Music Activity 2

The Woods – Sound Picture

Learning Objectives:
  • To use imagination
  • To sort and select sounds
  • To stop and start and follow a conductor
  • To sequence and layer sounds

Resources:
  • Un-tuned percussion instruments
  • Found sounds e.g. variety of paper, pebbles, sticks, lidded pots with different ‘fillings’- rice, beans, lentils, gravel etc.)
  • Children’s pictures from Listening Picture activity/ images of woodlands in summer
/ Key Vocabulary:
  • Sound picture
  • Layers of sound
  • Sequence
  • Conductor
  • Dynamic – loud/quiet
  • Timbre – quality of sound
  • Texture – one sound or several sounds

Curriculum Links
Science – Seasons, Habitats, Senses
Maths – months of the year

In the story Isabelle loves to play in the woods. During the summer months the woods are full of beautiful trees, wild flowers, insects and birds.

Explain you are going to make a picture of the woods but instead of using paints, crayons and pens you will be using sounds.

Woodland Soundscape

Exploring and selecting sounds

Use the listening pictures the children created of the woods in summer as a starting point. Additional pictures can be found in the resource section or on the internet.

Ask the children to suggest ideas for the musical picture and make a list.

Explore sounds (vocal, found and instrumental) that could be used to create each part of your sound picture. For example:

  • Leaves rustling (e.g. shakers, scrunchy paper, tambourine)
  • Wind blowing very gently (e.g. vocal blowing sound, palm of hand rubbing skin of a tambour or tambourine)
  • Birds singing (e.g. vocal, chime bars, glockenspiel)
  • Sunlight shimmering through the trees (e.g. metal sounds: Indian bells, triangle, bells, glockenspiel)

Try out some of the children’s suggestions and make decisions. (There are no rights or wrongs but some ideas may be better than others!)

When you have sorted and chosen your sounds, group the children (within the circle) so all the instruments/sound types for each section are sitting next to each other.

Stopping and Starting

Decide on a ‘stop’ and ‘start’ hand sign.

Ask one of the children to be the conductor who will stop and start each ‘section’ so the class can hear the sound each section makes.

Sequencing and Layering the sounds

  • Decide on the order each section will play. It can be useful to create an image for each section so the children know when to play. These can be put on the board or where everyone can see them.
  • Rather than having all the sounds playing at once, decide with the children which sound will start and when the other parts will join in/stop. It can be very effective to start quietly with one section, gradually add the others then reverse the process so the music begins and ends very quietly.
  • Try different sequences and layering.
  • The conductor controls the starting and stopping by using their hands.

PerformAppraise

Did the music create the right mood and atmosphere for the woodland in summer?

Which sounds worked best?

Was the music loud/quiet enough?

Did the music create the atmosphere of a calm and sunny day? How did you have to play your sound to get this feeling right?