CHAPTER 17 — Creative Music

 
OVERVIEW
Music experiences are common in a young child’s life. Music is a natural avenue for a
child’s self-expression. The challenge in planning music experiences for young children
is to overcome the “adult” approach to music so you can share musical experiences
with children in a way that preserves and encourages their innate spontaneous and
open attitude toward music.
 
Appropriate musical experiences for young children must first take into account the
child’s developmental level. The developmental levels of all children in the group must
also be included in planning musical experiences for children. It is important to include
activities from each area of music — singing, rhythm, instruments, movement, listening
and musical concepts. Older children can be introduced to an array of classical music
styles.
 
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:

Discuss the importance of music for young children.

Outline some basic goals for music activities for young children.

List the guidelines for planning music activities for young children.

Explain how to vary the rhythm of the music program.

 
KEY TERMS
acceptance in teaching music — Accept more than one kind of response to a music
activity.
basic elements of music — Rhythm, beat, accent, tempo, syncopations, melody,
pitch, timbre, dynamics, texture, harmony, form, ostinato.
developmentally appropriate music activities — Planned activities that meet the
developmental needs of the children.
combination of phrase-wise and whole-song method — The teacher sings and
presents the whole song but asks the children to respond to the easiest part of it with
voices, hands or an instrument.
flexibility in teaching music — Adapt the activity to meet the children’s needs.
MUSICAL ELEMENTS:
rhythm — Movement of sounds through time.
 beat — Rhythmic pulse.
accent — Where the strongest emphasis is placed.
tempo — The speed, how fast or slow the music is.
syncopations — Uneven rhythms as in jazz, yet the beat remains steady.
melody — A series (more than one) of musical tones falling into recognizable
patterns.
pitch — The high or low tones in the sound pattern.
timbre — Tone color or unique qualities of sound.
dynamics — Volume or relative loudness or softness of the sound; give
emotional intensity.
texture — Layering of instruments and/or voices to create a thin or full feeling.
harmony — The blending of sounds; two or more pitches simultaneously.
form — Structure, shape, or distinct pattern or a piece of music or a song.
ostinato — Simple, rhythmic or melodic content repeated over and over to
accompany a song.
phrase-wise method — Introduce the song with a brief story, discussion, or question.
Sing one phrase and ask the children to repeat it, then sing two phrases, and so on.
spiral teaching — Beginning with basic information and gradually adding information
on these elements.
rhythm instruments — Involve the body in keeping a beat and feeling rhythm so
children can fully participate musically.
varying the rhythm of the music program — Helps to hold the child’s interest and
make the experience enjoyable.
whole-song method — Present the whole song in a variety of ways: rhythmic moving,
dancing, playing instruments, or dramatizing to make repetition interesting and
meaningful.
 
 

STUDENT SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY SHEET

Song Adaptations

 
Putting new words to familiar melodies is a technique often used by teachers
to teach ideas and concepts. Your group is to write new words for an old tune.
 
Example:
Idea: Months of the year
Song: Ten Little Indians
New words:   January, February, March, and April.
 May and June, July and August.
September, October, November, December.
These are the months of the year.
 
Your group is to complete the following:
 
Age/grade level:
________________________________________________________
Song:
 
 
Idea or concept the song will teach:
 
 
New words to fit the song:
 
 
 
 
 
 
How and when the song will be used:
 
TRANSPARENCY
We Need Music: A Role Playing Experience
 
Role play a situation in which a local school board is confronted by some
disturbed taxpayers who want music eliminated from the educational offerings
in order to reduce the local tax burden.
 
Include among the players an elementary music teacher, an early childhood
teacher, and parents who all want a good music program. Also include a
group of parents and a school administrator who oppose having a music
program. The other class members can be the audience at the regular
meeting of the board.
 
Later, exchange roles. Afterward, identify the ideas that became evident in the
performance. Can this information be useful in your future as a teacher? Why
or why not?
 
OBSERVATION SHEET
Creative Music Experiences

 
Age/Grade Level of Children:
__________________________________________________________
Number in Group:
__________________________________________________________
Place/Time of Observation:
__________________________________________________________
Amount of Time Spent Observing:
__________________________________________________________
 
Check off all items that apply. Write a short, descriptive statement for each
item checked.
 
