Sound Stories
Deborah Jeter
The essence of improvisation and creativity reigns in this form of story telling.
I hope these examples will help to generate your own ideas in how to incorporate these creativity sessions with your students.
Here is a musical lesson for reinforcing rhyming words by using instruments:
Maracas/woodblocks - on the underlined words
Triangle/bells - on the bold syllables. (author unknown)
Antonio, Antonio was tired of living alonio. He thought he would woe, Miss Lissy Maloo, Miss Lissy MaLucy, Malonio.
Antonio, Antonio, rode off on his polo ponio. He found the fair maid, in bowery shade, a sitting and knitting alonio.
solo:
Antonio, Antonio, said if you'll be my ownio. I'll love you true and buy for you an icery creamery conio.
counter solo:
Oh, nonio, Antonio, you're far too bleak and bonio! And all that I wish, you singular fish, is that you will sweetly begonio.
Antonio, Antonio, he uttered a dismal moanio. He ran off and hid, I'm told that he did, to the fartherest Antartical Zonio.
The melody:
so - mi re - do so - mi re - do
so - mi mi - re re - mi re - do
so - mi mi - so so - mi mi - so
so - mi mi - re re - mi re - do
Ah Chu!
By Erin Mack and D. Jeter
Long ago and many lands away, there was a small town named CHU and in it there lived a fat, old man. This fat, old man was very grouchy, and he had the annoying habit of sneezing every time it rained. In the town of CHU, the skies sent down their rain for days and weeks at a time. every time this happened, the fat, old man would become even grouchier. However, for some strange reason, there hadn't been very much rain this particular season and that was a great concern, for this was the planting season. If there was no rain, then the crops would die and the people would starve. So, the leaders of CHU got together to decide on a plan of action. They talked and talked for many days but came to no decision. They still did not know how they would save their crops. Then one of the leaders said, "Let's ask the fat, old man what to do because no one knows more about rain than he does." A messenger was sent to the fat, old man. When the messenger told him why he had come to visit him, the grouchy, fat, old man yelled, "The reason it has not rained is because I have not decided to sneeze. Of course, this was a lie. Then the fat, old man got a devious idea and said, "The only way I can sneeze again is to have some gold dust placed under my nose." That was another lie, but the messenger left hurriedly to tell the leaders of CHU what the fat, old man had said. The leaders were quite alarmed but they agreed that the idea was worth a try. After all, they had observed in the past that every time it rained, the fat, old man would sneeze. Some gold dust was taken to the fat, old man, but it produced no sneeze, and the fat, old man said he needed more gold dust. More gold dust was brought to the fat, old man and still no rain! This situation went on for weeks and weeks. Soon the people of CHU became very poor, while the fat, old man became very rich. He was rolling in gold dust! He would sit in his hut and play with his gold dust, while screaming at the people of CHU to bring him more and more gold dust. Then one day, as he was pushing a wheelbarrow filled with gold dust around town, pushing small children and kicking dogs out of his way, a miraculous thing happened. The rain clouds that had been far away in the land of Chang came back to the town of CHU. The clouds had traveled so far that their swollen bellies were anxious to be rid of the weight. The skies opened up and sent the glorious rain. They also delivered upon the town of CHU another gift. A great lightening bolt, golden and shining came streaking down to earth, cutting through the sparkling drops of rain and struck directly on the head of the grouchy, fat, old man, knocking him dead. And he never even had a chance to sneeze.
The End
These are merely suggestions as to which instruments you can use for this activity. Feel free to use your own ideas. Be creative!
Fat, Old Man - tone blocks or bongos
CHU - whole class says, BONG!
Rain - jingle bells
Sneeze - tambourine
Grouchy - guiro
Gold Dust - glockenspiel (glissando)
The final sound story activity is by M. Burnett. This is an Orff lesson and can be found in: Melody, Music and Magic published by Belwin Mills.
Bubble Bath
To be spoken freely and slowly:
Take the bubbles, pour them in. . .
Splash! Splash! Splash! (play freely on the glockenspiels to demonstrate how pouring something could be relayed through the instrument)
Stir in the bubbles, (play the instruments as though stirring something). . .
Back and forth, back and forth.
Stir the bubbles. Splash! Splash! Splash!
Watch the bubbles, growing, growing, growing. Watch the bubbles going...going...going...(trail off, get quieter)
Pop! Pop! Pop! Now they are going, down, down, down, going down, down, down.
Now, we can all jump in!
Be sure and use plenty of dramatic vocal inflection in the reading of the "Bubbles."
If you and your class are inspired by these lessons, and decide to write some "sound" stories of your own, please share them with all of us, here. We would LOVE that! Thanks!
This music teacher sent in a wonderful sound story that was a hit at one of his Parent Teacher Programs earlier in the year. Click here for the sound story.
Another great site that was discovered by Tim Roark, who I consider to be an Ace Web Scout, is StoryArts.org! This site has some charming areas to explore. Some of your choices are Storytelling or this helpful section entitled, Story Arts. Thanks, Tim!
And in the spirit of the holiday season:
Christmas Videos here!
Merry Beatmus!