Music Box s Frog and Woodpecker Spring 2006 Music Box - Spring 2006 Frog and Woodpecker bbc.co.uk/schoolradio A series provided by the BBC at the request of the Educational Broadcasting Council for the United Kingdom Age: 4-5 These programmes are available to order (for UK schools only) on pre-recorded CDs or cassette from: BBC Schools Broadcast Recordings Tel: 08701 272 272 Monday to Friday 0800 to 1800 Or visit www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/howtoorder.shtml for more information Audio on demand. These programmes are also available as audio on demand from the School Radio website for 7 days following the original date of transmission. Refer to programme titles below to find out when programmes are available as audio on demand. This publication contains only BBC copyright material: its contents may be copied or reproduced for use in schools and colleges without further permission. 1
Music Box Spring 2006 Frog and Woodpecker These programmes are avaialble as audio on demand. Check below for the dates that each is available. Introduction 3 1 Starting the day 6 Aod 10/01/06 16/01/2006 2 Snow surprise 7 Aod 17/01/06 23/01/06 3 Jumping frogs 8 Aod 24/01/06 30/01/06 4 A snail trail adventure 10 Aod 31/01/06 06/02/06 5 Making pancakes 11 Aod 07/02/06 20/02/06 6 There's something in the soil 13 Aod 21/02/06 27/02/06 7 Growing bulbs 14 Aod 28/02/06 06/03/06 8 Looking at eggs 16 Aod 07/03/06 13/03/06 9 Out and about 17 Aod 14/03/06 20/03/06 10 Spring celebration 18 Aod 21/03/06 30/03/06 2
Introduction: Welcome to Music Box wood. Woodpecker and Frog are our woodland guides to the wonderful change from winter to spring. Out and about, in and around the wood, from the slumber of winter they spot the new life of spring. In this term's programmes we are using sound. The programmes focus on loud and quiet (dynamics), high and low (pitch), fast and slow (tempo), and pulse and pattern (duration). The children are encouraged to listen purposefully and carefully and to begin to recognise and describe these musical features. An important part of this experience is the children joining in and making music which involves different musical elements. Songs and poems each week focus on different musical elements and introduce the language to help the children describe the sounds they make and hear. Links with other School Radio music programmes: Music Box is an introduction to the other music series from School Radio The Song Tree, Time and Tune and Music Workshop. The songs and games - together with the follow-up activities - introduce the skills and concepts leading towards Key Stage 1 and the curriculum documents for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The lively informal approach encourages interaction with enjoyment Using the programmes and these Teacher s Notes: Programmes are available to order (for UK schools and other academic institutions only) on pre-recorded cassettes and CDs. Further information is available at this page of the School Radio website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/howtoorder.shtml Programmes are also available as audio on demand from the School Radiowebsite for 7 days following transmission (check the contents table abovefor dates). The audio on demand is a reliable service especially on broadband - that allows you to listen to the programme streamed over the internet. This means that you can play the programme to your class either: direct from a computer from a hifi by connecting the output of the computer into a suitable input on the amplifier (which offers enhanced sound quality) by connecting the computer to an interactive white-board To listen to the audio files you will need to have installed Realplayer on your computer. This commonly-used software is easy to download from the internet if you do not already have it. There are instructions on how to do so at the BBC School Radio website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/help.shtml 3
Using the audio on demand service is just as flexible as using a prerecorded cassette or CD of the programmes. You are able to pause the programme whenever you wish and also scroll forwards and backwards through a programme to locate other sections or to listen to sections again. Before the programme: It is important that the children are sitting comfortably where they can hear the programme clearly. Place the sound source at the children s ear height, with the volume at a comfortable listening level. If it is too quiet they will become restless and find it difficult to join in. They need space for arm and hand actions and preferably enough room to stand up to make larger whole body actions on some occasions. Have any additional resources ready (see the You will need section for each programme). Before a session try to focus the children s attention by talking with them about the previous session, playing a game or singing one of their favourite songs or rhymes. During the programme: Join in with all the activities to encourage the children to do the same. Some of the songs this term have traditional tunes that may be familiar and some songs are brand new. All of the songs are sung at a pitch that should be comfortable for you and the children: not too high and not too