Unos units de música y arte for Kindergarten

 🎨 Música y artes visuales

In many places where we teach music, we are the only arts education students are provided.  This means that whenever we can integrate other art forms, such as visual arts or theater, we should (if we have access to materials).  The kits used are from discount school supply, which also offers kits for making/decorating our own maracas, wind chimes, and rainsticks.

Here are outlines of two four-class units I completed with my after-school Kindergarten group.  These students are mostly bilingual and many are English Language learners.  They loved being able to create/personalize among their peers as well as to make music with and keep these instruments!

 

Al tambor

Song: "Al tambor" (recording/video by José Luis Orozco)

Story: Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle

 

Art activity: make/decorate your own drum!

Materials:  Set of 12 drum-making kits, paint sticks, markers, stickers

 

 

 

Day 1: Share Drum Dream Girl video read aloud (there is also a lovely version on Epic! Books), show videos of soloists playing bongos, congas, and timbales.  Begin teaching "Al Tambor" and have students take turns playing solos.

Day 2:  Re-share book reading it yourself to the students, stopping to discuss the conflict and to identify all the instruments in the illustrations.  Announce we will make/decorate our own drums next time.  Provide further instructions about drumming (use both hands, fingertips, various places on the drum skin) and have all students solo again on "Al Tambor".

Day 3: Students receive the cylinders to decorate using paint sticks and markers.  They should write their name somewhere on the drum.  Teacher provides stickers for additional decoration.  Play music as students decorate, including "Al tambor."

Day 4: Students attach the drum skin with teacher support.  They use their drums to perform "Al tambor" and other songs from your repertoire!

Panderetas de colores

Song / video: "De colores" by Miss Cosquilla

Book: My Family Plays Music by Judy Cox

 

Art activity: make/decorate your own tambourine!

Materials:  colorful scarves, set of 12 tambourine-making kits (sold-out from DSS at the moment unfortunately), paint sticks, markers, stickers

Day 1: Share "De colores" sing-along video with the class.  Allow students to share what they noticed or any personal connections they have to the song.  Go over the colors of the rainbow in English and Spanish.  Provide a choice of colorful scarves for students to use in a movement / tempo response activity to 2-4 varied musical selections including "De colores."

 

Day 2: Share the book My Family Plays Music using the audio from the read aloud if a projector is unavailable.  Ask students if they know how the tambourine is played, where they've seen one, and what it's called in Spanish.  Announce we will make/decorate our own tambourines, showing a sample.  Provide students with materials to begin decorating their tambourine, beginning by adding their name anyway/where they like.

Day 3: Students will finish decorating their tambourines and begin adding the bells using the provided colorful shoelace strings.  This process can be challenging for kindergarten, so emphasize that they need to follow your instructions step-by-step, and to show you once they've completed a step so you can indicate the next. Play music as they work, including "De colores"

Day 4: Support students that are in the process of finishing the bell-adding step of the process, and tie the knots for them once they finish.  Place all instruments on a table and do a "gallery walk", inviting students to sing "De colores" acapella with you.  The tambourines can now be used for your regular repertoire, rhythm echoes, or new games which can include moving/playing along to "Seven Jumps" by the Shenanigans or "The Clap Clap Song" by the Klaxons.

 

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