Technology
Musical Instruments
The Big Picture
This is a 4 lesson unit. By the end you will have
designed and made your own musical
instrument, and used it in a performance.
I will assess your work by looking at
the quality of your planning and
making. I am especially looking at the way
you sequence your ‘how to make it’ planning
and how you decide what materials to make it
out of. Your planning needs to be clear enough
for anyone to pick up and understand.
Lesson 1
IDEAS
Investigative, Disassembly and Evaluative Activities
Today you will investigate a musical
instrument so you can learn about
assembly (how it’s made) and how it
works. You will present your learning to
your group and possibly your class at
the end of the lesson.
1. Look at the musical instruments on your table.
2. Choose one to examine with your partner.
3. Discuss with your partner each of the following
questions.
4. Take brief notes on your whiteboards of your
ideas. You will present your ideas to the other
pairs on your table at the end of your
discussion time.
Your questions
A. What materials were used to make the
instrument? What does that tell you about
locally available materials?
B. Look at the structure of the instrument:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Is it solid or hollow?
Does it have a box, arm, stem, board?
What parts have to be strong?
What part makes the noise?
How do you make different notes?
C. What country was it made in? When do you
think it was played and why?
Recording your work
1. Take a full page in your Technology books.
Title (‘Musical Instruments IDEAS’) and date
your page. UNDERLINE WITH YOUR
RULER.
2. You need to record your notes into information
which you can share and return to for ideas
and inspiration at a later date. Before you start
think about layout, diagrams, labelling and
key information. You may use highlighters in
the text, for example.
What have your learnt today?
1.
2.
Think, pair and share with your talk partner.
Turn to the partners on your table. Use a magic
microphone. Choose a chairperson, and a secretary
who takes notes. Share again.
I will pick four from the floor to share with the whole
class four important things you have learnt today.
We need two observers to walk around the classroom
taking notes on:
3.
–
–
–
participation (joining in)
cooperation (sticking to the rules)
great thinking.
The observers will award one point to each of the
people they observe doing well in this task at the end.
Technology Homework 1
This is a research homework. You will take notes from books, magazines and
Internet sources. You will need your homework for next week’s lesson.
Find out about a handmade, traditional musical instrument from anywhere in the
world.
•
•
•
•
What country was it made in?
How does your instrument work? (How does it make the sound it produces?)
What is your instrument used for, e.g. celebrations, religious ceremonies?
Identify the different parts, materials used and methods of assembly used in the
instruments. Present this information in a labelled diagram.
GO FOR GOLD! We will award a small but glorious prize for the most amazing and
peculiar traditionally made instrument researched.
Dear Parents and Carers: this is part technology, part literacy and part a music homework. Your child has had a
lesson doing all of the above in class, only using real instruments as their primary source of information. We are
teaching your child to use brief notes when researching information, which are then turned into text with diagrams
that anyone can read and understand. One side of A4 will be fine. The layout of the piece is up to you and your
child – we gave a lot of freedom on this in class because this encourages independence and ownership of
learning. Thanks hugely for your support – we hope you have fun – your Y5 teachers.
Tip: Google these sites. They give lots of information and let you sample the sounds the instruments make as well:
•
Indian musical instruments – A comprehensive website on all musical instruments
•
Chico musical encyclopaedia
•
Welcome - Staying in tune: Traditions and Musical instruments of the Francophonie
•
Sri Lankan music instrument sounds
•
BBC – music – echoes of Africa
Lesson 2
Technology
Musical Instruments
Have your homework piece in front of you. Who has an unusual
and peculiar instrument researched? We will take hands up and
see which the class thinks is the winner.
You are going to think, pair and share the following questions. You
will then discuss these questions with the rest of your table.
Finally, we will swap two people from each group, so that
everyone’s ideas can be shared. We need two observers, like the
last time. Here are your questions:
1. Is it important that traditional methods of making
musical instruments continue?
2. What materials are used in different cultures to make
musical instruments? Why do they vary?
3. People are prepared to pay high prices for hand-made
instruments. Why do you think this is?
Shaking, Scraping, Hitting and
Plucking
In today’s lesson you will learn to:
• understand that different types of sounds can be
made using different techniques eg shaking,
scraping, hitting and plucking
• understand that the working characteristics of
materials affect the sound made
• assemble materials in temporary ways
• understand how different materials can be
reinforced for specific purposes
Ideas
• shakers (margarine pots with rice, gravel
or sand)
• scrapers (plastic bottles with ridges,
dowel rods, sandpaper)
• drums (food containers, biscuit tins,
material to stretch over the top of the
containers)
• string instruments (food containers,
elastic bands, string).