low. So, even if you are a little unsure of your own singing voice, have a go. Watch out for the timid or anxious child who may need extra encouragement, or the very enthusiastic child who may need a little quietening. If your group finds the programmes too long at first, split each one into sections to use at different times, or concentrate on one or two activities. By returning to the same programme several times, the children will gain confidence and develop memory and listening skills as well as begin to enjoy the familiarity of the material. After the programme: Go over any new concepts or skills by replaying the programme; use them as a starting point for follow-up work. Share the new songs and games with other children and their parents from time to time. Music activities and singing with young children: Music making of all kinds should be enjoyable and fun. The important part is joining in freely without anxiety. Young children enjoy music but they will not all respond in the same way. Some children are more confident than others, some may prefer to listen than to do, especially at first. Let them feel comfortable listening, encourage them and they will join in when they are ready. Many of the songs include actions which the children should be encouraged to join in with: lead by example. 4
By joining in, the children will become aware of the pulse (the beat) of the song. Clapping and slapping in time is an excellent way to enjoy the songs while developing the motor control required to play instruments. A range of different types of songs have been chosen: some with finger play, some with mime, some with questions and answers and both happy and sad songs. Singing in tune is difficult for most children of this age; it comes with practice and maturity. Singing with confidence and enjoyment is the first step. There are plenty of opportunities within the programmes to make vocal sounds other than singing (speaking, whispering, animal and human sounds and those of the environment). Setting up a music corner: If possible, set up an area where the children can begin to explore some of the ideas from the programmes in their own time. They can work on their own, in pairs or in small groups. The music corner provides an opportunity for the children to learn to handle instruments confidently and with respect and to develop social and coordination skills. It is useful to have an adult helper at hand to start the children off on an activity and to guide it if necessary. The instruments can be stood on a table, shelf or trolley. Change them regularly to keep the area fresh. Choose the soundmakers according to the activity you would like to develop. The follow-up ideas at the end of each programme give some suggestions. Organising the music corner: Any instruments, bought, made or found, have a place in the music corner. The only criterion for inclusion is does it make a useful sound? Build up a collection to include instruments from each of the categories below. Tuned percussion A set of chime bars, a xylophone (wooden bars), a glockenspiel or metallophone (metal bars) with a range of rubber, metal, felt and wooden beaters. One good quality instrument (or a few good quality chime bars) is far more useful than many poor quality instruments. Non-pitched percussion Banging instruments: drums, tambourines, bongos, biscuit tins, claves or sticks. wood blocks Shaking instruments Bells, maracas, tambourines, filled plastic bottles. sealed cardboard tubes with rice or dried peas inside Plucking instruments Elastic bands or string stretched over different-sized boxes Blowing instruments Whistles, recorders, party blowers, pipes, tubes, bottles Scraping and rubbing instruments Guiros, resi-resi, sandpaper blocks, corrugated cardboard, washboard 5
Programme 1 Starting the day Introduce our woodland neighbours Woodpecker and Frog. Talk about waking up in the morning and morning routines. Who or what wakes the children up? What are all the getting ready jobs? Room to stretch arms out wide to the side. You might like to have some getting ready things, like toothbrushes, hair brush, comb, soap. flannel, towel, to use during It s a brand new day, our morning routine song - these might be part of a structured play area after the programme. Woodpecker is an energetic early bird; we ll be joining in with her early morning flying exercises and learning to stop and start as she hammers with her beak on the trees. Frog prefers to start the day gently; he tells us all about his morning routine. Arms listening to the song and joining in with the actions joining in with the singing, controlling the voice and petjorming with others It s a brand new day singing the chorus listening to the verses and minting any actions singing nice and loudly to wake ourselves up LISTENING listening to Woodpecker s exercise song instructions and responding at the right time listening to Woodpecker s Tong, loud, hanunering: noticing when the sound starts and stops ACTIVITIES joining in with the morning stretches tapping fingers while Woodpecker hammers, folding arms when the sound stops joining in the morning routine actions and remembering the sequence of activities 6
