Art Form: Music

Supplies Needed

The Big Umbrella book

Various sound makers (pots,
pans, pencils, box, spoons,
etc.)

Vocabulary

Soundscape - Using sounds to represent
actions, ideas, feelings, or objects in a story;
telling a story through sound

Rhythm - Short and long sounds

Tempo - The speed of the beat

Pitch - The highness or lowness of sound

Steady beat - Consistent pulse; “heartbeat”
of music

Dynamics - Loudness or softness of
sounds

Instructions

1. After you read the book, The Big Umbrella, look for phrases or pictures on each page that make you think of sounds (for example, rain falling, door opening, leaves blowing).

2. Use your voice, body, and/or materials around you to create each sound (for example, pat legs quickly to illustrate rain falling). Ask yourself:

• Will the sounds be high or low? (Pitch--for example, climbing a ladder might have pitches going from low to high)
• Will the sounds be loud or soft? (Dynamics)
• Will the sounds be fast or slow? (Tempo)
• Will the sounds be long or short? (Rhythm)
• Will any sounds have a steady beat? Which ones?

3. Read the story again and add your sounds as you come across the phrases and illustrations. Experiment with different sounds. How does changing the tempo, dynamics, and pitch change your sounds?

Extensions

Find materials around you to use as instruments. (paper plates, empty paper towel rolls, pencils, empty cans filled with rice or beans, etc.)

Compare and contrast two sounds in the story. How are they alike? How are they different?