Learning Activity

Unpitched Percussion Exploration

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

K

Overview

In this learning activity, students will explore the 4 categories of unpitched classroom percussion instruments. The teacher will guide students in a discussion of woods, metals, skins, and scraper/shakers. Show students examples that will be used later in the game where students will explore and play a steady beat on various instruments.  

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): KG - Music

AE17.MU.K.1

Explore and experience music concepts.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.K.1

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Steady beat
  • Long/ Short
  • One and two sounds per beat
  • Silent beat
Melody
  • High and low
  • Pitch set: So, Mi
  • Musical alphabet
Harmony
  • Accompaniment/ no accompaniment
Form
  • Like and unlike phrases
  • Echo
Expression
  • Speak, sing, shout, whisper
  • Solo/ Group
  • Unpitched percussion
  • Flute, trumpet, violin, piano
  • Loud/ Soft
  • Fast/ Slow
Other
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette

Essential Questions

EU: The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians' work emerge from a variety of sources.
EQ: How do musicians generate creative ideas?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Chant, move, play, and sing grade level skills.
  • Echo simple rhythmic patterns.
  • Echo a three-pitch melodic pattern using the correct syllables and hand signs.
Creating
  • Perform an improvised rhythmic pattern within a framework of four beats.
  • Perform an improvised melodic pattern on a pitched percussion instrument set to the pentatonic scale within a framework of four beats.
  • Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces using a variety of sound sources, including traditional or classroom sounds, body percussion, and sounds produced by electronic means.
  • Explore musical sources freely using found sounds, electronic sounds, or sounds from voice or instruments found in classroom, remembering to use sound and silence.
Reading/ Writing
  • Create a visual representation of sound.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Respond to a musical call or question with an age- appropriate musical answer.
  • Evaluate peer performance to determine steady beat/no steady beat.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): KG - Music

AE17.MU.K.8

Explore and achieve awareness of music contrasts in a variety of music selected for performance.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.MU.K.8

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Steady beat
  • Long/ Short
  • One and two sounds per beat
  • Silent beat
Melody
  • High and low
  • Pitch set: So, Mi
  • Musical alphabet
Harmony
  • Accompaniment/ no accompaniment
Form
  • Like and unlike phrases
  • Echo
Expression
  • Speak, sing, shout, whisper
  • Solo/ Group
  • Unpitched percussion
  • Flute, trumpet, violin, piano
  • Loud/ Soft
  • Fast/ Slow
Other
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette

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
  • Demonstrate same and different (e.g., fast/slow, loud/soft, high/low and long/short).
  • Demonstrate a steady beat and maintain it while performing.
  • Sing using head voice and appropriate posture.
  • Play a variety of classroom instruments, alone and with others, and demonstrate proper technique.
Creating
  • Create a wide variety of vocal and instrumental sounds.
Reading/ Writing
  • Explore connections between sound and its visual representation.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Move to music of various and contrasting styles, composers and cultures.
  • Demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed.

Anchor Standards

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

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

The students will be able to explore and experience music concepts using unpitched classroom percussion instruments.

The students will be able to explore and achieve awareness of music contrasts in a variety of music selected for performance using unpitched classroom percussion instruments.  

Activity Details

After a discussion of the four categories of unpitched classroom percussion instruments, students will sit in a circle. Pass out available classroom unpitched percussion to each student, variating the categories for students next to each other as much as possible.  

Examples of unpitched classroom instruments:

Woods - woodblock, rhythm sticks, claves, tick-tock block

Metals - triangle, finger cymbals, cowbell

Scrapers/Shakers - maracas, tambourine, guiro, sleigh bells

Skins - hand drum, bongos

Invite students to play along with a steady beat. You can use a piano to accompany the children or a piece of music with a strong steady beat. Choose listening pieces that contrast in style and tempo. The following website has some great examples: Let's Play Music. The teacher can even go back and forth between the pieces to keep it entertaining for the students.

Begin with the students all playing their instruments together. Then, have students stand up for each instrument group (ex:  students with woods, metals, etc) and play the steady beat. This is where contrasting pieces can be used. After each group has played, have students pass their instruments to the next person, so each child will get an instrument from another group. Begin the game again and continue to play and pass until students have had the opportunity to play an instrument from each group.  

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will observe how accurately students achieve a steady beat to accompany the music as the pieces contrast in style and tempo. 

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Before playing the game, the teacher will discuss the percussion family and how there are four groups of classroom percussion instruments. The teacher will show and demonstrate how to play each instrument that will be used in the game.  

*Great ways to identify the families:

Woods - instruments made of wood that you hit to make the sound.

Metals - instruments made of metal that you hit to make the sound.

Skins/Membranes - drums

Scrapers/Shakers - these instruments can be made from any material but are scraped or shaken to make the sound.  

The teacher can enter students in discussion, after defining the groups, as to which group each instrument should belong.  

Digital Tools / Resources

Let's Play Music
https://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/5-best-classical-tracks-for-marching/

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

melthom1
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