ALet's Play MuSic eBook by Sara Mullett Scanned with CamScannerContents 235 Introduction Ame The Musical Note Family -l- Finding the Beats er The Note Family makes some new friends -21- Exploring the Beat -23- Discovering Dynamics -2%6- ‘The Little Eighth Note Twins learn Staccato and Legato Ze The Note Family to hunting for rests 39 The Slow Snail and the Quick Little Mouse There are so many different types of families, and whilst "The Note Family” is more reflective of a nuclear family which works well forintroducing musical notes, I'll often teach it to alongside The Family Book by Todd Parr - a story | would recommend for celebrating and exploring families of al shapes and sizes. Introducing, The Note Family Kids love characters and stories, and so | find that introducing The Note Family in this way makes the lessons more fun and memorable and learning them then becomes a pleasure. They learn about the different note characters with a set of very short stories which I repeat numerous times over the weeks. First of all introduce the family of notes using the flashcards (printable no.) provided. Once you have established the characters, read the stories below with the accompanying flashcards set out in front of the child. Just look at the illustrations for the first time together, and then see if the child can find the matching flashcard as you read through. They might need help at first, but the next time you read it, see if they can find the correct cards without prompting. Teaching the music notes in this way becomes a highlight that the children enjoy again and again, and through these stories you can introduce all sorts of musical principals. The eight stories below demonstrate how | do this, but once you get started and the kids get the idea, it offers lots of possibilities to get creative. Children love helping to make up new stories and adventures for The Note Family, and this of course all acts as a perfect way to practice and memorise basic musical principles. Each chapter introduces a new topic and these stories help to explain and illustrate a new concept, | use them at the beginning of a class and then team them with other songs or movement with related activities Scanned with CamScannerChapter | The Musical Note Family Introducing musical note names, time values and how they sound, treble and bass clef, the stave and the position of Middle C on the stave Use flashcards no.| Once upon a time there was a family of music notes, who lived together in magical music land. There was Daddy Whole Note who would go for walks with great long steps which lasted for 4 beats, and always took his time, Ta-aaa, ta-a-aa, ta-a-aa, ta-a-aa' (ina deep Daddy voice). Mummy Half Note liked nothing better than sipping a nice cup of tea quite slowly... oe “Ta-a, ta-a, ta-a, ta-a’ (as you mime drinking tea) 4 Big Brother Quarter Note, was always pretending to be a soldier and liked to march everywhere, ‘Ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta’ And The Little Eighth Note Twins who held hands together and ran along behind the others to keep up. ‘Ti-ti, ti-ti, ti-ti, ti-ti, ti-ti, tit’ Scanned with CamScannerOh, and we mustn't forget their pet cat, who was called Middle C. In their house there was a big staircase which they called The Staff, because when they went upstairs it made them sound higher and higher but when they went downstairs again, they went back down to sounding low. The staircase had 2| steps. On the top 10 steps of the staircase, there was a curly bannister called The Treble Clef, so they knew it was high. On the lower IO steps of the staircase was a different curly banister called The Bass Clef, so they knew it was low. ot And in the middle of the staircase was a very special step, because it belonged to Middle C the cat, and that is where you could always find him having a nap. Scanned with CamScannerNow one day, the family were feeling very hungry, so Mummy Half Note and the Little Eighth Note Twins decided to do some baking. They stirred up all the ingredients in a big bowl, and made four lovely cakes. When they were ready, The Note Family were very excited. Daddy Whole Note was so hungry, he couldn't wait any longer and he gobbled down his whole cake with one great big bite. “Mu-u-u-unch!” because Daddy Whole Note has 4 beats. Mummy Half Note had much nicer manners so she cut hers in half, and as she enjoyed her two big pieces, she rubbed her tummy twice! “Yum! Yum!" because Mummy Half Note has 2 beats. Now Big Brother Quarter Note wanted to go marching so he cut his cake into four pieces and put it in his pocket for later. Off he went with a ‘stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp! because he has | beat. Scanned with CamScannerBy now, there was only one cake left, so the Little Eighth Notes had to be very good and share. So Mummy Half Note broke the cake into eight little pieces to be fair and they nibbled it