Dinosaurs Level: Early Grades - Creative music

Dinosaur Body Sounds (dynamics)

What body quiet/loud sounds can we make with our hands? (washing hands movement: quiet clapping: loud). With our feet? (stamp: loud, shuffle: quiet). With our voices?

With everyone in a circle, the teacher alternates, at random, saying:

• Some dinosaurs are quiet (children make quiet sounds)
• Some dinosaurs are loud (children make loud sounds)

Loud and Quiet Dinosaurs (dynamics)

Here are some ways in which the children can explore dynamics. For the best learning experience, children need to talk about what they are doing, with the teacher there to supply new words. This works well in a small, supervised group. Ask the children to:

• Find out how to play a drum louder: hit it from a greater height, then quieter: hit it closer to the instrument.
• find an instrument that makes quiet sounds
• find an instrument that makes loud sounds
• find an instrument that can make loud AND quiet sounds

Next demonstrate, then encourage children to play the rhythm of Din-o-saur with a little wait in between each time (shake, shake, shake … shake, shake, shake)

Everyone sit in a circle with an instrument each. When the leader plays loudly the children play loudly. When the leader plays quietly, they play quietly.

Book suggestion

Noisy Dinosaurs – Noisy Books (Board book) by Felicity Brooks ISBN 9780746097847 Publisher: Usborne

What sort of songs do dinosaurs sing? (pitch)

This is each child's chance to take a turn at making up a dinosaur song. First you will need to model how to make high and low vocal sounds then ask the children take turns at making up a dinosaur family song using high and low sounds. Don't worry about whether the children will be able to think what to do because this is an improvising activity where they make up and structure the sounds as they go on.