Music — Ancient

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Course Description: Students will listen to music from ancient times up through the Renaissance. They will read about the development of instruments and how music was used in different cultures. They will learn about wind, string and percussion instruments and the basics of note reading and rhythm.

Levels:

Levels 1-4 — 1st through 4th

Printables (PDF packet to print only, 2 pages, or just print as they come in the course)

Levels 5-8 — 5th through 8th

Printables (PDF packet to print only, 2 pages, or just print as they come in the course)

Ancient Music

Week 1

Welcome to your first day of school! I wanted to give you one important reminder before you begin. Many of your lessons below have an internet link for you to click on. When you go to the different internet pages for your lessons, please DO NOT click on anything else on that page except what the directions tell you to. DO NOT click on any advertisements or games. DO NOT click on anything that takes you to a different website. Just stay focused on your lesson and then close that window and you should be right back here for the next lesson. Okay?

  1. If you didn’t get here through My EP Assignments, I suggest you go there and create an account.
    • This is a once-a-week course. It will appear on your “My EP” lesson page on days ending in 1 and 6.
  2. I figure that the first music was the music God made in nature.
  3. Here are a lot more different kinds of nature sounds if you want more.
  4. This is the end of your work for this course for today. You are allowed to move at your own pace (this is homeschooling), but it’s intended you complete one lesson each week.

Week 2

  1. One of the earliest man-made instruments must have been some sort of drum.
  2. Play the drums. Click on the drum set on the screen to play the virtual drums.
  3. If you like, you can mix together some different sounds again.

Week 3

  1. Learn about communicating with drums.
  2. Listen to a log drum. Skip to the 2:00 minute mark.
  3. Explain to a parent how it can make different sounds.
  4. You can play the drums again if you like.

Week 4

  1. While some of those drums were modern, I figured a drum was probably the earliest instrument. But I thought of another. The whistle. Can you whistle? Try to learn if you don’t know how.
  2. Listen to a whistling song. Click on the play triangle (and nothing else). This song is from the old Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s actually a humming song too. Even if you can’t whistle, you can hum. The voice is another instrument the Lord made, along with all the songs of nature.
Week 5
Level 1-4
  1. Read about how to make a whistle. (I’m wondering if you could use a pencil eraser instead of wood.)
  2. Whistles are one of the oldest types of instruments. Here is an ancient one made from bird bone.
  3. You can see some of a version of it from Colonial times on this video.
Level 5-8
  1. Learn how a whistle works.
  2. Whistles are an old type of instrument. Here is an ancient one made from bird bone.
  3. You can see some of a version of it from Colonial times on this video.
Week 6
Level 1-4
We’ve looked at early percussion instruments (drums) and early wind instruments (whistle). Now let’s look at early string instruments. I’ve read that the ancient Egyptians used an early version of a harp. At the bottom of this page is an image of what a harp-like instrument might have looked like in King David’s time in ancient Israel.
  1. Listen to “Flower Duet” by Delibes. Listen for the harp.
Level 5-8
  1. We’ve looked at early percussion instruments (drums) and early wind instruments (whistle). Now let’s look at early string instruments. I’ve read that the ancient Egyptians used an early version of a harp. At the bottom of this page is an image of what a harp-like instrument might have looked like at King David’s time in ancient Israel.
  2. Listen to “Autumn Leaves” by Kosma. Listen for the harp.
Chinese
Week 7
Level 1-4
  1. Listen to this traditional Chinese song.
  2. This second song is played on a pipa.
Level 5-8
  1. Listen to traditional Chinese music.
  2. What type of instrument is being played? (answer: string instrument/harp)
Mayan
Week 8
  1. Listen to some ancient Mayan music. You don’t need to listen to this whole thing!
  2. What types of instruments do you think you hear? strings, flutes, drums?
Indian
Week 9
  1. Listen to ancient music of India. What types of instruments do you hear?
Week 10
Level 1-4
  1. Make a splat symphony.
Level 5-8
  1. Click on blocks to build blocks and sounds. There are different colors on the left which are different sounds.
Ancient Stringed Instruments
Week 11
  1. Listen to lyre music. Scroll down and click on the play button by Lyre of the Levites.
  2. Look at ancient lyres. While it is playing, you can look at the images.
  3. What type of instrument is the lyre? (answer: string)
Week 12
Level 1-4
  1. Listen to cithara music. (Under instruments, click on “Cithara.” Then click on the music notes.)
  2. While you listen, draw a picture of a cithara and place it in your binder.
  3. What type of instrument is this? (answer: string)
Level 5-8
  1. Listen to aulos music. (Under instruments, click on “Aulos.” Then click on the music notes.)
  2. While you listen, draw a picture of the aulos and place it in your binder.
  3. What type of instrument is this? (answer: wind)
Wind Instruments
Week 13
Level 1-4
  1. Learn about different types of wind instruments. Click on woodwinds and then each type of instrument.
  2. Make sure you click on “Hear it play” and the arrow to learn about more instruments.
Level 5-8
  1. Read about the different types of wind instruments. Scroll down to woodwinds.
  2. Click on each one and listen to each one play.
Strings
Week 14
Level 1-4
  1. Learn about different types of string instruments. Click on “strings” and then each type of instrument.
  2. Make sure you click on “Hear it play” and the arrow to learn about more instruments.
Level 5-8
  1. Read about the different types of string instruments.
  2. Click on each one and listen to each one play.