together. “Nib-ble, nib-ble, nib-ble, nib-ble” because they share a beat and have half each. Now who do you think had the most,' Read this story with printables no.2 (That's right, they all had exactly the same) Chapter 2 Finding the Beat Teaches children how to recognise the steady beat in music and how notes of different time values fit in a bar. Sing the chant, clap the different ticktocks and get the children to join in and use printable no.3 In The Note Family's house they have 2 clocks, a grandfather clock in the hall which has a slow 2 beat tick tock which goes just like Mummy Half Note. When she winds it up she sings quite slowly “Grand-father clock goes ti-ick to-ock, ti-ick to-ock, ti-ick to-ock!” ( And a kitchen clock on the wall which has a faster, | beat tick tock, Big Brother Quarter Note likes to use this to practice his marching; Kitchen clock goes tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock!” Scanned with CamScannerBut the Little Eighth Note Twins felt rather left out, because even though they tried, they just couldn't fit in with the slow tick-tock of the grandfather clock, or march along to the tick-tock of the Kitchen clock with Big Brother Quarter Note. So Mummy Half Note had a good idea, she gave them a watch of their very own which had little half beat tick-tocks and was absolutely perfect for them. So then they could run around the house with little steps singing... “Our little watch goes tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick- tock, tick-tock!” But what about Daddy Whole Note? Doesn't he have a clock? Well indeed he does! You can hear him every hour when the grandfather clock in the hall chimes it's long slow chime! "Do ——ngl" Because it lasts for 4 beats just like Daddy Whole Note... So have you been listening very carefully? Who winds up the grandfather clock in the hall? How does the little watch go? Who marches like a Soldier with 1 beat tick-tocks? How does Daddy Whole Note go? Who has a 2 beat tick-tock? How does the kitchen clock go? And who runs around the house with half-beat tick-tocks? Scanned with CamScannerChapter 3 The Note Family make Some new friends Teaches children the letter names of music notes and the order in which they are placed on the stave. Use printable no.4. In magical music land there is an enchanted wood, which is full of musical surprises just waiting to be discovered. One of the Note Families’ favourite things to do was to go to the wood for an adventure and make a new musical discovery. And this time they were searching for an animal for every note on the musical stave, Daddy Whole Note couldn't wait to get there, and he took great big giant steps all the way down the winding path to the wood, ‘ta-a-a-a, ta-a-a-a, ta-a-a-a, ta-a-a-a! 4 Chapter 3 Big Brother Quarter Note always did his best marching, and the Little Eighth Note ‘Twins ran along beside him trying to keep up. But Mummy Half Note walked along slowly making sure no one got left behind ‘ta-a, ta-a, ta-a, ta-a’. When they reached the edge of the wood, who should jump out and surprise them, But Middle C the cat who had followed them all the way there! What a cheeky cat, tricking them like that! As they continued down the path that went deeper into the forest they could hear a dog barking, and sure enough as they reached a clearing, they came across alittle dog who was all alone and frightened. “Don't worry little dog! We'll help you find your way home.” 15 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 3 Chapter 3 And The Note Family agreed to look after him, because they thought that he could be a nice new friend for Middle C the cat. Now after they had been walking for a little while, they came across an elephant sitting on the grass, who was looking very worried. “What's the matter, Elephant?” they asked. “I'm looking for my little friend the frog, but | can't find him anywhere.” he said miserably as a single fat tear rolled down his cheek. “The trouble is, he's green you see, and | can't spot him in the grass! So do you think you could help me find him?” “Oh there he is! What a relief! | thought I'd squashed him!” said Elephant. So the frog hopped onto the elephant's back and they all set off together on their adventure. A\little way down the path they heard some rustling in the trees, but even though they looked all around them, they couldn't see who it was. “Look up!” said a voice. Can you guess who it was? It was somebody with a very long neck! 7 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 3 Chapter 3 The Giraffe told them all that he was searching for a little ant but because he had such a long neck, he couldn't see him down on the ground. Can you help him spot his little friend? By now everyone was starting to feel a bit peckish! But clever Mummy Half Note, who was always prepared, had brought a large supply of honey sandwiches to keep them all going, So they all sat quietly munching together on the grass. Suddenly they heard a