Follow-up ideas: Sing the songs again Use vocal sounds, body sounds or instruments. Use arms outstretched as a signal to start to play, and arms by your sides its a signal to stop. Ask a child to he the conductor. Practise starting and stopping in movement. Play musical statues. Add your own actions and phrases to our morning routine song. Make up some different body stretches for the stretching song. Have half the children singing the stretch your arms out song while the other half play some banging instruments or clap, following the arms stop and start signals. Programme 2: Snow surprise Share the children s ideas for the best instrument for Woodpecker s hammering. Ask some children to demonstrate the sounds they choose. Talk about the sound being loud enough to wake up Frog! What loud sounds wake them up? Collect pictures, stories and poems about snow. Talk about the surprise and wonder when it snows overnight while we are asleep. The snow acts as a blanket to muffle early morning sounds. Have the children played in the snow? Room for some morning routine actions Frog is surprised to wake up without Woodpecker s early morning hammering. Something is different: it s very quiet and it seems very bright. It s been snowing! Frog quietly gets ready, then wakes up Woodpecker to join him in some snow fall. It s a brand new day remembering the song and joining in singing where possible with actions singing in a quiet voice, developing vocal control Playing in the snow looking at the chorus: it s to be sung loudly and has a fast tempo listening to the verse: it s quieter and slower in tempo 7
LISTENING listening and responding to the actions in It s a brand new day listening to the snow play sounds and sound words listening to the snow poem ACTIVITIES joining Frog to wake up Woodpecker: first by whispering, then by speaking, then by speaking loudly or shouting (exploring loud and quiet - dynamics - with voices) making snow sounds with voices and words using vocal expression to say the snow poem; adding actions and playing the pulse Follow-up activities: Say the snow poem again. The words are a bit like a tongue twister: help the children to really get their tongues around scrunchy and crunchy! Add actions. Play the pulse (beat) by clapping along as you say the poem. Try playing a drum pulse instead of clapping. Say the poem in a whispering voice, then in a shouting voice. Talk about times when the children use their whispering voices and their shouting voices. Say or sing some favourite nursery rhymes. Try starting quietly then getting louder; starting loudly then getting quieter. Use your hands as a signal: hands close together means quiet; hands far apart means loud. Make up a snow words sound picture. Programme 3: Jumping frogs Talk about animals that move by walking or crawling along the ground and animals that move by jumping. Talk about what high and low mean to the children. Play a game to prepare them by stretching high to the sky on tip toes with arms stretched and then crouching low on the ground. One of today s songs is about frogs jumping high and low: the children could collect pictures of frogs or even see a live one. Room to stretch high or stand up, and room to crouch down Three frog pictures to show, to help the children with the counting aspects of the song so that they call see the frogs gradually disappearing during the song - remove one frog at a tine as the song dictates. 8
Woodpecker needs to hammer for a very long time to wake Frog today. Poor Frog is exhausted: he has used all his energy playing jumping games with his frog friends the night before. Three little frogs listening to the song, stretching up when the frogs jump high, crouching down when the frogs jump low joining in as Woodpecker copies Frog, echoing each phrase of the song learning to listen and copy in an echo song Arms reminding the children of the tune, looking at two new verses listening to the new words and responding with the new actions joining in with as much of the song as they can LISTENING listening to two phrases from the frog song: Frogs jump high, Frogs jump low deciding whether to stretch up or crouch down ACTIVITIES joining in with Woodpecker s hammering by clapping along with her, starting and stopping when she starts and stops making high and low body shapes to match high and low sounds stretching to the sides, in front, behind, up and down Follow-up ideas: Make some high and low sounds with voices: make some squeaky high mouse sounds and some rumbly, low, growly bear sounds. Think about other high and low sounds. Play The kangaroo from Saint Saens Carnival of the animals. Ask the children to listen for the kangaroo standing still and looking around, then jumping about. Can the children jump when they hear the kangaroo jump? Sit in a circle. In the circle, put a selection of sound makers and some cards showing pictures of animals that move by leaping or jumping and animals that move by crawling or walking. Ask one child to choose a card and move about in the circle just like the animal. Ask another child to choose an instrument and play some sounds that match the movements. Take turns until everyone has either played or moved. 9
