Submitted by Diane Hamilton, Churchville, New York
Idea posted November 10, 2003
If you liked Munchy Music, you'll like this. It's a sequel for all of you sensory learners that need to "taste" music for themselves.
Objective: Students will read and write quarter- and eighth-note rhythm patterns.
Materials: Peanuts still in their shells (ones that have two bumps); song that has a repeated rhythm of eighth and quarter notes, such as "Engine, Engine Number #9"
Procedure: Give each child four peanuts. Ask them how many nuts they have (four). Tell them they are "beatnuts. " (Get the pun on beatnicks? Maybe you can write a song with these words.) Each nut is one beat. Ask them how many bumps there are (two). Tell them that the nut is divided in half, but there is only one shell, just like a "ta" or quarter note is one beat, but can be divided in half into micro beats called "t t," or eighth notes. Allow the students to crack the shell (on tone) of the peanuts to write a nut rhythm using the two nuts as eighth notes, and use the uncracked peanuts for a "ta" so that they write the rhythm of "t t, ta, ta, ta." Ask the students to put the two nuts on the second beat and play the rhythm. Continue placing the two nuts on the third beat then fourth beat. Ask students to crack another nut and put the two nuts beside the other nuts to form "tt, tt, ta, ta." Move the two uncracked shells to the first and third beat to make "ta, tt, ta, tt." Play it. Move the third uncracked nut shell around to the fourth beat to form "ta, tt, tt, ta." Move the last shell to the second beat to make "ta, ta, tt, tt." Crack the second shell and put the nuts in its place to make "ta tt tt tt." Move the only uncracked shell to make other rhythms. Crack the last nut if desired. If students have previous knowledge of the "tt" rhythm, they can decide if they want to crack the nut or leave it as a "ta." If they can play the rhythm, they get to eat ALL of the nuts. Happy eating!