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Found sounds are great for at-home learning. Students are able to make music without the need for lent-out instruments. Families can get involved with the music making with as little or as much guidance as they are comfortable with. For standards-based folks, it can hit the CREATE standard pretty hard.
Here are some thoughts for introducing and using found sounds to create a unit that almost any family can adapt to at home:
Introduce found sounds with something achievable.
It is tempting to show that "Stomp!" video from the 90's (80's?) and call it a day. That sets the expectations rather high for a fourth or fifth grader.
Max Found Two Sticks is a great book to start with. Get out your video camera and read aloud to your kids (either on video chat or uploaded!).
Think small. Have students watch specific found object pieces to encourage their creativity with pitch and rhythm. Try Fin Draper's water glass percussion or Drum Beats Online's kitchen percussion ensemble.
Encourage students to be listening all around them. And then write it down.
I prefer to get my 3rd and 4th graders into notation as soon as possible. Our early elementary music teacher spends a lot of time on movement and Orff instruction, so they are well versed in those methods when they get to me. My job is to prep them to read if they go on to band and choir in 5th grade with my JH colleagues. To get kids writing down found sounds can seem tricky.
Listen to what exists. Try listening to what is already around them. I created a chart that would help students write down suggested sounds in their homes. Understanding that some of my kids are still not getting notation, really struggle with fine motor control, or need to draft ideas first, I allowed for abstract sound creation with dots, squiggles, and whatever else.
Sound journaling. Alternately, have students keep a sound journal over the course of 3 days. Or a week. Have them pick out repeated rhythms or timbres. Something like this resource might be helpful, or any spiral notebook with clear instructions.
Go backwards. Ask students to identify things that already make tika-ti rhythms. My washer does this, albeit rather slowly, on the agitating part of the cycle.
Check in often, and encourage a revision process.
The kids who already enjoys making things up will need less guidance than the student who likes strict instructions, a checklist to abide by, and really prefers that everything is written down. (Me as a child... let's be honest that's me now.) Some revision topics to consider:
For the student who is overwhelmed:
Narrow down (or expand out) to 2-3 sounds max.
Narrow your range of rhythms. This is especially true if students "don't get it" because writing the rhythm is "too hard." Ask them to use two specific rhythms and one of their choice.
Aim for a specific number of measures in ___/___ time. Make sure to encourage good phrase lengths.
For the student who is done in 30 seconds flat:
Expand the composition to include lyrics.
Add a B (or C) section and some repeat signs. Theme each section (A = appliances, B = kitchen utensils, C = outside stuff)
Teach your composition to someone else. Perform it as an ensemble and share it on video with another family member.
I love this kind of assignment because it lets students show me what their creative process looks like. It also lets them work with what they have, making it more equitable.
Happy creating!
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