Programme 4: Snail trail adventure Remind the children of the jumping high and jumping low sounds. If the children are able to make their own jumping high and jumping low sounds on tuned instruments, one child could share what they did while the rest of the children say whether the sounds are jumping high or low. Can the children tell which is which if they close their eyes? Space to stretch up and crouch down The pictures of three frogs to use as a visual aid; a picture of a sheep, a duck, sonic children playing, and a bicycle Frog has been practising his jumping again. He s getting slower and slower as he gets more tired. Woodpecker, meanwhile, has found something very mysterious: a shiny silver path that leads into another part of the wood. Our animal friends decide to follow the path and see where it takes them! Three little frogs rehearsing and refining echo singing of verse one listening to and echoing verse two accompanying high sounds with hands held high, low sounds with hands on the ground memorising how many frogs fall in the well and how many are left We re going on a snail trail listening carefully and singing back an echo listening carefully and speaking back on echo using the singing and speaking voices: varying the dynamics and tempo (using loud and quiet, fast and slow) matching sounds they hear with made up vocal sounds (a sheep, a duck, children playing, a bicycle bell ringing) memorising the sequence of sounds heard on the snail trail It s a brand new day remembering and relining our early morning routine song LISTENING listening to the numbers in the frog song listening, ready to sing an echo in the frog song and on the snail trail listening to the sounds at different stops on the snail trail 10
ACTIVITIES joining in actions to show high and low, moving slowly in time to a song guessing the sounds at each stop on the snail trail Follow-up ideas: Take the children on a sound trail around school or outside. Stop and listen for twenty seconds in different places. What sounds can the children hear? Sing the snail trail song again. Ask the children to make up some other things that they might see or hear. Can the children make up some clues to make this into a guessing game? They might use animal sounds as clues. Snails move very slowly. Listen to some slow, plodding music like The great gate of Kiev from Mussorgsky s Pictures from an exhibition. Ask the children to move in time to the music or slap in time on their knees. (This is feeling the pulse of the music.) Programme 5: Making pancakes One of today s songs is all about making a special food: pancakes. Have the children made or eaten pancakes? Remind the children of the snail trail. Space for mixing and tossing pancake actions An omelette pan or a frying pan with a round placemat or something which can represent a pancake - have a go at tossing your pancake at the appropriate place in the song to help the children with their actions Frog is back from another snail trail. He s very hungry. It s time to make those pancakes but what can they have for a filling? Mix a pancake listening to the song all the way through; help the children to count how many times to mix and toss the pancakes joining in with the mix and toss a pancake lines; listening to pop it in the pan and catch it if you can 11
Watch out listening to Woodpecker s warning; looking at the chorus contextualising some of the more difficult words LISTENING recognising the tune that Frog is humming counting the number of times to repeat the actions in Mix a pancake Who is Woodpecker warning? Why does the worm need to watch out? ACTIVITIES making up slow and steady actions for the pancake song Frog wants to add a last verse - Fill a pancake! the children can contribute the fillings they would like Follow-up ideas: Sit in a circle. Chant this poem, while passing around a bean bag: Pancake, pancake for my tea, Which filling shall it be? The children join in. When the rhyme is finished, whoever is holding the bean bag chooses a filling they would like, the more exotic the better. Chant quietly, loudly, and slowly. You can speed up the chant when the children are familiar with the game. Pass an instrument round, the child choosing can play it as they say their choice. Sing the pancake song again. Choose different instruments to play for mixing, stirring, frying and tossing. Perhaps start with body sounds: stamping for mixing, rubbing tummies for stirring, rubbing hands for frying, clapping hands for tossing. Then try percussion instruments. Have four different sets of instruments, one for each action. Ask some children to come and play while the others sing. Can they play their instrument at the right time? Could you make some picture signals to help? Sing some favourite nursery rhymes very quickly or very slowly. Tell the story of The tortoise and the hare: use instruments to represent each character. 12
