Happy Top 10 Tuesday, blog readers. Today we will be playing a simple game good for young musicians to understand the concept of pitch. First, you will need a couple of pitched instruments:
(1) Hand Bells
Click HERE to see hand bells available for purchase on Amazon.com.
(2) Glockenspiel
Click HERE to see a glockenspiel available for purchase on Amazon.com.
(3) Recorder
Click HERE to see a recorder on Amazon.com for purchase.
The Activity
This is activity is meant to be for young musicians Pre-K – 1st grade. It should be used as a tool to help them differentiate sounds using a variety of pitched instruments.
First, use your hand bells. There are two “C” hand bells in a hand bell set — a high C and a low C. Also, find the note in the middle of the scale. The “F” bell or the “G” bell will work. Play all 3 bells for your child. Instruct your child that when they hear the high C, they should reach for the sky. When they hear the low C, they should touch their toes. Finally, when they hear the middle note, they should put their hands on their knees. As they are successfully differentiating the sounds, call out the pitches faster.
Now have your child follow the same activity with the glockenspiel. Here is a C scale on the keyboard, which also translates to a glockenspiel.
Play the low C, High C and middle note and have your child the same movements they did for the hand bells.
Finally, try the activity with a recorder. Click HERE to go to a great interactive fingering chart so you know how to play the different notes for High C, low C and for F or G notes. Again, have your child repeat the movements they did for the other two instruments.
I hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Top 10 Tuesday music activity. For a complete list of the Top 10 Tuesday music instruments under $40 that will help promote music education in the home, click HERE. For an archive of all previous Top 10 Tuesday music activities, click HERE. Please don’t forget to check back every Tuesday for some more musical fun, and until next week, play on!
