Pitch Activity Book - Pentatonic Melody

The "Pentatonic Melody Activity Book" is a comprehensive resource for teaching young students about the pentatonic scale through engaging musical activities. The book introduces a catchy tune called "Pentatonic Melody," which serves as the foundation for a variety of games and exercises. One of the key activities involves children sitting in a circle with pentatonic chime bars at the center. As they pass a beanbag in time with the music, the child holding the beanbag at a specific cue plays a pentatonic phrase from a flashcard. This is immediately followed by the group singing the same phrase using solfa syllables and corresponding hand signs. This exercise not only reinforces their understanding of rhythm and pitch but also allows for different levels of complexity to cater to the students' varying abilities.

Further activities within the book encourage students to engage with the pentatonic scale in diverse ways. These include singing the "Pentatonic Melody" with body actions that represent each note of the scale, playing the melody on tuned instruments such as xylophones, and creating instrumental compositions that incorporate a drone, an ostinato, and the melody to produce a layered musical piece. The book also suggests chants that can be sung with any chosen notes, helping students to recognize and differentiate between the sounds of the pentatonic scale. To support the learning process, the book offers lesson plans and a DVD with demonstrations, ensuring that teachers have all the necessary tools to facilitate an interactive and educational music experience for their students.