sound symphony activity

MODIFYING THIS TECHNIQUE

  • A Sound Symphony is a great way to learn about setting and environment. You can use this activity for plenty of different subjects. Make a symphony with sounds from a story book, sounds from a place you’ve learned about, or even sounds from a science lesson about animals.
  • If you have some sound-sensitive students, don’t break up into separate groups. Ask the whole class to be one instrument at a time. By doing this, you’re preventing a scenario where the class loses control and becomes too loud.
  • If you have the supplies, try recording the symphony and playing it back for the students. It’s fairly simple to record with most smartphones.  It can be really fun to listen to the recording, and it also builds confidence by showing students what they are capable of creating.

skill breakdown

SCAFFOLDING
The first video, “Sound Symphony Activity: Giving Directions,” is a fantastic example of step by step scaffolding. Practice each step before moving on to the next.

STEP ONE: REVIEW SOUNDS FROM THE LESSON
In the video’s example, the sounds in the story are birds, cars, and the wind.

STEP TWO: DEFINE "SYMPHONY"
Courtney defines “symphony” as “a really big piece of music.”

  • Why? This activity is a great opportunity to teach new vocab words.

STEP THREE: DISCUSS INSTRUMENTS
Courtney asks students to tell her which kind of instruments play in a symphony.

STEP FOUR: BECOME INSTRUMENTS
Courtney explains that the students can become instruments themselves by making sounds with their voices and bodies. She explains that they will be making the sounds from the story.

STEP FIVE: DEFINE "CONDUCTOR"
Courtney introduces the “conductor” as the “person who tells the instruments what to do.”

STEP SIX: ASSIGN ROLES
Courtney explains that she will be the conductor, and the students will be the instruments.

  • Why? Giving specific directions helps students meet your behavioral expectations.

STEP SEVEN: TEACH VOLUME DIRECTIONS
Courtney introduces four different hand signals that tell the students to get louder, get softer, stay the same, and stop.

  • Note: Courtney moves through this step quickly. This is a tricky step, so take your time to practice these directions before moving on.

STEP EIGHT: ASSIGN AND PRACTICE SOUNDS
(Second Video)
Courtney assigns each group of students one sound: cars, birds, or wind. She lets each group practice their sound before moving on.

STEP NINE: WATCH THE CONDUCTOR
Before the activity starts, Courtney uses “let’s all say that” to emphasize that the class should “watch the conductor.”

  • Why? As always, clear instructions help students succeed.

STEP TEN: EACH INSTRUMENT PLAYS ON THEIR OWN
Each instrument plays once on their own, following every direction Courtney gives them.

  • Why? Start simple and get more complex. Let the students practice following the volume directions. Move on when you can tell that your students have mastered this step.

STEP ELEVEN: THE SYMPHONY PLAYS TOGETHER
Courtney conducts all the instruments at the same time.

  • Notice: She doesn’t have all the groups start at once. By staggering their starts, she’s preventing the class from getting too loud.
  • Tip: Courtney finishes this activity quickly, but you can play with it longer. Let the students enjoy hearing how all the sounds mix and make an environment come alive.