A Chorus Line

Featured Concepts

Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Music, Communication, Language and Literacy/Sound

Your Child Will Learn

There are certain kinds of sounds that are pleasing together and others that sound not as pleasing. Respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. Encourage the child to experiment with the sounds that water can make and to put these sounds into notational order.

Ep_49_A_Chorus_Line_20sec

Story Summary

Bing and Bong stumble upon an octave of Flockers, perched on peaks in the shape of a pan flute and ready to sing their hearts out. Bing immediately finds a baton and conducts the Flocker in a series of beautiful scales. Inspired by the experiment, Bing attempts a couple of combos, but some of the results are discordant and not what he has hoping for.

No sooner does Bing find the desired combos, when one Flocker bows out with laryngitis. Bong immediately steps up to the challenge, adding a soothing whistle to the intermittent tones. Now, Bing, having learned what works and what does not, can conduct the choir to the heights of Carnegie Hall, until the alarm sounds and its time to head.

Key Vocabulary

Higher
Lower
Same As
Different
Numbers 1-10

Preparation

Watch the Tiny Planets episode "A Chorus Line"
Talk about what Bing and Bong did in the story by asking questions like:

Talk about the different ranges of sounds hat people can make
Discuss other types of sounds and how sounds can make music
How did Bong help to make the song with the Flockers?

Gather your materials for the "Musical Water" activity

Additional Ideas

Playing various musical instruments
Playing instruments along to music
Finding objects that make sound
Recording the sounds we make
Print and color "Bing & Bong's Big Picture!"

Musical Water

Materials

Up to 10 glass jars or bottles
Water
Food coloring (optional)
Sticky labels
Beater or stick/pencil

Instructions

Suitable for individuals or large groups.
Can start with a smaller amount of jars and build up as the child become more confident or or more capable child.
Fill each jar with different amounts of water, encourage the child to strike the jars with the beater and listen to the differing pitches of sound.
Help the child to put these sounds into order from low to high.
Assist the child to label these jars from 1 to 10
Encourage the child to make simple sound/songs using the different jars.
Extend the activity by asking the child to empty out water or add water to the jar to see what happens.

Does this change the pattern?

HEALTH & SAFETY

Encourage the child not to spill the water
Explain dangers of slipping
Ensure spillages are cleaned away as soon as possible.
Explain the dangers of glass jars and breakages.
Encourage the child to strike the jars gently and supervise at all times.