Reply To: JCCC4 Land Pony Corral
> I think I will start a unit on songwriting with my fifth graders. I’ll let you know if there are any budding minstrels in the crowd.
The results are in:
- 20 instrumental pieces, split about 50/50 between solos and duets/trios. Instruments included flute, snare drum, body percussion, red solo cup percussion, piano, guitar, violin, viola and cello.
- 5 songs, including one hymn, one song about the end of a friendship, and three odes to animals.
- The kind of awesome two- and three-part composition that can only result from zero previous knowledge of music theory. (e.g. an entire piece written in parallel ninths.)
- One title that made me smile: “I Love Carbs!”
These talented kids are constantly reminding me how easy creativity is for the young, compared to how much I rack my brains on every endeavor. I prepared a whole lesson on “things you can do when you get stuck,” only to find that none of them were getting stuck. They loved this project, and the sixth graders heard them working on their songs and are bugging me now about when their songwriting project will be. To summarize: a fun experience for all involved.