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American National Standards, Part II: K-4 Instrument Performance

© Karen Stafford

To continue on for ideas on the American National Standards for music, I'd like to share some ideas for implementing Content Standard 2 for K-4: Performing on instruments, alone and with others.

Oh, man, do kids love instruments! You might have trouble getting kids to sing for you because singing is too much of a close extension of themselves, but most kids love trying out instruments. The Standards include playing with correct rhythm, pitch, timbre, and dynamics. So, where to start?

A good place to start, especially with younger students, is to find instruments that "paint" the mood or feelings of a song you are teaching. When you learn a song, teach a simple ostinato or complementary rhythm pattern to the children. Then ask them, "What instrument makes you think of....?(the cow, the train, or whatever your song is about!)" Demonstrate your assortment of instruments and let them decide by SOUND, not sight. Also, this is a great time to teach instrument names! I always try to make a point of saying the instrument by name and whether it is a skin (membrane), shaker, wood, or metal. (This is also the way I have students put the instruments away).

If you don't have enough instruments for everyone, try a rotation system. For the most part, I tell students they are to play an instrument at least twice, if not more times, during the year. What I do is close my eyes and point to names in the gradebook, then make sure I make a note in the book to remind me who I selected. The first person picked gets first choice of instruments.

I swear by Randy DeLelles and Jeff Kriske books! (You can purchase these from such music merchants as Music In Motion and West Music. I think their arrangments are fun, the kids really enjoy them,and they're realistic for many situations. Their method of teaching rhythm patterns for their instrument accompaniments includes chanting a section or topic from the song in the pattern. For instance, I use their "Cumberland Gap" arrangment (sorry, I got it from a workshop!) quite a bit with fifth grade. Part of the lyrics are "take a little nap". This fits well with a rhythm they include for woodblock. As the kids are learning the rhythms, I have all of them chant the words for each instrument's rhythm pattern. Then, I start dividing the class into groups as each new pattern is introduced, so they are chanting in rhythmic harmony. Next, I make sure every child learns all the patterns, because, like I tell them, they don't know who I'm going to pick! (More on teaching patterns coming up). Finally, I select my performers.