What to do
Look at the materials on your tables. Your mission is to
investigate as many different ways as possible of
making a musical instrument out of these materials.
By the end of this lesson you will have produced a page
in your technology book of annotated diagrams
showing and explaining how the materials can create
sound once assembled.
Use the previous slide, especially the title, as a guide for
your labels. Look at the next slide for your targets.
SAFETY FIRST: elastic bands can sting when flicked.
Be very careful – a fully stretched band can be nasty if it
is released. Keep a careful eye and hold of everything
you handle. Careless behaviour will lead to time out.
What have your learnt?
1. Swap books with your desk partner. Does the
work show scraping, shaking, hitting and
plucking? Give 5 points for each of these shown
and clearly labelled.
2. Did one particular instrument that you made
appeal to you more than any other? How could
you improve this basic design? Would you use
different materials? Would you change the size?
How would you apply a finish to your design?
In the next lesson you will use today’s learning
to start your own instrument design.
Lesson 3
Technology
Musical Instruments
The task is to design and make a musical instrument
for __________eg sound effects for a puppet play.
1.
Discuss your ideas in pairs and your group. What
sound are we going to make? How loud? What could
we use?
2.
Put your ideas on paper in a way which others will
understand. List materials and other resources, and to
set out a proposed sequence of work. What materials
work well? What could you use? How much will you
need? How will you make this?
I will be using your planning as an assessment
piece. I want to know if you can sequence your
planned activities, refer back to your investigations,
and communicate this clearly so anyone can
understand this from your written piece. Evaluation
Things to Consider
• Refer back to your investigations - compare how
sounds can be made using everyday items.
• Think of easier ways of making your instrument
eg reducing the number of notes it makes,
making it a different shape.
• The instruments must be made to a high
standard. Accuracy of making is very important
to creating the right sounds. How well is it
working? What could you do to make it better?
You may need to make changes to your design
as you work – this is a good thing so don’t get
worried about sticking to your design too closely.
… and finally …
We will give you a photocopy of your design to
take home. This is a prize winning homework.
• Everyone who brings in an instrument made at
home will earn a whole star.
• The winners (first, second and third) will be
judged on musical tone, quality of make, and
finish.
• We will use your instruments in our next lesson
to produce the sound effects for your group’s
performance. This is when the judging will take
place.
Technology Homework 2
This is a prize winning homework. You will earn a star for bringing
the homework in for next week’s lesson.
You each have a copy of your planning for your instrument. If you
were absent, you have a friend’s planning.
Use your plan to make an instrument to use to accompany your
group’s performance of ____________________.
Your instrument will be judged on musical tone, quality of
make, and finish.
Dear Parents and Carers: Your child has produced a plan which should
show a clear sequence of making, and should say what materials s/he
thinks s/he needs. The plan should be closely referred to, but as with all
designs, alterations will need to be made as you go. This evaluative
process is a good thing, and to be encouraged. What we don’t want is for
the design to be abandoned while you end up making the whole thing all on
your own! We have sent this project home because many children can
become enthralled with this kind of work, and the stop/start nature of a
timetabled school week - having to put everything away just as you get
finally going – doesn’t help anyone produce their best work.
Thanks, as ever, hugely for your support.
Your Y5 teachers.
Technology
Lesson 4
Musical Instruments
This is your last lesson in this unit. By the end of this
lesson you will have performed with your instrument, and
completed an evaluation for it.
First, you will make a short presentation of your
instrument to everyone in your group. Your group may
ask you up to three questions, and make (polite)
recommendations for improvements. This will help you
complete your work evaluation.
You will then plan your performance, so everyone’s
instrument is used to its best effect.
I will judge the winner of the competition during this
performance.
Good luck!
Evaluation
1.
Sequencing of actions (did I complete the work in the order I had
intended, did my planning sequence help?):
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. Clarity of planning (could I read my planning when I got home, or
did I keep having to explain it to my helpers?):
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
3.``Quality of design (did it work? Were my materials the best for the
job?):
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4. Quality of finish (does it look good and stay together when I use
it?):
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Lesson 3 Technology Musical Instruments