growly voice...'I smell honey!" And who do think popped out of the bushes? A brown fuzzy Bear! “Would you like a honey sandwich too Mr Bear? We've got plenty enough to share!” ‘And as they all sat eating their sandwiches they realised that they had found exactly who they were looking for all along, one animal for every note on the stave The Cat, Dog, Elephant, Frog, Giraffe, Ant and Bear 9 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 3 Chapter 4 By now it was starting to get dark, and time for The Note Family to go home, but they promisedits come bacleand dst thernaw inde very soon Exploring The Beat Back at The Note Family house, the Little Eighth Note Twins drew a picture of each of the animals that they met in the wood so they wouldn't forget. And they placed them in exactly the same order as they found them them, on the Stave staircase, just next to Middle C the cat. This story practices how Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes sound in relation to to each other The very next day Big Brother Quarter Note couldn't wait to go back to the magical wood to have another adventure. “Please can we go too?” asked the Little Eighth Note twins. “As long as you hold hands all the way!" said Mummy Half Note. So they set off together, Big Brother Quarter Note marching along one beat at a time, and the little twins running along behind, sharing a beat together. There were two paths that went into the wood, and they both led to the same clearing in the middle, All of a sudden, Big Brother Quarter Note had a good idea, “! know, why don't we split up and take different paths? Il race you to the middle!" Scanned with CamScannerChapter 5 “Thats not fair! You've got much bigger legs than us!” said the little Quarter Notes “But I can only take steps one beat at a time - and you can take two steps for every beat, so that is fair! But don't forget to hold hands.” So Big Brother Quarter Note marched off quickly but still only taking one step on every beat, and the Little Eighth Notes held hands together and trotted down their path as. fast as they could go, taking two steps for each beat. So who do you think got there first ? (That's right! They both got there in exactly the same time!) Chapter 5 Discovering Dynamics Introducing the musical terms Piano and Forte, how they are recognised as P & F and how they sound and contrast each other. Use printable no.5. In the clearing there were two large apple trees standing a little way from each other, with lovely cool shade underneath. After their race they were all a bit hot and bothered and a nice sit down in a shady spot was just what they needed. So they went over and sat under the first tree. As soon as they got up close they could see that this was no ordinary tree! All the rosy apples were marked with the letter P and on the tree's trunk there was a sign that read Piano. “What does that mean? whispered the Little Eighth Note Twins in a very soft voice. “Piano is the Italian word for soft’ whispered back their big brother. “This tree must make everything sound quiet.” He said B Scanned with CamScannerChapter 6 So they sat quietly enjoying their peaceful rest, and then they sang a little song softly together. “Apple tree, apple tree, will your apple fall on me? | won't cry, | won't shout, If your apple knocks me out!” And as they finished the song, one apple fell down and bumped Big Brother Quarter Note on the head! So he picked it up and ran off to the other tree instead. Then the Little Eighth Note Twins sang the song softly again. “Apple tree, apple tree, will your apple fall on me? I won't cry, | won't shout, If your apple knocks me out!” And then another apple fell down and bumped the Eighth Note Twins on the head too! So then they ran over to the other tree to find their big brother. But this tree was very different. There was a sign which said Forte which is the Italian word for loud, and this time they didn't have to ask what it meant, because they worked it out for themselves. The apples on this tree were all marked with the letter F and it made them all sound much louder. 4 Chapter 6 They sat under the Forte tree and sang the same song but now it sounded loud and strong. “Apple tree, apple tree, will your apple fall on me? | won't cry, | won't shout, If your apple knocks me out!” Sure enough, an apple fell from this tree too but this time they were ready and they caught it! So when they went home, they took an apple from each tree, to help them remember what they had learnt in the magical wood. That Piano means soft, and can also just be P. and that Forte means loud, and can also just be F. They put the apples at the bottom of their stave staircase, so that when they went up and down, they could decide whether they fett like being loud/ forte or soft/piano, because sometimes they felt noisy and boisterous and sometimes they felt calm and gentle and just wanted some quiet time. 28 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 