Sequences (dynamics, timbre, tempo, duration) - Example

h4>Make a sequence

In pairs, or in a small supervised group, children play:

• High / low / high

Then change the sequence to:

• Low / high / low

Hint - It's really helpful if you model the activity first - as you play the high note, sing: This is a high note, then as you play the low note, sing: This is a low note. Children can easily distinguish high from low pitch, even as babies, but they need lots of opportunities to understand the words high and low in relation to pitch. High and low in music always describes pitch, never volume.

More sequences (dynamics, timbre, tempo, duration)

What other sequences could the children make up? They could experiment with using different instruments, or body sounds, for sequences focusing on these elements:

• Loud / quiet / loud (dynamics eg using drums)
• scratchy / hollow / scratchy (timbre eg using found objects)
• fast / slow / fast (tempo eg using claves)
• long / short / long (duration - you'll need an instrument that can make a long sound, eg jingle bells)

Here's an example of hollow / scratchy / hollow using found sounds: