY LONG (claps)
GREEN SNEAKERS (3 beats - LONG short short) ALL DAY LONG (claps)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin, illustrated by Eric Carle
A very rhythmic book. Repeat each line while rocking side to side with arms out on the capitalized letter beat.
BROWN bear BROWN bear WHAT do you SEE?
BROWN bear BROWN bear WHAT do you SEE?
BROWN bear BROWN bear What do you SEE?
(Stop rocking) I see a RED BIRD (have children clap hands on the name of each new animal- RED BIRD gets two claps) (put hands above eyes) looking at me. I see a RED BIRD (clap clap) looking at me.
(rock side to side) RED bird, RED bird What do you SEE? (etc.)
Any Sesame Street book - add this Sesame Street chant. Rock side to side a capitalized beats.
SESAME STREET, SESAME STREET. I wanna LIVE on SESAME STRET (do 2 times)
With BIG BIRD (hand up on BIG, way down on BIRD)
With Oscar in the trash can (clap 4 times as if putting lid on can.)
WithCookie Monster (use monster voice, hands pretend to hold a big cookie)
With Bert and Ernie (pound fists)
With Tickle Me Elmo (tickle you tummy in Tickle Me, raise hands on Elmo)
BOOK - Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
Have children make simple sock puppets, and chant a song about the silly things THEIR Silly Sally does. (Rock side to side on capitalized beat)
SIL LY SAL LY
WHAT did you DO to DAY AY
SIL LY SAL LY
WHAT did you DO to DAY
You : MY sally
Kids: Uh oh
You: Was SOO silly
KIDS - Uh oh
You: She took a bath in applesauce! (make up something silly)
Kids: She took a bath in applesauce???? OH NO!
THEMES
THE MAGIC OF THREE Use a triangle, show all three sides. If you have different sizes, show how each size makes different sound. Segue into triceratops - has three horns. Use a dinosaur book. Then go to stegosaurus, a dinosaur that looks like he has triangles on his back. Then go into the idea of a waltz beat - which is 123, 123. Give children teddy bears (you can always get them at garage sales) and have them waltz around the room to this chant.
MY teddy bear MY teddy bear, THIS is my TEDdy bear
MY teddy bear MY teddy bear, THIS is my TEDdy bear.
MY teddy BEAR LIVES in my ROOM. WE share bear SECRETS WATCHING the MOON.
UNDER the COVERS, MY bear and ME. Do YOU care for YOUR bear like MINE cares for ME?
RAIN - use drums if available or if not hands. Rub hands for wind, tap fingers on floor for rain, hit floor with hand for thunder. (steady 1,2,3,4 beat on drum- if no drum, clap hands)
Walka walka walka walka walka with me.
Walking in the forest under the trees.
Walking, walking, walking slow.
Walking walking walking walking here we go.
(scratch drum for wind)
I hear the wind rustling through the trees/wind is blowing all the leaves. (do these lines 2x)
REPEAT walka part. (tap fingertips on drum for rain)
I hear the rain, falling all around/rain is falling, it ’ s a gentle sound (do these lines 2x)
REPEAT walka part (Hit drum slowly)
Thunder, Thunder all around/Thunder thunder loud sound (do these 2 times)
(instead of walka this time, say running, have them hit drums or clap hands very fast: running running running running running with me/running through the forest under the trees).
Running, running, running fast/running running running running home at last.
OTHER RAIN ACTIVITIES - use rhythm sticks. Scrape for a gentle rain or drizzle, tap for a steady rain,. Hit the floor with them for a downpour or thunder. Song - Rained a Mist. Use jingle bells - have children pretend to shake rain down from the sky. ("It's Raining, It's Pouring" - or "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More, No More") as rain gets heaving, children tap bells on floor. Use rainsticks - these can be made by getting postal tube, using aluminum foil to make a spiral. Stuff spiral inside with rice or popcorn. Spiral will slow down movement of rice. Talk about how aluminum is an obstacle - it gets in the way and slows down the sound. Can lead into books about children who have overcome obstacles. Can also use song (I can see Clearly now the Rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way, gone are the gray clouds that had me down, gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day.)
MAKE A CHARACTER AN INSTRUMENT OR SOUND
Baby Blue Cat Said No by Ainsley Pryor
Use a piano, xylophone, melody bells or tone bars - anything with the notes of the scale. Baby orange cat gets one note. Baby White can gets a different note. Baby Striped Cat gets a different note. BUT (on these words start a G and go down the scale) BABY(G) Blue (F) CAT (E) SAID (D) NO (C)
In books with multiple characters, pick an instrument that may match the characters disposition. When a fairy appears on the page, children shake a jingle bell. For a villain, they may bang the drum. For a Poppa, pick an instrument with a low sound,(drum) Momma gets a higher sound,(maraca?) and baby gets the highest sound (jingle bell).
