Playing Letter Names of Notes on Treble Staff Using Barred Instruments

Learning Resource Type

Learning Activity

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

2

Overview

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the names of the notes on the treble staff by using barred instruments to play skipped notes up and down the instruments. Connecting the letter names of the notes to the instruments helps students understand how line and space notes skip when moving line to line and space to space. This further reinforces their understanding of how notes are arranged on the staff.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 2 - Music

AE17.MU.2.9

Read and perform rhythmic and melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation.

UP:AE17.MU.2.9

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Eighth note, eighth rest, half note, half rest, whole note, whole rest
  • Strong/ weak beat — 2/4; 3/4 meter
  • Accelerando/ ritardando
Melody
  • Pitch Set: Do , Re, Mi, So, La
  • Five-line staff
  • Treble clef
  • Names of lines/ spaces (treble staff)
Harmony
  • Melodic ostinati
  • Partner songs
Form
  • AAB, AABA, Rondo
  • Verse/ Refrain
Expression
  • Orchestral instrument families
  • Piano (p), forte (f)
  • Crescendo/ decrescendo
  • Orchestral Music: programmatic
  • Indigenous music: Native American
  • American music: slave songs, colonial folk songs
Other
  • Age-appropriate pitch matching (B3-D5)1
  • Mallet/ drumming technique: alternating hands

Essential Questions

EU: Analyzing creators' context and how they manipulate elements of music provides insight into their intent and informs performance.
EQ: How does understanding the structure and context of musical works inform performance?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Perform age-appropriate music with attention to expressive markings indicated in the printed music.
Creating
  • Perform an improvised interlude to a known song, matching expression and rhythmic/melodic themes.
Reading/ Writing
  • Identify expressive markings in printed music.
  • Identify meter marking in printed music.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Notate from dictation 8-beat rhythm patterns using standard notation.
  • Perform short melodic patterns from standard or iconic notation.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to read letter names of notes on the treble staff and perform corresponding notes on barred instruments.

Activity Details

The students will perform letter names of the staff on barred instruments.

  1. Begin the activity by doing a session of echo-play using barred instruments.
  2. Play and sing a rhythm pattern for the note E, and allow students to sing and play it back as an echo. Continue up the instrument in skips using G, B, D, and F.
  3. Ask students to describe the notes they played. If needed, prompt them by asking the following questions: Are the notes moving higher or lower? Do the patterns use steps, skips, or leaps? Do you recognize the notes played?
  4. Using a poster or projection, show students the line notes of the staff. If you need a visual representation of the staff, you can find a free poster here. 
  5. Point to the E and do the echo-play activity again. Continue with G, B, D, and F.
  6. Ask students what they can tell you about the notes on the staff. 
  7. Give students a steady beat and ask them to play the steady beat on their instruments beginning on E. 
  8. Point to the E on your staff. Ask students to change notes while keeping the steady beat as you point to different notes on the staff.
  9. Go back to step 1 and complete activity again using space notes of the staff: FACE.
  10. Ask students if they noticed anything special about the space notes in relation to the line notes.
  11. Students should recognize that the space notes rest between the line notes on their instrument, or that they skipped the space notes when playing the line notes.
  12. Using a poster or projection, show students how the space notes on the staff also rest between the lines and are skipped by the line notes on the staff.

 

Assessment Strategies

Observe students playing notes as you sing, play or point to them on the staff.

Ask for students to identify by singing or calling out note names as they play them.

Variation Tips

If using a slogan to help students identify note names, reinforce the slogan by having students play or point to the notes on barred instruments as they say the slogan.

Background / Preparation

I recommend teaching students the note names of the staff using a slogan such as "Every Green Bus Drives Fast" and the word "FACE" prior to this activity. Practice identifying notes on the staff using the slogans.

Make sure you have barred instruments available such as xylophones and glockenspiels, with note names labeled on the instruments. 

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

kmlott
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