Happy Top 10 Tuesday and almost Happy Jewish New Year to all whom it applies to. Rosh Hashanah brings about apple themed activities in many schools, because it occurs during the Fall time when apples are in season and because apples dipped in honey are the traditional food eaten for the holiday. They are said to be tasty treat for a sweet new year. I love using apples as a theme in schools, because I think it is a nice way to bridge the secular and the nonsecular, and I love embracing the season at the same, too.
In order to complete today’s activity, you will need a variety of different kinds of apples.
You will also need a set of hand bells. Here is a picture.
Click HERE to check out the set on Amazon.com.
The Activity
This activity is meant to be for school aged children who learning beginning notation.
Slice up each apple on a separate plate. Do not mix up the varieties. In front of each plate, place a hand bell and the corresponding note written out on a paper. For example, here’s a chart of the colored bells and the notes:
Draw a blank music staff on a piece of paper. Like this:
Leave the room, and have your child taste all of the apples. Ask your child to draw the corresponding notes on the staff in order of apple preference. Here is what each of the notes on the scale look like:
When they have finished, come back in the room and place the corresponding hand bell in front of the each note that your child wrote out. They now should be able to play their own special apple “song.” Their apple preferences have written a simple melody. Work with your child to write lyrics to the song and have them play the song with the hand bells while reading the notes and singing along all at the same time. They are on their way to being budding musicians and have celebrated the Fall season and Rosh Hashanah to boot!
I hope you all have enjoyed today’s Top 10 Tuesday music activity. Please check back every Tuesday for another activity. Click HERE to see a complete list of the Top 10 Tuesday musical instruments under $40 that will help promote music education in the home, and click HERE to see an archive all previous Top 10 Tuesday activities.