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
• Cobbler Cobbler
• 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
• Wee Willie Winkie
• 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
• Some listening examples:
  • High Sounds
    • Prokofiev: Peter & the Wolf – bird (flute)
    • Mozart: The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night Aria
    • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
    • Léo Delibes: Lakmé – The Flower Duet
  • Low Sounds
    • Prokofiev: Peter & the Wolf – grandfather (bassoon)
    • Octobasse
    • Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – contrabassoon
    • Ralph Vaughan Williams: Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra in F Minor
    • Pavel Chesnokov: Do Not Reject Me in My Old Age (featuring Glenn Miller)
    • You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (featuring Thurl Ravenscroft)
  • Both High & Low Sounds
    • Mozart: Requiem, K. 626; Confutatis
    • Handel: Hallelujah Chorus

• 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)

High / Low Visuals

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

                 

The following content is available below to Plus Members:

• PDFs include:
  • High / Low Assessment
  • High / Low Visuals