Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra Learning Goals: Introduction to orchestra music Become familiar with a variety of instruments in the orchestra Discriminate different sounds and musical vibrations Exposure to a variety composers National Event: Percussion Band Performance (Check syllabus for date) Required Resources: The Story of the Orchestra: Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music! By Robert T. Levine (CD included) Tubby the Tuba By Paul Tripp Optional Resources: Can You Hear It? By William Lach (CD included) Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens Just a Little Music by Mercer Mayer Meet the Orchestra By Ann Hayes Mole Music By David McPhail Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin By Lloyd Moss The Little Mermaid Movie
Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra Week 1 Overview (I hour total) Using the book The Story of the Orchestra, introduce the children to the sounds of classical music. The book provides an overview of all the components of the orchestra 1) the composers, 2) the orchestra instruments and 3) the conductor. Using Part II, share information and examples of the variety of instruments pointing out how they are arranged within the orchestra. Discuss how all of the instruments work together to create such an amazing delightful sound. Use the accompanying CD to sample classical music styles. Have samples of instruments for the children to see, touch and explore. It s also beneficial to have pictures, music samples and books available to support the ideas of the unit. Week 1 Vocabulary Words: Orchestra Instruments Composer Conductor Resources: Play tracks 1 of the accompanying CD for an example of a full orchestra sound
What s the sound? Materials: CD of music Instruments Pictures of instruments Cover to hide the instrument Teacher prep: Prepare picture cards of instruments Hide the instruments Child s Process Listen to the sound Identify the instrument This game can be played two ways. 1) Children listen to the sound from the CD and choose the picture card of the instrument or 2) Teacher plays an instrument (hidden under a drape) and child chooses the correct instrument from the picture card
Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra Week 2 Strings and Woodwind Section (I hour total) String Section Children become familiar with the instruments in the string section. The strings are considered the backbone of the orchestra so they are positioned up front, closest to the conductor. Often there are as many as 70 musicians in this section, the largest of the orchestra. All of the strings are needed to create a large sound. The term used to describe the plucking of the strings is called pizzicato. Instruments in this section include: Violin Viola Cello Double Bass Week 2 Vocabulary Words: String Instruments Pizzicato Resources: Play tracks 13 of the accompanying CD for an example of a pizzicato Play tracks 14-18 of the accompanying CD to hear other samples of the strings. Read the story of Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin* to the children. The counting book begins with the violin and one by one another instrument joins in to become a duet, a trio, etc. Follow up with a related art activity.
String Activity (String Instruments) Materials: Fishing line String Plastic (beading string) Rubber band Piece of cardboard Empty rectangle tissue box Teacher prep: Attach string to cardboard Wrap large rubber bands around the tissue box Try different lengths of string, plastic or fishing line to create different sounds Child s Process Practice plucking the different strings What sound do you hear? Do the different strings make different sounds?
Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra Woodwind Section Now that the children have an understanding of the first section of the orchestra, introduce the woodwind instruments. These instruments look most like sticks, and they are named the woodwind section because they are played with wind. As the children learn about the different shapes, they ll notice that the shape helps the instrument create a unique sound. Although they are called the woodwind section, not all instruments are actually made of wood. Some are created out of metal, ivory or even bone. The woodwind instruments are loud and can be easily heard over the loud sounds of all the other orchestra instruments, so they are located in the center of the orchestra. Woodwind Instruments Clarinets/Saxophones Bassoons Flutes Oboes Week 2 Vocabulary Words: Woodwind Instruments Reed Resources: Play tracks 19-25 of the accompanying CD to hear other samples of the woodwinds.
Create a Sound (Woodwind Instruments) Materials: Glass Bottles Teacher prep: None Needed Child s Process Place lower lip at the top of the bottle, just barely touching it Blow across the opening Listen for a warm tone
Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra Week 3 Brass Section (I hour total) Brass Section The children have a good foundation of the beginning instruments of the orchestra. As the Brass section instruments are introduced the children might associate that brass instruments are similar to the woodwinds in that air makes them play. Point out the difference. With a woodwind instrument, the reed actually makes the vibrations to make the instrument sounds but with a brass instrument it s the musician s lips making the vibration. There are many bold, loud sounds in the brass section. Because of their strong sound the instruments in this section are in the back of the orchestra. The children might be familiar with the trumpet because it is most common in many princess fairytale movies. Often the trumpet is played to announce royalty-with the arrival of the King or Prince. They might also recognize a tuba from a marching band. Brass Instruments Trumpets Trombones Tubas French Horns Week 3 Vocabulary Words Brass Instruments Vibrations Resources: Play tracks 26-29 of the accompanying CD to hear other samples of the Brass instruments.
