Class 10P have been continuing to learn about different orchestral instruments as part of our music learning. Each session starts off with the students listening to a different type of music. Sensory materials are provided to add a calming influence. One of the key tasks here is to improve the listening ability of each class member.
Once the music has finished, Miss G asks each class member to construct a complete sentence to describe some of the emotions heard in the music. Communication in Print is used as the main tool for this. The pupils are asked to describe how the music makes them feel, as well as to possibly locate what we have just heard along the musical timeline.
A sorting activity then took place. Class 10P are now familiar with the four main musical families that can be found in the orchestra: woodwind, brass, string and percussion. The group worked together to sort a large number of instruments into the correct family. Miss G asked the students to explain their choices by describing how each instrument is played.
The pupils were now ready for the main practical part of the lesson. Under observation during this session was the piano. Miss G led a detailed look at the inner workings of the Turney School piano. Class 10P were able to see the hammers, the strings and the dampers. The students correctly identified that the piano can be classed as part of the percussion as a hitting techniques is used to create a sound.
Individual worksheets were then completed by each class member. This involved labelling the inner workings of the piano to explain what we have learnt from the exploration.