Programme 6: There s something in the soil Talk about worms living in the soil, helping flowers and bulbs to grow. Talk about bulbs: their shape, size, how to plant them, what they need to grow. One of today s songs is about warnings. Talk about what sort of voice the children might use to warn somebody of something dangerous. Room for finger play and actions Frog is absolutely starving! He s got his heart set on a juicy worm for breakfast, but Woodpecker has other ideas and gets ready to warn Mrs Worm. As Mrs Worm burrows down into the soil, safely out of Frog s reach, he notices something else popping up but he hears it first! Watch out! listening to the words of this warning song filled with suspense listening out for the watch out in the chorus and snapping at your tail joining in the watch out phrase, singing or speaking and body sounds for snapping at your tail listening in the verse to three warnings and joining in with gestures to help remember them extending vocal expression through music and speech in the same song extending the children s repertoire with a question and answer song in a moody, minor key Bulbs listening for all the pops : joining in by making popping, fingerflicking actions every time a pop is heard using finger actions to show the shoots pushing through as the song is repeated making short, snapping popping words when joining in to sing or say all the pops Mix a pancake joining in and singing as much as possible remembering words through actions exploring a faster tempo 13
LISTENING / ACTIVITY who is Woodpecker warning? listening carefully to Woodpecker s conversation wily Mrs Worm, ready to help her with her warnings counting the number of pops heard before the popping song noticing the difference in speed for mixing our pancake batter: it s a bit of a rush this week! Follow-up ideas: Sing the Bulbs song. Half the class sings, the other half claps on each pop. Try using some pop sound makers instead of clapping. Some children may be able to pop with their fingers and cheek. Use the song Watch Out! to play a chasing game Standing in a circle, choose one child to be Worm. Sing just the verse. As the children sing the verse, Worm turns around looking for Frog as she or he walks around the outside of the circle. Instead of singing Mr Frog is right behind you, the teacher sings the name of another child in the circle: Janice Jones is right behind you. This child becomes frog and chases Worm until Worm finds a safe place back inside the circle. Frog becomes the new Worm. Programme 7: Growing bulbs Talk about long and short sounds. Can the children remember the song with lots of short popping sounds? Remind them that the song was all about bulbs growing. If you can, show the children some bulbs with new shoots which they can count. Choose three children to be our three little frogs, a very personal visual aid. room for finger play some popping soundmakers if you wish to play the pops as well as sing them space for three little frogs to stand at the front and be seen Frog and Woodpecker have noticed bulbs popping and shoots springing up all over the wood. Woodpecker has a game to play as she proudly displays the bulbs she has been growing in her window box. Frog finds the whole thing a bit confusing. Why are these changes happening? 14
Bulbs rehearsing and refining singing of the song; joining in all the words with as many actions as possible clapping or playing on the pops noticing the shoots creeping higher in the last four pops (the notes move higher and higher in steps) exploring articulation by emphasising the first and last consonant in our pop singing; have fun with popping ps It happens each spring listening to the words and noticing all the new things that are happening listening to and joining in with the phrase because it is spring Three little frogs extending the length of the song by adding the final verse children predicting what will happen in the last verse LISTENING listening to and recognising the first part of the bulb popping song listening to notes climbing higher in the last four pops of our song counting all the new things happening in spring listening to Woodpecker s window box popping shoots game ACTIVITIES playing an accompaniment to singing pops playing a pulse with It happens each spring listening to the number of pop sounds for each of Woodpecker s window boxes - how many shoots have popped through in each? counting and finger play in Woodpecker s window box poem in a pretend window box, use one hand to plant a bulb, water it and show the growing flower Follow-up ideas: Use a swanee whistle or a tuned instrument, a glockenspiel, a xylophone or even a piano. Ask the children to crouch down small, close to the ground and begin to play your lowest note. Gradually play higher and higher notes moving upward by step. Ask the children to grow slowly toward the sky as the sound climbs higher. Tell stories or nursery rhymes about climbing up. Accompany the story by playing on an upturned xylophone or glockenspiel. You could start with Incy wincy spider. 15
