Bin 13: Making Music
Our "Making Music" bin encourages hearing and visual development in young musicians! Made from kid-friendly wood and a smooth finish, these instruments are child-safe and comfortable for little hands. Plus, our piano mat can be played by hands or feet.
Early Learning Standards Met:
North Dakota - Creative Arts, Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
Minnesota - Creativity and the Arts, Physical and Movement Development
Do Together
Ideas for how to use this bin:
1. Instrument Exploration and Sound Matching: Lay out all the wooden instruments and the ukeleles in front of the children. Invite them to explore the sounds each instrument makes by shaking, tapping, or strumming.
2. Rhythm Practice with the Piano Mat: Lay out the piano mat and invite children to step on the keys to play different notes. Start with simple rhythms, like clapping or tapping, and have the children step along with the beats.
3. Group Band Performance: Divide the children into small groups, each with a different instrument (e.g., one child with a shaker, one with a drum, another with a ukelele). Play a song together, with each child adding their instrument to the melody.
4. Musical Story Time:Read a story and integrate the instruments into the narrative. For example, when a character walks, children can tap their instruments gently like footsteps, or when there’s a thunderstorm, they can shake maracas or use drums to create thunder sounds.
5. Ukelele Strumming and Singing: Introduce simple songs for the children to play on the ukeleles, like “Twinkle, Twinkle” or “The Wheels on the Bus.” Guide them to strum along with the music, and sing the song together.
Watch or Play Together
Use this media connection to spark interest, model skills and approaches, or explore a concept:
Talk and Wonder Together
Maximize learning using these prompts during or after the activities:
- What sound does this instrument make? Can you describe it?
- How do you think we can make the music faster or slower?
- Which instrument do you like the best, and why?
- What happens if we play different instruments together? Do they sound the same or different?
- Can you make up a song using these instruments? What would your song sound like?
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