7 The Little Eighth Note Twins learn Staccato & Legato Introduces the musical terms and signs for Staccato and Legato, and how they sound and contrast each other. Use printable no.5. In the musical wood there was big old oak tree, with a rope swing hanging from one of its strong branches. The Little Eighth Note Twins just loved going for a swing in this tree, because it swooped and swished so high and low. So Mummy Half Note agreed to take them into the wood for a swing, and to make the walk a little bit more fun, she gave the twins a ball to bounce along the way. tea tea tea tea 12 12 12 12 S35) JS S95) Jd titi titi titi titi Off they went, Mummy Half Note with her steady, 2 beat steps, ta-a, ta-a, ta-a, ta-a and the Little Eighth Note Twins holding hands and sharing a beat together, titi, ti-ti, ti-t, titi. And as they trotted along, they bounced the ball in time with their steps but they found that the ball made them sound lighter and shorter. Chapter 7 Mummy Half Note told them that this was called Staccato and that whenever they saw a round dot over a music note, it makes it sound just like the bouncy ball - short and light. VO NT ‘As soon as they reached the swing in the tree, the Little Eighth Note Twins jumped up onto the seat, and Mummy Half Note gave them a push. They started to swish smoothly backwards and forwards swooping high up into the sky and then back down, low to the ground. Scanned with CamScannerChapter 8 Whille she pushed them to and fro she sang a little song very smoothly, to show them how Legato sounds “Hey - ho! here we go! Swinging high and swinging low, Very smoothly we will go!" Mummy Half Note explained that singing the song so smoothly was called Legato which is the opposite of Staccato. Staccato So this was the day that the Little Eighth Note Twins leamt the difference between Staccato and Legato. And when they got home, they wrote the new words on the blackboard at the bottom of their stave staircase to help them remember what they had discovered. Under the word Staccato they drew a round dot to remind them of the bouncy ball, and under the word Legato, they drew a smooth arched line, just like the arc of the swing, Just so they wouldn't forget! Chapter 9 The Note Family go hunting for rests Explains the concept of musical rests, how long they last, and how to recognise them. Use printable no.6. In the musical wood there are so many wonderful things to discover, but music isn't just about the sounds you can hear It’s also about the quiet bits in between the notes. Because without little rests in the music, it wouldn't have any shape or pattern. It would just all sound the same. The Note Family knew that they needed to go to the wood to find their rests, because each note has it's own rest of the same time value, but they weren't quite sure what they were looking for: So they went looking for some clues. 29 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 9 Now I've already told you that the musical wood was magic, so you won't be surprised that it knew just how to help The Note Family each find their own rest. As they walked into the wood four little black birds flew down to greet them, each with a small card in it's beak. The magic birds knew exactly what to do, and delivered the correct card to each member of the family, except the Little Eighth Note Twins because as usual, they had to share. On each of the cards there was a musical sign. Daddy Whole Note's card looked like this: wre) ta-a-aa A Whole Note rest has 4 beats and hangs from it's line like a bat hanging from the ceiling. Now Daddy Whole Note knew that if he saw the sign that looked like a black bat hanging from it's line then he could have a nice quiet rest for 4 whole beats. Mummy Half Note's card looked like this: A Half Note Rest has 2 beats and sits on the line, just like a top hat sitting on the table. Now Mummy Half Note knew that if she saw a sign that looked like a top hat sitting on the line then she could have a nice 2 beat rest. Chapter 9 Big brother Quarter Note's card looked like this: at ee >=— cS —- A Quarter Note rest has | beat and looks like a lightening bolt. Big Brother Quarter Note knew that when he saw the lightening bolt sign he could rest for | beat. Just as well, because he didn't really want much rest from marching anyway. And lastly the Little Eighth Note Twins looked at their card: An Eighth Note rest lasts for half a beat and looks a number 7. So the twins knew that when they saw an Eighth Note rest one of them could have a rest, and they agreed to take turns. They were all delighted with what they had discovered, and when they got home, they put their special cards at the bottom of the stairs and knew that they could use them whenever they fett like they needed a rest. 31 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 10 The Slow Snail and the Quick Little Mouse Introduces the musical terms Allegro & Adagio, their meaning and