High and Low sounds can be difficult to teach to students who confuse it with Loud and Soft. I have found a few things be helpful.
Songs
- Andy Pandy
- As I Walked Out One Holiday
- The Baker
- Boom Chicka Boom
- By’m Bye
- Cluck Old Hen
- Doctor Foster
- Ham and Eggs
- Hey Ho Welcome Song
- Hop Up and Jump Up
- Hop Up My Froggy
- It Rained a Mist
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Jack and Jill
- Mos Mos (Cat Cat)
- Nine Red Horsemen
- Old King Glory
- One Cold and Frosty Morning
- Sailing in the Boat
- See Saw Sacradown
- Three Little Pigs
- Two Maids Went A-Milking One Day
- Wise Man Built His House
- Yoo Hoo
Lesson ideas
- We listen to high and low sounds and move our bodies into high and low positions. Some ideas for high/low instruments:
- High Sounds could be:
- High C’ on Soprano Xylophone
- High C’ on Glockenspiel
- Triangle
- Finger Cymbal
- Low Sounds could be:
- Low C on Bass Xylophone
- Low C on Resonator Bar
- Deep-sounding drum
- High Sounds could be:
- Some listening examples:
- High Sounds
- Prokofiev: Peter & the Wolf – bird
- Mozart: The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night Aria
- Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
- Low Sounds
- Prokofiev: Peter & the Wolf – grandfather
- Both High & Low Sounds
- Mozart: Requiem, K. 626; Confutatis
- High Sounds
- We emulate the sounds of a lion vs. a mouse and the barks of a big dog vs. a small dog.
- You could read the folk stories of the Three Billy Goats Gruff or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
High/Low Assessment
(Suggested Pre-K / Kindergarten)
Up/Down Assessment
(suggested 1st grade – click here)
Links
- Kindergarten Melody Lessons & Resources
- Comparatives (High/Low, Loud/Soft, Fast/Slow)
- more lesson plans
- Kinder High-Low, Soft-Loud
- Comparing high/low with loud/soft
Below: Printable High / Low Quiz
