{"id":1326,"date":"2025-08-06T03:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T03:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discover.hubpages.com\/education\/five-senses-hearing-music-lesson-plan"},"modified":"2025-08-06T03:00:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T03:00:25","slug":"music-and-instruments-lesson-plan-for-elementary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/?p=1326","title":{"rendered":"Music and Instruments Lesson Plan for Elementary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><time datetime=\"2025-08-05T23:00:25-04:00\" title=\"Aug 5, 2025\">Aug 5, 2025<\/time><br \/><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"five-senses-hearing-music-lesson-plan\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/e4ee7d3ddbe2d6cb0bbf3cf9fa9a7201.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is part 2 of a 4 part hands-on unit study on the five senses. See the inside of a piano and how it works, study pitch while playing water glasses, test out different instruments, and more! My lessons are geared toward 3rd-4th grade level children and their siblings. These are lessons cdeveloped by another creative mom to do with our weekly homeschool co-op. We meet each week for 2 1\/2 hours and have 14 children between the ages of 0-13. <strong>Use these fun lessons with your classroom, family, camp, after school program, or co-op!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Introduction and Tuning a Piano<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Learning how to tune a piano\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/8b180614ff90dd1f7e22e5baeb1e7638.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Learning how to tune a piano<\/p>\n<p>***Note to Families: Please bring any instruments you own. If your child plays an instrument and would like to play for us, please let them prepare a song.***<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Read Genesis 4:21 and Psalm 4:1-3.<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li>Review the sense of hearing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn about the piano.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>We asked a man who tunes pianos to tune our piano while we had class. (We asked him ahead of time if this was okay and he was delighted to do this.) He talked about what he was doing as he tuned the piano.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>If this isn&#8217;t an option, you can open the back of a piano, showing all the parts and explaining how it works. The kids loved taking turns pressing keys and watching what happens.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>YOU WILL NEED:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a piano<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Mini-Concert<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Each of the children got to play musical instruments they brought, including this violin.\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/b7843fd8a0825870d4c57f887c244c09.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Each of the children got to play musical instruments they brought, including this violin.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Play other instruments.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>Students who brought instruments can each play them. Some children let others play them or touch them.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>If no students brought instruments, show instruments you have or show YouTube videos of different instruments playing,<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a variety of instruments<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Read most of &#8220;Ah, Music&#8221; by Aliki, which was the best picture book we found that provides a broad introduction to many of the aspects of music theory and includes enjoyable illustrations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>While reading the book, let children clap a rhythm and hum a melody.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Quickly discuss pitch, tone, and octaves.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>YOU WILL NEED:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0064462366\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Ah, Music by Aliki <\/a>or other book on music theory<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Water Glass Chimes and Instrument Families<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Water glasses as instruments\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/32cabb78527673141f6c562f82573bda.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Water glasses as instruments<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Divide children into 2 groups. Each group fills 8 glasses with different amounts of water. Let the children play them. Discuss how changing the amount of water changes the pitch of the sound waves.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>YOU WILL NEED: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>16 water glasses, 8 spoons, &amp; 2 pitchers<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Review instrument families using pictures from books.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>YOU WILL NEED:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Books that show different instrument families<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Play parts of &#8220;Peter and the Wolf&#8221; and &#8220;Carnival of Animals&#8221; and have the children shout out what instrument they hear. The below links are our favorite options. The kids loved seeing the pictures from the books that illustrate the songs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>YOU WILL NEED:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0375824308\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Peter and the Wolf<\/a>&#8221; and &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0805061800\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Carnival of Animals<\/a>&#8220;<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>5 minute review of what we learned<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ready for the next lesson?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Using cup phones to learn how sound waves travel from the first lesson in this unit study on hearing and sound\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/fb4ac53362fda90499794eaa96dfc4ec.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Using cup phones to learn how sound waves travel from the first lesson in this unit study on hearing and sound<\/p>\n<p>Build a crawl-through ear as you study hearing, play scales on water glasses as you study music and sound, dissect a cow eyeball as you study sight, try to identify mystery objects simply by their smell, present on various aspects of the five senses, and more during this 4 lesson hands-on unit study of the five senses!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/five-senses-hearing-and-sound-waves-lesson-plan\">Hearing and Sound Waves Lesson<\/a> &#8211; This is part 1 of a 4 part hands-on thematic unit on the five senses. Build and crawl through a model of an ear, watch sound waves at work, make paper cup phones, use a stethoscope and otoscope, and more!<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/five-senses-hearing-music-lesson-plan\">Music and Instruments Lesson<\/a> &#8211; This is part 2 of a 4 part hands-on unit study on the five senses. See the inside of a piano and how it works, study pitch while playing water glasses, test out different instruments, and more!<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/five-senses-seeing-eyes-lesson-plan\">Eyes and Seeing Lesson<\/a> &#8211; This is part 3 of a 4 part hands-on unit on the five senses. Make an edible model of an eye, dissect a cow eyeball, visit an eye doctor, and more!<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/touch-smell-and-taste-lesson-plan-in-five-senses-unit-\">Touch, Smell, &amp; Taste Lesson in Five Senses Unit<\/a> &#8211; This is part 4 of a 4 part hands-on unit on the five senses. Feel, smell, and taste mystery items, make a touch and feel book, and more!<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/five-senses-culminating-project-for-end-of-unit\">Five Senses Culminating Project and Field Trip Ideas<\/a> &#8211; This is the culminating project for the 4 part hands-on unit on the five senses. The students created presentations on people and ideas related to the 5 senses and shared 5 Senses-themed snacks and desserts.  (Recipes are included.) Also included is where we went for field trips during this unit.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Homework: 2 Lapbook Options<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.homeschoolshare.com\/m_for_melody.php\">M is for Melody Lapbook<\/a><br \/>M is for Melody Lapbook<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.homeschoolshare.com\/connections__music.php\">Music Lapbook<\/a><br \/>Music Lapbook<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>If you have extra time, watch: Musical Families Video<\/h2>\n<h2>Walt Disney &#8211; Toot, Whistle, Plunk And Boom Movie <\/h2>\n<h2>The Young Person&#8217;s Guide to the Orchestra<\/h2>\n<h2>Kids Orchestra Movie<\/h2>\n<h2>KONOS Curriculum (Attentiveness Unit)<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Konos Volume I (Attentiveness)\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/ad5784c155af77702d6b63179bc49730.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Konos Volume I (Attentiveness)<\/p>\n<h3>Would you like to teach this way every day?<\/h3>\n<p>I use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.konos.com\/www\/index.html\">KONOS Curriculum<\/a> as a springboard from which to plan my lessons. It&#8217;s a wonderful curriculum and was created by moms with active boys! This lesson is based on the activities found in the Attentiveness Unit Study from <em>KONOS Volume I<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a9 2011 Shannon<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>What Instrument Have You Always Wanted to Play and Why? &#8211; Or just let me know you dropped by! I love getting feedback from you!<\/h2>\n<p><strong>CoffeeWriter LM<\/strong> on September 14, 2012:<\/p>\n<p>@LouisaDembul: Know what you mean. I have 4 young kids and we have been going through the same thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LouisaDembul<\/strong> on May 04, 2011:<\/p>\n<p>My daughter just started learning the recorder in school, and my ears are almost falling off! In a few weeks she has progressed a lot, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aug 5, 2025 This is part 2 of a 4 part hands-on unit study on the five senses. See the inside of a piano and how it works, study pitch while playing water glasses, test out different instruments, and more! My lessons are geared toward 3rd-4th grade level children and their siblings. These are lessons [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}