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Quest 3: "Down in the Rainforest" Musical Composition
| Topic Heading: |
"Down in the Rainforest" musical composition |
| Task: |
To compose a piece of music based on the "Down in the Rainforest" rhyme to be used in the Rainforest Role Play area. |
| Time: |
30 minutes |
Materials:
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- A copy of the "Down in the Rainforest" rhyme used in Quest 1
- A box containing 6 different types of percussion instrument, enough for 1 for each child in the group
- A small mat/rug
- A recording facility
- Soft toys/stick puppets as used in Quests 1 + 2
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Group Size: Whole class
Process:
The children are sat in a circle with a small mat or rug laid out in the centre. The teacher explains to the children that they will be composing their own piece of music based on the sounds of rainforest creatures. Their recording will be played in The Rainforest Role Play Area which they will be helping to create.
The teacher takes 1 of each type of instrument out of the box at a time, naming it with the children and demonstrating its sound before placing it on the mat in the centre of the circle. Now the teacher explains to the children that they will be matching the sounds of the instruments to the sounds made by the rainforest creatures. Ground rules are laid down for the use of the instruments – when a child collects an instrument from the mat they are to lay it down on the carpet in the space in front of them and are not to touch it until the teacher asks them to play:
"If you play before I say,
You will find I take it away!"
The teacher also establishes an agreed stop signal such as a raised palm.
The teacher will have chosen 5 verses of the "Down in the Rainforest" rhyme giving 5 different animal sounds with which to work. The children begin by chanting the chorus of the rhyme with the teacher. The teacher then reads the first verse of the rhyme to the children whilst withdrawing the tree from the storysack. The group is asked to think about which instrument best matches the sound of the air blowing through the leaves of the tree. The teacher then chooses an individual child to come and play the instrument which they feel best matches this sound. If the rest of the class agree with the choice that has been made, the child returns to their place in the circle, placing the instrument down on the floor in front of them. The teacher proceeds in this way through the next five verses which have been selected until all 6 instruments have been chosen. The teacher now distributes the rest of the instruments so that there are 6 groups of matching instruments around the circle. The corresponding soft toy/puppet is laid down in front of each group as a visual reminder for teacher and children.
The teacher explains that the children will first have a practice turn at playing their instruments at just the right time. The teacher reads through the rhyme and at the end of each verse points to the relevant group of children to pick up and play their instruments, stopping and putting them down again on the teachers signal. At the end of the last “machines” verse of the rhyme all the children will play their instruments together. They will put their instruments down to chant the end of the rhyme with the teacher. One child is then chosen to play a single suitably loud beat right at the end of the rhyme. The class now repeat the whole process again to make their 'best' performance. If possible there should be at least one member of staff other than the teacher who can provide an audience for the 'performance' which is recorded for use in the role play area.
Product:
The children will have produced a recorded performance of their own composition entitled “Down in the Rainforest” to be used in the Rainforest Role Play Area.
Other Activities:
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