2.13 Musical Sparks
Program Connections
- Exploring and Experimenting
- 3 - Musical Instruments
- 4 - Additional activity (counting song)
Gathering Activity
- Colouring sheet of animals playing instruments. Talk about the different types of instruments - string, woodwind (saxophone is the only brass woodwind instrument!), brass and percussion.
Opening Song
Spark Promise
Craft [Exploring and Experimenting - 3]
Activity
- Carnival of the Animals
- Play some selections from “Carnival of the Animals” and have the children act out the animals.
- Saint-Saens was very fond of animals and wrote a book about them. One year while he was on holiday, he composed some music, which he called The Carnival of the Animals. The music is written to reflect the type of animal it is about.
- Saint-Saens was born in Paris. He became famous as a composer and also as a very clever pianist. He first played the piano at a concert when he was only 8 years old, and he was still giving concerts when he was 85.
- Listen to the excerpts for these animals using The Carnival of the Animals by Saint- Saens.
- Play the music. Ask the children to act out the animals being played – cheetah, turtle, elephant, kangaroo, fish
Game
- Circle Music Game (supplies: keyboard)
- Have the girls sit in a circle. Play four beats of alternating C Chord - G Chord (GCE – GBD)- back and forth. Have them find the BEAT to the song by patting their laps. Ask "Can the beat go faster?" "Slower?" etc..play the music slower and faster as they LISTEN and pat their laps accordingly to the beat.
- Next: Add a ball (small rubber red ball works well) They should pass the ball to the next person on the BEAT to the music. (You should play slower...very slow..then fast..then very fast - and the kids should also pass slow, fast..etc)
- Next: When you play a "trill" on the piano they should switch the direction the ball is going
- Next: When you play three black notes 3 times in a row then whoever has the ball at that time should throw it up in the air and catch it.
- Next: When you play a "glissando" they should roll the ball across the floor to someone (RULE: No leaning out to get the ball - whoever it touches, that person gets it)
- Play around with those three things till they get the hang of it - always play the C-G chord pattern in between.
Campfire [Exploring and Experimenting - 4]
- Sing our usual songs, but add the instruments in to the beat.
- Make sure to sing a counting song!
Closing Song
- Song: Sparks Closing Song - with instruments!