Materials Required: Pictures of objects that illustrate high (sun, cloud, airplane...

) and low (grass,

flowers, worm...)
Activity Time: 15-20 minutes
Concepts Taught: Pitch in Music

Rationale
Students should be aware that the term for high and low sound is pitch and that music, voices, and
the
sounds that surround the children every day are all made up of varying pitches. The students should
also
be able to classify a sound as having a high or low pitch after listening to an excerpt.

Objectives

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Distinguish a high pitch from a low pitch.

2. Demonstrate high/low pitch recognition by creating contrasting movements to high and low
music.
3. Use instruments to represent the characters and their voice pitches in The Three Little Bears.

Lesson Activity

I. MATERIALS

Pictures of objects that illustrate high (sun, cloud, airplane...) and low (grass, flowers, worm...).
"Epona" and "Boadicea" by Enya
"The Deep" Northsound--Song of the Ocean and "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" by Simon and
Garfunkel
3 instruments to represent high, medium, and low pitch--triangle, tambourine, and drum
The Three Bears by Paul Galdone

II. PROCEDURES

A. Introductory Activity

Display the high and low pictures and ask the students if they can find any similarities between
any of the pictures. Discuss that the pictures show some objects that are found high up in the air
and
some that are found down low to the ground. Explain that in music there are high and low sounds
and
they are called the pitch of music.

B. Principal Activity
1. Ask the students to come up with ways that they could use their whole body to show the
high and low sounds in music. Lead them to stand tall on tiptoe and reach for the sky for high and
to
squat down low to the ground for low.
2. Tell the students that they are going to listen to four different excerpts of music and that
when they think the pitch is high they should stand on tiptoe and when they think it is low they
should
crouch down to the ground. The whole class could do the movements together or the students could
do
them in groups. Compliment the student's success with their contrasting movements for the high
and low
music.
3. Tell the students that music is not the only thing that has high and low pitch--our voices do
too. Tell the students to think about their parents and ask them who usually has the higher pitched
voice?
(Mom)

C. Concluding Activity

Introduce the students to the story of The Three Bears and ask if anyone is familiar with it.
Tell the students that the three members of the Bear family have very different pitched voices.
Discuss
with the students the differences between Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Little Bear's voices.
Read the story to the class, emphasizing the different pitched voices of the characters. Invite
the students to repeat certain lines with you, giving them the opportunity to use high, medium, and
low
pitched voices. This book can also be made into a sound story. The students would choose
instrument
based on their knowledge of the high and low sounds of the character's voices and of the
instruments. An
example would be to use a triangle for Little Bear, a tambourine for Mama Bear, and a drum for
Papa
Bear. The students would play the instrument for one beat each time they spoke in the story.

IV. EVALUATION

The students would be informally evaluated on their ability to distinguish between high and low
pitches and to create body movements to represent each. They will also be evaluated on their
participation during the book activity.
Relate HIGH and LOW to the Real World
If you’re teaching students from grades PreK to 3, you’ll want to begin with teaching High and Low in your
very first music activities. Although those terms can be a little tricky to explain (and sometimes a bit confusing
to young children), there are lots of ways to help them get the idea of high and low. Try using animals to help
students see and hear high and low pitch.
Students love animals and when they hear the animal sounds, they will be crawling, flying, and hopping
through your music lessons. Take a look at this fun game you can play using the free resource or animal
pictures you already have in your classroom. (In the free resource, you’ll find animal sounds in the teaching
PowerPoint!) CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO GET THE FREEBIE.
Birds tweet HIGH,
And cows moo LOW.
Cats meow HIGH
And frogs ribbit LOW.
Can you show me the way the pitch goes?
Dolphins cry HIGH
And lions Roar LOW.
Can you show me the way the pitch goes?

Listen to long bar on xylophone

Listen to short one – Which one is higher pitch?

opic: Pitch in Music

Students should be aware that the term for high and low sound is pitch and that music,
voices, and the 
sounds that surround the children every day are all made up of varying
Goals:
pitches. The students should also 
be able to classify a sound as having a high or low
pitch after listening to an excerpt.
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: 1. Distinguish a high pitch from a low
pitch.
2. Demonstrate high/low pitch recognition by creating contrasting movements to
Objectives:
high and low music.
3. Use instruments to represent the characters and their voice pitches
in The Three Little Bears.
Pictures of objects that illustrate high (sun, cloud, airplane...) and low (grass, flowers,
worm...).
"Epona" and "Boadicea" by Enya
"The Deep" Northsound--Song of the
Materials: Ocean and "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" by Simon and 
Garfunkel
3 instruments to
represent high, medium, and low pitch--triangle, tambourine, and drum
The Three Bears
by Paul Galdone
Display the high and low pictures and ask the students if they can find any similarities
between 
any of the pictures. Discuss that the pictures show some objects that are found
Introduction:
high up in the air and 
some that are found down low to the ground. Explain that in music
there are high and low sounds and 
they are called the pitch of music.
 Ask the students to come up with ways that they could use their whole body to show the
Development: 
high and low sounds in music. Lead them to stand tall on tiptoe and reach for the sky for
high and to 
squat down low to the ground for low.
Tell the students that they are going to listen to four different excerpts of music and that

when they think the pitch is high they should stand on tiptoe and when they think it is
Practice: low they should 
crouch down to the ground. The whole class could do the movements
together or the students could do 
them in groups. Compliment the student's success with
their contrasting movements for the high and low 
music.
Introduce the students to the story of The Three Bears and ask if anyone is familiar with it.
Closure:

Tell the students that the three members of the Bea