Tubby The Tuba (Brass Instruments) Materials: Tuba Shapes Wiggle Eyes Markers or Crayons Teacher prep: Trace and cut out Tuba Shapes Child s Process Create a Tubby Tuba Color the Tuba shape Add wiggle eyes
Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra Week 4 Percussion Section (I hour total) A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement. It can be shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. Percussion instruments have the most variety. The word "percussion" has evolved from Latin terms: "percussio" which translates as "to beat, strike" in the musical sense. Percussion instruments are sometimes classified as pitched or un-pitched. Often a percussionist plays more than one instrument during a concert. The percussion section is also in the back of the orchestra. Using the activity guides, the children create their own percussion instruments View the movie of The Little Mermaid. It provides a wonderful example of a percussion musical performance when Sebastian conducted the calypso band. This is a fun and familiar example to share with the children as they prepare for their own performance Percussion Instruments Base and snare drums Bells Xylophone Triangle Cymbals, gongs and Tam-Tams Key board instruments (piano, organ) Week 4 Vocabulary Percussion Instruments Percussionist Resources Play tracks 30-35 of the accompanying CD to hear Percussion instruments.
Enrichment Unit: Music Meet the Orchestra National Culminating Event: Percussion Band Performance (.5 hour total) Now that the children have met the orchestra it s time to put their learning to practice. Time should be given each day for the children to build, assemble and decorate their instruments Choose your accompanying music CD. A few days before the scheduled performance, practice playing instruments and marching to your chosen accompanying music CD. Designate the last 15 minutes of preschool class time for the performance. Set up an area for parent viewing to eliminate roaming throughout the center Parent Communication Post sign on the Parent Welcome Board Hand out reminder notes during the week prior to the performance Post on local Facebook page Bring a camera, post event pictures in the lobby
Tom-Tom Drum (Percussion Instruments) Materials: Juice can, oatmeal box or Pringles chip can 2 large balloons 2 heavy rubber bands 2 unsharpened pencils with erasers Teacher prep: Open both ends of the container for the drum Cut small end off the balloons-this is the drum skin Cover the container with paper Child s Process Decorate drum Stretch the closed end of the balloon over the drum body Hold balloon in place while teacher secures with the rubber band, smoothing out any wrinkles Repeat steps for the other end Use the pencil as the drum stick
Coffee Can Bongos (Percussion Instruments) Materials: Two Coffee Cans; different sizes with lids 2 wing nuts 2 bolts Teacher prep: Open both ends of the cans With a nail punch 2 holes in each can. Put the holes in a straight line one on top of each other. Line them up so that the bolts will go from one can into the other Put the bolts through the holes and add the wing nuts securing them Child s Process Decorate drum Add the plastic lids for the drum heads Optional-cover plastic lids with material or paper about 1 larger than circle
Mouth Drum (Percussion Instruments) Materials: Mouth Hands Teacher prep: None needed Child s Process Open mouth slightly Lightly hit your cheeks with your open hands Works best when your hands are straight and your fingers are together Try changing the position of the mouth for different sound: opening, closing or tightening lips
Tambourines (Percussion Instruments) Materials: Paper Plates ( 2 per child) Dried Beans or Pasta Markers or Crayons Stickers, streamers Teacher prep: Staple the finished product Child s Process Decorate outsides of paper plates Choose the tambourine filling After teacher staples ¾ of sides, fill with beans or pasta
Cymbals (Percussion Instruments) Materials: Aluminum Pie Tins (2 per child) Paint or permanent markers Teacher prep: None needed Child s Process Decorate Pie plates Hold the rim and bang the pie tins together Poke two holes in the middle of the pie tin about 3 apart, insert string-knotted on the inside. This will create a handle for the child to slide their hand underneath for more support,
Sand Paper Blocks (Percussion Instruments) Materials: 2 blocks of pinewood ( 1 x 4 x 5 ) Sandpaper-different grades make different sounds Thumbtacks Old spool of thread or wooden knobs Glue Teacher prep: Secure sandpaper with thumbtacks Child s Process Cover block with sandpaper squares Trim any excess sand paper Once fastened, attach a knob with glue to each block