In grades 1-3 we have been spending a fair amount of time re-establishing the beat and identifying the meter: triple or duple.
Students K-5 and I love the song "Skin & Bones". It's a great example of a song in triple meter and minor tonality. I also like that it has multiple verses that tell a short story and leaves lots of room for texture.
This year for the first time, I let students explore ALL of the percussion instruments in my room to create texture for this song. Every student had a turn to select an instrument and verse in which to play. I originally was only going to do this with 1st and 2nd grade but it was so much fun I even let 3rd and 5th grades give it a try! I wish I had recorded my 5th graders playing the melody on recorders. I was so impressed!
Listen below to a couple of examples. You should be able to hear students singing the melody, 6 or 7 percussion instruments creating texture one at a time, and 6 or 7 students playing the macrobeat on the barred percussion instruments (xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels).
Mrs. Henneberry's 3rd Grade Class JFK
Mrs. Sanford's 2nd Grade Class Parmenter
Finally, one of my favorite parts of this project was when, the following week, students were able to listen to their performances and evaluate what they heard. Here are just a few of the things they were looking for.
1. Could you hear the singers? Were they on pitch? Did their voices match the mood of the music?
2. Could you hear the barred instruments? Were they on the beat?
3. What was your favorite percussion instrument besides your own? Why?
Here's a little peek into my classroom when I told students to share what they had heard with another student.
Mrs. Dulmaine's Room Grade 2 JFK