how they sound and contrast each other Use printable no.6. One lovely sunny morning, The Note Family went into the garden to do some chores. Daddy Whole Note mowed the lawn, with his great big steps which lasted for 4 beats each. Mummy Half Note pruned the roses and snipped snipped every 2 beats. Big Brother Quarter Note swept the path with his rhythmic | beat brushes, and the Little Eighth Note Twins trotted up and down the garden picking the daisies and dandelions, holding hands and sharing a beat together: After a while the little twins got tired of picking daisies and they went and sat down on the wall at the bottom of the garden. There they spotted a little snail who was slowly making his way up the fence post. Adagio FSQUY “Hello little snail!” they said, “What's your name?” “Adagio” he said in a very slow voice. “Thats a strange name , I've never heard of that before!’ they said “Well it suits me just fine because it means moving slowly!” Then he started to sing a little song with his smooth, slow voice. ‘Slow, slowly, very slowly, creeps the garden snail, Slow, slowly, very slowly, up the garden rail’ So the Little Eighth Note Twins played a lovely game, where they pretended to be snails slowly sliding along the ground and sharing a very slow beat together: While they were playing their game, crawling along like snails, they spotted two bright, beady eyes peeking out from behind the daisies “Who are you? “ they asked. Alll of a sudden a small brown mouse darted out at top speed, and ran across the lawn, right over to the other side of the garden. The Little Eighth Note Twins immediately abandoned their snail impersonations and dashed straight after him in hot pursuit. "Who are you?” they asked him, when they managed to catch up. “People call me Allegro because | go so fast everywhere!” ‘And he sang them his little song which went like this. ‘Quickly, quickly, very quickly, runs the little mouse, Quickly , quickly, very quickly, round about the house!’ So now the Little Eighth Note twins pretended to be a small brown mouse darting around the garden from bush, to bush very, very fast, and singing the same little song just like their new friend. 3 Scanned with CamScannerThen Big Brother Quarter Note who had been watching them all the time, came over to join in the fun. First he crawled slowly like Adagio The Slow Snail, one slow beat at a time, and then he switched to being Allegro The Quick Little Mouse taking his one beat steps as fast as his feet could march! So that was the day that The Note Family learnt the difference between Adagio and Allegro and made some nice new friends in the garden too. And when they went back inside, they wrote the new words on the blackboard in the hall so that they wouldn't forget. Scanned with CamScannerCUT OUT AND FOLD TO SEE THE NOTE ONE SIDE & NAME ON REVERSE WHOLE NOTE HALF NOTE 4 BEATS 2 BEATS QUARTER EIGHTH NOTE NOTE 1/2 1 BEATS BEAT EACH Scanned with CamScannerThe note family bake Some cakes WHO ATE EACH CAKE? CIRCLE THE RIGHT NOTE VALUE S.J WHOLE @-oln HALF Bois. oJ JN Scanned with CamScanner EIGHTHCUT OUT & FOLD TO SEE PICTURE ONE SIDE & NOTES ON REVERSE TICK TOCK a {> (TA, (TA) 3, <4) TICK TOCK = A CA TICK TOCK TICK TOCK cIi-TI TI-T TICK TOCK TICK TOCK CT as TIT sl ae DONGI!| TA-A-A-A Scanned with CamScannerCUT OUT & FOLD WITH PICTURE ONE SIDE & NOTE ON REVERSE ‘ TA-A TA-A TATA TL-TITL-TI TATA TI-TITL-TI Scanned with CamScanner@) The Note Family Find the Beat GRANDFATHER CLOCK TICK TO-OCK TA-A TA-A FL MUMMY'S CLOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TA TA TA TA MY LITTLE WATCH TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TITLE oTI-TE | oTI-TETI-TI LILI DONG! HOW DOES DADDY WHOLE NOTE GO? —(TA-A-A-A) Scanned with CamScanner° OUT & FOLD WITH NOTE ONE SIDE & IMAGE ON REVERSE Scanned with CamScannereo OUT & FOLD WITH NOTE ONE SIDE & IMAGE ON REVERSE Scanned with CamScannero OUT & FOLD WITH NOTE ONE SIDE & ANSWER ON REVERSE Scanned with CamScannerCUT OUT & FOLD WITH NOTE ONE SIDE & IMAGE ON REVERSE Scanned with CamScanner@ Meet the note animals NAME THE NOTES ON THE KEYBOARD SRORLA Scanned with CamScanner© Dynamics HELLO, MY NAME IS ADAGIO HOW DOES HE GO? HELLO, MY NAME IS ALLEGRO HOW DOES HE GO? STACCATO. OVER A NOTE MAKES IT SOUND aS LEGATO OVER A NOTE MAKES IT SOUND PP BEFORE A NOTE MEANS S BEFORE A NOTE MEANS Scanned with CamScannerCUT OUT & FOLD WITH IMAGE ONE SIDE & ANSWER ON REVERSE SMOOTH = ~ EVEN NOTES SOFT LEGATO SHORT CLIPPED NOTE LOUD FORTE FAST ALLEGRO SLOW fe | i% Oho ADAGIO Scanned with CamScanner@® Rest hunt WHICH NOTE DOES THIS REST BELONG TO? HOW MANY BEATS IS IT WORTH? WHICH NOTE DOES THIS REST BELONG TO? HOW MANY BEATS IS IT WORTH? WHICH NOTE DOES THIS REST BELONG TO? HOW MANY BEATS IS IT WORTH? WHICH NOTE DOES THIS REST BELONG TO? HOW MANY BEATS IS IT WORTH? Scanned with CamScannerCUT OUT & FOLD WITH REST ONE SIDE & ANSWER ON REVERSE QUARTER NOTE REST EIGHTH NOTE REST Scanned with CamScanner