Food & Eating Level: Early Grades - Creative music

Kitchen Music (timbre)

First allow the children exploration time to make different sounds with safe kitchen utensils.

Working in pairs dynamics, tempo, texture)

In pairs or threes, the children next find out which utensils can make a loud or quiet sound, and they try playing fast sounds and slow sounds. They might also experiment with making two or more sounds at the same time.

More Kitchen Ideas

Try using a graphic score as a timeline to suggest when children might play each 'instrument'.

Individual exploration - Listen to Hannah playing My name is Hannah, using a beater on three saucepans that were hanging in a row from a bean pole. They only make a good sound if you hang them up.

I'm a Little Teapot (rhythm, pulse, dynamics)

• I'm a little teapot
• Round and stout
• Here's my handle
• Here's my spout
• __
• When the tea is ready
• Hear me shout
• Pick me up and
• Pour me out

Because this is a traditional rhyme, there are several versions of the words and various tunes have been made up for it. It goes well with imaginative play and lends itself to a range of music activities. I suggest you first teach it as a rhyme then - for the creative part of the activity - ask the children to invent actions they could do to each line as they chant it. Demonstrate how to say the last two lines louder. Next practise tapping the pulse and clapping the rhythms - each line of verse 1 sounds the same as the corresponding line in verse 2.

Some children may be able to make up their own tune to go with the words. 'How do I get them to do that?' you may be wondering. Not every child will want to try and not every child has 'found' their singing voice at age three but a few children will probably, spontaneously start to sing their own made-up tune when they are playing at making tea later. This is the opportunity for you to show how delighted you are with their tune - it's the beginning of something wonderful!