Musical Experiences Provided
____   Singing
____   Rhythm instruments
____   Percussion instruments
____   Music from many cultures
____   Movement to music
____   Other
 
Teacher Plans Activities to Provide
____   Opportunities to sing a wide variety of songs
____   Frequent exposure to various forms of music with wide ranges of
rhythms, tempos and moods
____   Opportunities to hear and learn music from different cultures and ethnic
groups ____            Opportunities to express feelings and emotions in songs,
rhythm, and movement ____            Experiences in playing simple
instruments
____   Experiences in moving to rhythm
____   Opportunities to express emotions in motion during musical activities
____   Learning to identify basic musical concepts and terms
 
Musical Attitudes
____   Process is emphasized over product in musical experiences
____   Individuality in response is encouraged
____   Children give the cues for learning experiences
 
Developmental Levels
____   Appropriate musical materials and equipment are available
____   Appropriate music activities are planned and executed
____   All developmental levels are included in planning activities
 
 

Rate the music activities observed (Circle one)

5 4 3 2 1

Excellent Above Average Below Poor

Average Average

Rationale for        
Rating:
 
 
Suggestions for Improvement:
 
STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET
The Value of Music
 

The purpose of this activity sheet is to get you to think long and hard about the
importance of music in people’s lives. After giving yourself enough time to
think carefully, write your answers to each question.
 
Write your reaction to this statement: “In a world which compels men’s
minds to invent machines of destruction, the arts must remind it of
the beneficence of beauty and the worth of the individual.” (Benn,
1958)

It has been said that certain school subjects have to do with making a

living while others have to do with the quality of living. Write your
opinions as to whether this is a reasonable idea or whether these two
aspects of education are of equal importance.

Identify some nonmusical educational values of music experiences.

What is your earliest memory of music? What is your earliest memory of

music in school? Were these positive experiences? Why or why not?

How important is music in your life?

What are your greatest fears about planning music experiences for
children? How do you plan to overcome these fears?
 
FIELD WORK SUGGESTIONS SHEET

 
The following are some basic musical activities to use with young children.
Choose at least three activities and use them with young children. Be
prepared to report on this experience in class.

Play classical music (in addition to other types of music). Listen to different
styles and tempos. Talk about the emotions that the music suggests.
Talk about the instruments. Try having children listen to music with their
eyes closed.

Collect pictures from magazines or books that portray a variety of animals,

feelings, movement, places, etc. Play a selection of music and ask
children to select a picture that reminds them of the music. For example,
they might pick a picture of a circus to go with loud band music.

Create a listening book. Play a piece of music with no singing. Let children
draw pictures and dictate a story to go with the music. Repeat the
activity several times and keep adding to the listening book.

Create simple musical instruments such as those suggested in your text.

Have children experiment with different ways of playing them. For
example, tap a drum with a stick, a hand, a metal spoon, and a
drumstick.

Play music with a strong beat. Have children clap their hands in time to the
music. Use one of the poems from your text that can be recited while
children clap out a rhythm.

Take a “sound” walk. Help children identify the sounds that they hear.
Remember music is composed of sounds and silences. Identifying
silence is important, too.

Listen to musical stories such as Peter and the Wolf.

Let children experiment with sounds made from their bodies — brushing
their feet, clapping, taping, and slapping their thighs.

Create two sets of containers filled with rice, beans, sand, corn, and small
stones. Have children match the two that sound alike.

While children watch, strike three objects (for example, a ball, a wooden
block, and a tambourine). Have children close their eyes; strike one of
 the objects and have children try and identify which object it is. As a
variation try adding loud and soft sounds.

Clap your hands in a given pattern. Have children try and replicate the
pattern. Try this game using simple drumming instruments.

Use a drum to demonstrate volume. Children identify when it is playing

loud tones and soft tones. Try this with different instruments.

Create a “Found Sound” project. Ask parents to help children find an object
in their home or neighborhood that makes a pleasing sound. Have the
children bring the objects into the classroom to share and play.