Programme 8: Looking at eggs Talk to the children about some of the activities which birds and animals do each spring. It s a hectic time: there are nests to build for new baby birds in their eggs. It s a time for getting ready for new baby birds and animals. room for finger play a selection of springtime pictures to illustrate some of the changes mentioned in our It happens each spring song Frog is very pleased to know why all these busy things are happening around the wood. He keeps repeating to himself: It s because it is spring. Woodpecker is egg-sitting for some friends. The eggs all look the same to Woodpecker and she can t remember which is which. We help to sort things out. It happens each spring singing because it is spring with gusto and a telling gesture with pointing fingers; try to shake pointing fingers in time with the rhythm of the words, one shake for each syllable - the children will begin to be aware of repeated pattern through this accompanying the whole song by singing and clapping along with the pulse; except when shaking pointing fingers for because it is spring Watch out! singing the watch out chorus quietly to build up the tension and suspense of the song joining in singing one half of the conversation. It you were to say or sing Mrs Worm s part, this would be a real conversation and help to engage and motivate the children. Encourage a sense of urgency. It is more important for the children to capture the mood of this song than to sing the notes accurately notice the new ending: Mrs Bird is right behind you 16
LISTENING recognising the tune Frog is humming listening to and noticing the words that are repeated in it happens each spring listening for each new spring feature to add appropriate finger actions listening to an egg tapping chant to play a rhythm pattern guessing game. The children will hear the names of three different baby birds hidden in three eggs: duck (short beat), seagull (two short beats) and woodpecker (one long, two short). The name of the bird, spoken naturally, gives the tapping rhythm pattern for each, a tap for each syllable. So who is in each egg? Follow-up ideas: Sit in a circle. In the centre, place a collection of instruments which the children have seen or used before. Sing the egg tapping chant. While singing, pass around a cardboard egg. Whoever is holding the egg when the song finishes comes to the centre and chooses an instrument to tap their name on. Who can be first to copy the pattern or name the instrument? Sing Watch out! again: have two different groups for the conversation in the verse. Use children s names to make up some simple spoken patterns for the children to echo, for example: Hajit Sue Hajit Sue. If you change the dynamics, can the children copy you exactly? For example: Hajit SUE Hajit SUE, i.e. quiet loud quiet loud. Programme 9: Out and about Talk about the different creatures that lay eggs. Inside each egg is a new baby life. In today s programme we will be singing about some mums and babies that Woodpecker spies as she flies over to the meadow. Encouraging the children to protect and respect living things is an important feature for discussion. space to hop. flap arms and spin Frog and Woodpecker are still very excited about the eggs hatching while Woodpecker was egg-sitting. Woodpecker has been for a look around outside the wood and tells Frog all about the other baby creatures she has seen. 17
Arms It s some weeks since we last sang this song, so we ll be revising the three verses and remembering the different actions that go with each. Over in the meadow listening to each verse in turn, ready to count how many baby frogs, baby birds and baby spiders joining in to hop, flap and spin after the mother gives the instruction in the song LISTENING to Rabbit and Lark - they have very different music Rabbit lives under the ground (low dark rumbling drums, low notes on tuned percussion); Lark flies high in the sky (bells, wind chimes, high notes on tuned percussion) to our egg chant - can the children remember who was in each egg? ACTIVITIES listening to the music: is it Rabbit s music underground or Lark s music high in the sky? If they think it s Rabbit, the children hop about. IF they think it s Lark, they flap their wings and fly. Follow-up activities: Play the Over in the meadow song, ready for the children to practise their big movement actions. Programme 10: Spring celebration Prepare the children for the last programme this term. Can the children remember the songs they sang all the way back in January? Find out the children s favourites. After joining in our celebration, you might perform the children s favourites for parents or for another group of children. Ask the children to be ready to name that tune. Sometimes they ll hear the beginning of the song: at other times there may be a different clue! lots of enthusiasm, wonderful memories, space to move and super singing voices 18
consolidating and celebrating our performances of some, of the songs learned in the programmes recognising songs from aural clues, tunes, instruments and fragments of words moving to songs and playing with body sounds in response to the pulse and the mood of the music Arms It s a brand new day We re going on a snail trail This time we stop to hear baby bird tapping their names. Who are they? Bulbs Three little frogs Mix a pancake Over in the meadow Follow-up ideas: Play a musical quiz. Hum the first line of some of the songs. Who can name that tune? Play the musical quiz with nursery rhymes and other songs that the children know well. Have enough instruments to allow half the class to play. Sitting in a circle, put an instrument in front of alternate children. Choose a song the children all like. Half the children sing, while the other half play their instruments in any way they like to accompany the singing. The only rule is that the instruments must always be quieter than the singing! Swap over and try again. 19