Lower Elementary students were immersed in  music theory! They learned to figure out the length and height of the musical notes on the sheet music. First, they experienced it at the physical level by moving through sound: walking, jogging, and sliding. Speech patterns were used before they hear and feel them through creating sound using their body percussions – tapping, snapping, clapping and stomping. Then, they were introduced to them visually, see the rhythmic notation before they can transfer the experience into instrumental playing.

For the melody, we used Curwen Hand Signs which are the physical placement for each vocal pitch. Solfege syllables (do, re, mi, etc.) are used to signify the height of musical notes. We bring our arms all the way down for the low “Do” and bring up incrementally while we are singing upward: “Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, and Do”.

Students enjoyed playing Orff orchestrated musical pieces, by transferring these elements onto pitched and unpitched Orff instruments.