Can You Feel It? A Tactile Approach to Music Literacy The Kennedy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Can You Feel It?

A Tactile Approach to Music Literacy

The Kennedy Center - VSA Webinar December 1, 2015 Jennifer Nichols

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You will need…

• Pen/pencil
• Worksheet

entitled, “Create Your Own Tactile Music!” (printed)

• Handout entitled,

“Tactile Music Materials” 2

Overview

Limitations of traditional notation Examples of tactile music notation Other music instruction ideas Create our own tactile notation

• Limitations of traditional

notation

• Tactile solutions
• Examples of tactile

music notation

• Other music instruction

ideas

• Create your own tactile

notation 3

Limitations of Traditional Notation

Two-dimensional Traditional music notation is a different language

• Typically only two-

dimensional

• Uses unfamiliar symbols
• Requires advanced

decoding and reading skills 4

Tactile Solutions

• Create music notation

that is three- dimensional

• Use familiar shapes

and objects on music notation to help students learn to read music

• Use varying materials

for tactile music 5

• Benefits
• Examples
• Materials
• Instructions
• Adapting existing music

Tactile Notation

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Benefits of Tactile Music

• Students are actively engaged in reading

music

• Students can feel concepts in music such

as pitch, rhythm, and notation.

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Examples of Tactile Notation

• Pitch Examples – Used to teach high and

low sounds

• Rhythm Examples – Used to rhythms

including quarter notes, quarter rests, and paired eighth notes

• Notation Examples – Used to teach

vocabulary

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Simplified Staff

• Helps students differentiate between high and low sounds using only

two pitches

• Students tap to the pitch they hear
• The simplified staff line is drawn in black and has been glued over

with hot glue in order for the students to feel the line

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Simplified Staff Materials

Foam Board Glue Gun Permanent Markers

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Simplified Staff Instructions

• 1. Cut foam board into a

rectangle.

• 2. With a black permanent

marker, draw one line horizontally in the middle of the rectangle.

• 3. With one color, write the word

“high” above the line.

• 4. With a different color, write the

word “low” below the line.

• 5. With a glue gun, glue over the

black line.

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Writable Staff

• Helps students learn the properties of the staff
• Student differentiate between lines and spaces
• The lines of the staff are drawn in black and have been glued over

with hot glue in order for the students to feel the line and spaces

• Students can also use dry erase markers to write the names of the

lines and spaces

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Writable Staff Materials

Glue Gun Dry Erase Markers Staff Printed

• n Cardstock

(Laminated)

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Writable Staff Instructions

• 1. Print a staff on cardstock.
• 2. Laminate cardstock.
• 3. With a glue gun, glue over the black lines.

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Magnetic Staff

• Helps students learn the notes of the staff
• Student differentiate between lines and spaces
• The lines of the staff are drawn in black permanent marker on a baking

sheet

• Students can also move the magnetic notes up and down on the baking

sheet staff

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Magnetic Staff Materials

Notes Printed

• n Cardstock

(Laminated) Permanent Marker (Thick) Baking Sheet Magnetic Tape Scissors

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Magnetic Staff Instructions

1. Print quarter notes, paired eighth notes, whole notes, half notes, and quarter rests on cardstock. 2. Cut and laminate notes and rests. 3. Cut a piece of magnetic tape and adhere to the back of the notes and rests. 4. Using the permanent marker draw the staff and treble clef.

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Student-Friendly Notation

• Helps students learn to read

music with familiar objects and/or pictures

• Size of picture corresponds to

the note duration

• Demonstrates pitch, high and

low stars, and rhythm, larger stars for quarter notes and two smaller stars for paired eighth notes

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Student-Friendly Notation Examples

• .

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Student-Friendly Notation Instructions

• 1. Using programs such as

Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher, use pictures to represent note heads.

• 2. Position the pictures on the

page to represent high/low pitches and rhythms.

• 3. Use glue dots or three-

dimensional stickers to create tactile notation.

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Notation Vocabulary Cards

• Helps students learn the shapes and

characteristics of notes and rests

• The three-dimensional foam note/rest

helps students can feel the shape

• Students can also say the note/rest

name or syllable used in class

• The binding makes it possible to flip

back and forth between notes and rests

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Notation Vocabulary Cards Materials

Scissors Glue Gun Cardstock Foam Sheets Comb Binding Binding Machine

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Notation Vocabulary Cards Instructions

• 1. Cut rectangle pieces of

cardstock for cards.

• 2. Using binding machine,

bind the cards into a flipable vocabulary book.

• 3. Cut quarter notes, paired

eighth notes, whole notes, half notes, and quarter rests out of foam.

• 4. Glue one note or rests on

each card.

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Adapting Existing Music

• Adhesive Velcro
• Three-dimensional stickers
• Glue lines
• Glue dots

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Poll Questions

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What are some materials that can be used to make tactile music? A) different types of glue C) stickers of varying materials B) Velcro D) all of the above

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What is one piece of existing music literacy material that you currently have that can be altered to become tactile music? A) listening maps C) none, I'm excited to make tactile music from scratch B) traditional notation D) other

Other Ideas

• Communication board
• Music books in larger font and in Braille

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Communication Board

• Used for students to

communicate

• Can be altered for

any content

• Beneficial for non

verbal students

• Visual reinforcement
• f vocabulary

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Communication Board Materials

3-Ring Binder Adhesive Velcro Foam Board Communication Board Pictures Glue Gun Scissors

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Communication Board Instructions

• Print and cut out communication board

pictures (optional: laminate pictures).

• Cut foam board to match size of

pictures.

• Glue pictures on foam board pieces.
• Place pieces of adhesive Velcro on the

back of the foam board pictures.

• Place strips of Velcro on the outside of a

3-ring binder.

• Place strips of Velcro inside the 3-ring

binder for additional picture storage.

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Music Books

• Musical instruction can be supplemented with books
• Many traditional/folk songs can be found in children’s books
• Movements used in music can also be found in books

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Music Books in Braille

• Music books can also help

teach the lyrics to the visually impaired

• Books using children’s

songs are also available in larger font and in Braille.

• Visually impaired students

can read along with larger font and in Braille while the music teacher sings

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Create Your Own!

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• Pen/pencil
• Printed worksheet

entitled, “Create Your Own Tactile Music”

• Draw a picture that could be used to notate the song "Doggie,

Doggie, Where's Your Bone?".

• Picture ideas include dogs, dog bones, and question marks.
• Using three-dimensional stickers of dogs, dog bones, or question

marks would make this example even more tactile.

Create Your Own! Version 1

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Helps the student to touch/feel student-friendly music notation.

Create Your Own! Version 2

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• Use your pen/pencil to poke a hole as large as the note heads on

this worksheet.

• The simplified staff line could also be made tactile with hot glue.

Helps the student touch/feel pitch.

Create Your Own! Version 3

• Use your pen/pencil to poke a hole as large as the note heads on this

worksheet.

• The simplified staff line could also be made tactile with hot glue.

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Helps the student touch/feel both the pitch and rhythm.

Questions

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Contact Information

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Jennifer Nichols

Music Teacher, Prince William County Schools Signal Hill Elementary School, Manassas, VA nicholjl@pwcs.edu