The students in Division 18 have been exploring the sounds of wood and various ways of making music with wood. Over the course of the previous few weeks they have been exploring xylophones, stumps, guitars, ukuleles, the outdoor playground, and a forest near the school. At the forest, each child has developed a special connection and wonder to a certain trees and elements of trees–sap, branches and knots, pinecones, bark, etc.
The children have composed pieces of music based on those ideas in small groups. They draw upon their imaginations and create instruments, play the trees, play the ground, and play together. While doing so, they also draw from their musical understanding of rhythms and use those as well in their pieces to give rhythm to their music – Even the sap group has a soft, slow rhythm to represent the slow downward movement of sap as it flows down the tree.
Pinecone Song- “Trees Rockin’ Pinecones”
A song for Sap
Branches and Bumps
Growing Trees
Barking Trees