TURN A SONG INTO A STORY
JINGLE BELLS - Ggive each child a bell and tell them to stand for this story - tell about a little boy who loved two things, snow and his jingle bell. Every night he would wish for snow. One night his dream came true. When he woke up he put on (have children name the things you need to go out into the snow). But the snow was so high, he had to lift his leg and go... (to the tune of "Jingle Bells") Marching in the snow/near the one horse open sleigh/o'er the fields he’ d go/marching all the way. Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright/what fun it is to MARCH and sing/a sleighing song tonight.
But as he marched he flattened down the snow and then he wanted more. So he lifted his bell way on high, pretended he was atop a cloud, a his job was to shake down more snow. (Sing "Jingle Bells," as kids shake down snow.)
Pretty soon he came to an open field - pure snow - no footprints or paw prints. And he rubbed his hands and said, “ I know what I want to do, ” So he bent his knees and went... (to the tune of "Jingle Bells") JUMPING in the snow/near the one horse open sleigh ... etc.
But each time he jumped, there seemed to be less snow. So he decided to kick some of the snow back up into the air and watch it fall down again. (Sing "Jingle bells," as kids kick)
Suddenly he realized that he had been gone a long time, and that his mother would be worried. She expected him home for lunch and now he was late! So he decided the only way he could get home on time would be to go ..
RUNNING through the snow/near the one horse open sleigh, etc.
He made it! But he decided to be extra quiet and sneak into the house, so maybe his mom wouldn ’ t notice he was late. (Sing "Jingle Bells" quietly as kids tiptoe and make bells quieter by covering up the jingles with their hands. When you get to the word “ Hey ” shout it and stop) Oh no. It was his mother!! Am I Late (nod)
Were you worried (nod)
But I was having so much fun. I got good exercise and I used my imagination! Am I in trouble (shake head)
Noo? Yay? (Sing "Jingle Bells")
DO STORY SONGS
"Where’ s my Pajamas?" (can be used in conjunction with Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton.
Refrain: (rock side to side on capitalized word)
WHERES my PAJAMAS? WHERES my PAJAMAS? WHERES my PAJAMAS
He HOLLERED round the ROOM. (WHOOO!!- shout and pump fist in air)
(Repeat all lines but leave out WHOO.)
Start the story by saying there once was a little by named Tommy (use any name) who didn ’ t want to go to bed. His mom came to tell him it was bedtime, but he didn’ t want to go.. So he told his mom he couldn’ t go to bed yet. She asked why. He said there ’ s something missing. She asked what? And he said: (Refrain)
She gave him a funny look, opened his drawer and there were his pajamas. She said, “ Here they are, now go to bed. He said NOOOOO I can’ t go to bed yet. Something’ s missing. She said what’ s missing now? and he said: (repeat chorus but with different missing item. It could be pillow, blanket, toothbrush, toothpaste, stuffed animal, teddy bear, etc. - each time his mom finds it, tells him to go to bed, he says no, and thinks of a new excuse. He could also say "I can’ t go to bed because YOU forgot something; this could be a hug, a kiss, a story, a song, etc. Just drag it on as long as you can - ask the children to think of what is missing, or what his mom forgot. At the end, when he runs out of things, do the refrain with the mom saying: "Go to bed now, go to bed now, go to bed now she whispered round the room SHHHHH"
So Tommy closed his eyes, Tommy closed his eyes, Tommy closed his eyes and fell... a...sleep. (soft voice)
SOUND AWARENESS
Simple chant - rock side to side on capitalized words
WHAT does a CLOCK say TICK tock TICK tock
WHAT does a CLOCK say TICK tock TICK tock
WHAT does a CLOK say TICK tock TICK tock
A CLOCK says TICK tock ALL day LONG.
Repeat, with:
hands (clap clap)
bees (buzz buzz)
train (choo choo)
horn (beep beep beep, etc..)
SIMPLE CHANTS TO FEEL BEATS
Have parents put child in lap, facing them Rock back and forth on capitalized beat.
MOTHER and FATHER and UNCLE JOHN
WENT to TOWN ONE by ONE.
MOTHER FELL OFF! (lean all the way to the right)
FATHER FELL OFF (lean all the way to the left)
But UNLCE JOHN went ON and ON and ON and On and ON. (back to center and bounce child on lap)
Yes UNLCE JOHN went ON and ON and ON and ON and ON.
MAKE INSTRUMENTS
Bells - buy single jingles, sew to strip of heavy fabric, or staple on Popsicle stick, or string on piece of thick yarn.
Maracas -filling can be rice, popcorn, pebbles, small pastas. Staple two paper plates. Or use yogurt cans, or apple or pineapple juice cans. Use plastic Easter eggs (buy after Easter at half price) fill with above fillings or oatmeal for a quieter sound. Demonstrate how different fillings change sound.
Drums - use oatmeal or bread crumb containers with lids. (or Crisco). Use plastic spoons or chopsticks for mallets.
Rhythm sticks - use chopsticks.
Homemade Instruments:
http://www.nancymusic.com/PRINThomemade.htm
PUPPETS
Often times a child won ’ t sing, but a puppet will! Inexpensive puppets sold by the dozen from Oriental Trading Co. catalog.