Title – An Apple Themed Instrument Activity

By – Rosemary Shaw

Primary Subject – Music

Grade Level – K-4

This easy and fun lesson will help students learn to feel the beat. It is flexible in instrumentation, from non-pitched to pitched, and I have used it from K to Grade 4.

First teach the following poem

(have it on a poster with alternating colored lines – black and red)

:

APPLES IN THE ATTIC


APPLES IN THE HALL


APPLES IN THE SUMMER


APPLES IN THE FALL


APPLES MAKE YOU HEALTHY


APPLES MAKE YOU TALL


I WILL EAT SOME APPLES


I WILL EAT THEM ALL

Then teach students to clap three times on each line.

When this is mastered, change to CLAPs on the black lines and PATs on the red lines.

For younger students, I seat them in a circle and pass out sticks but also put non-pitched instruments (scattered evenly around the circle) in front of six or more students. Sticks play on the black lines. Instruments play on the red lines. As we do the poem and play along, after each repetition I chant “Move on over. Move on over. Move on over, and we’ll do it again.” Students shift over one place.

For older students, I have glockenspiels set in a pentatonic scale to play on the red lines. (Those who are waiting still play sticks on the black lines.) I also have bass and alto xylophones set in sol-mi for the key we are playing in. These players play throughout the entire poem. Students rotate from the bass to alto to sticks to glockenspiels.

I use this activity early in the year as it helps to identify students who have trouble keeping a beat and those who have problems with following directions.

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Rosemary Shaw

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