We took a look at the definitions that the students brought in today, paying attention to the common denominators between the similar definitions. They decided that music should be described as combinations of sound that are pleasing to listen to, rather than just noise. They also realized that both sound and silence are needed to create music.
We took a look at a quote from Plato-"Music is..wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything." The kids drew pictures illustrating what those word pictures brought to mind.
And then they got creative making rain sticks. I gave them the initial instruction, and then they experimented by adding/modifying until they had the sound they were looking for.
Manchester, NH based fine arts program for homeschool students
