Submitted by Connie Herbon, Iowa

Idea posted September 27, 2002

RATTLEBONE ROCK by Sylvia Andrews, Harper Collins

I use this in 2nd and again in 3rd. First I just read it through and show the illustrations. Then I assign one or more students to each page with a particular rhythm instrument, such as castanets on the page where ghosts enter. The rhythms are created by the students and the texture thickens throughout the book until reaching a climax towards the end. Then everything fades away to nothing as daylight comes. I read through a small p.a. system to give a little different color to the narration. Musical growth comes through creative use of instruments, following a director's motions, and listening carefully and watching for cues.

Instruments used are: hand drum & beater, castanets on a handle, *green thing* you twirl in the air to make howling sound, sticks on chair, autoharp & mallet (sort of like *Banshee*), sandblocks, guiro, maracas, cabasa, claves, jingle sticks, finger cymbals, cat and owl sounds (vocal).

Here are more specific directions regarding how we add the instruments. (This will make sense only if you have the book in front of you.)

General points: Class is divided in half. 1/2 play the instrumental parts, 1-3 per instrument; 1/4 of class are "cats;" 1/4 are "owls." Activity is done twice so cats and owls can be players, and players can switch to vocal sounds. Each instrument begins as I finish reading their page. They all know their "character" and also watch for my cue. They play strongly at first then fade after 10 sec. or so on my cue. Then I begin reading the next page. The drum can reenter for a few licks at any time if the player chooses.

Characters/instruments in order of entry:
Basic beat... BOOMA-BOOM! (hand drum with beater, student's choice of what to play... just not too regular/metered)
Skeletons... CLACKA-CLACK! (castanets on a stick)
Ghosts... OOOA-OOO! ("green thing" - long bumpy plastic tube that whistles when swung in the air and changes pitch with speed)
Ghouls... RAPPA-TAP! (sticks on chair, suggested rhythm in imitation of the rhythm I read on "rappa-tap")
Banshee... EEEA-EEE! (scrape/tap autoharp with hard rubber mallet)
Goblins... SHOUSHA-SHAP! (sand blocks)
Witches... AH-HA-HA! (hard scrapes on guiro imitating witches cackle)
Cradles... ROCKA-ROCK! (cabasa)
Clocks... (claves played "wildly")
Bats... EEEKA-EEK! (finger cymbals)
Cats... MEEA-OOO! (alley cat sounds)
Owls... WHOOPA-WHOO! (owl hoots)

At "everyone rocked..." I cue all sounds back in, and they make quite a din for about 20 seconds. On my cue, they begin to fade as I read on at "Now folks still talk..." Sounds continue to fade until finally, after the last line is read, a stay sound or two brings us to about 10 seconds of total silence. (The darker the room the better, as far as the kids are concerned!) Remember, reading through an amplification system really saves on the voice, and the darker vocal quality needed at the end is easier to achieve.