Roman

Week 15

Level 1-4

  1. Look at and read about instruments of ancient Rome.

Level 5-8

  1. Read about instruments of ancient Rome.

Week 16

Level 1-4* (Note that an asterisk * indicates that there is a worksheet on this day)

  1. Listen to this music.
  2. Which instruments do you hear?
  3. *Print out this page and mark which instruments you think you hear. You can give this to a parent to put in your portfolio. Your parent can label it as “Instruments used in Synaulia II, ancient Roman music.”

Level 5-8*

  1. Look at this page while you listen to the music.
  2. Which instruments do you hear?
  3. *Print out this page and mark which instruments you think you hear. Label the page “Instruments used in Synaulia II, ancient Roman music.” Give it to a parent to add to your portfolio.

Week 17

  1. Listen to a couple of the samples of ancient Roman music.
  2. What types of instruments do you hear?

Percussion

Week 18

Level 1-4

  1. Learn about different types of percussion. Click on “percussion” and then each type of instrument.
  2. Make sure you click on “Hear it play” and the arrow to learn about more instruments.
Level 5-8
  1. Read about the different types of percussion.
  2. Click on each one and listen to each one play.

Rhythm

Week 19

Level 1-4/5-8

  1. Copy the rhythms.
  2. Notice how RHYTHM is spelled!
  3. Can you make a rhythm that would count, 1-2-and-3. When it starts, the bass drum is played on the 1 and 3 count. If you clicked on the middle line, it would play 1-2-3.

Vikings

Week 20

  1. Read about Viking music.

Week 21

  1. Read about why we know little about Viking music.
  2. Look at their instruments. Do you see why they call them woodwinds?
  3. Listen to the first song. There are a few versions linked on the page. What types of instruments are used? percussion? strings? woodwinds?

Medieval

Week 22

Level 1-4

  1. Listen to this music of the Middle Ages.
  2. You’ll hear strings, percussion, winds, voices… What can you recognize?

Level 5-8

  1. Listen to this music of the Middle Ages.
  2. You’ll hear strings, percussion, winds, voices…
  3. Several different songs play. What different moods do the different songs express? Which types instruments are used to express which mood?

Week 23

Level 1-4*

  1. Read about medieval music.
  2. Choose an instrument to learn about.
  3. *Draw a picture of it. Write its name at the top of the page. Write about the instrument on the page. Here is a page you can use to do this assignment (Medieval Instruments).
  4. Do it neatly and give the paper to a parent to place in your portfolio.

Level 5-8*

  1. Read about medieval music.
  2. Choose an instrument to learn about.
  3. *Draw a picture of it. Write its name at the top of the page. Write about the instrument on the page. Here is a page you can use to do this assignment (Medieval Instruments).
  4. Do it neatly and give the paper to a parent to place in your portfolio.

Understanding Music Notes

Week 24

  1. Read the lesson. Then click on the bottom button, “Performance Alley.”
  2. Try to play a song or two or three.

Week 25

  1. Remind yourself of the lesson. Then click the top button, “Compose Away.”
  2. Change the rhythm by changing the type of note. Moving the tone up and down changes the pitch and melody.

Week 26

  1. Listen to traditional Japanese music while you look at these different types of traditional Japanese instruments. (Click on their names.)

Week 27

  1. Compose a song with what you learned about notes and rhythm. Click on blocks to build blocks and sounds.
  2. There are different colors on the left which are different sounds.

Week 28

Level 1-4

  1. View these Renaissance instruments. You will see wind, string, and percussion instruments. Here’s one more image.
  2. What’s the percussion instrument? (answer: the piano, you strike the keys — It is never classified as a string instrument, but it is really a mixture of percussion and string.)

Level 5-8

  1. Read about Renaissance music.

Week 29

Level 1-4
  1. Listen to the Renaissance music. What types of instruments do you think you hear?
Level 5-8
  1. Listen to the Renaissance music. What types of instruments do you hear?

Week 30

  1. Listen to this short piece of music by Leonardo da Vinci.
  2. Read about his musical inventions.

Week 31

  1. Invent a musical instrument or design improvements to an existing instrument.
  2. You can look at this page on da Vinci’s musical inventions again if you need inspiration.

Week 32

  1. Learn about De Saint Georges, son an African slave and French master who apparently raised him as a son.
  2. Listen to the music on the page.

Week 33

  1. Make music. Each week you can play with a different online music maker, but maybe you’ll find a favorite.
  2. Make music with the melody maker.

Week 34

  1. Make music. Each week you can play with a different online music maker, but maybe you’ll find a favorite.
  2. Play a rhythm.

Week 35

  1. Make music. Each week you can play with a different online music maker, but maybe you’ll find a favorite.
  2. Draw to make music.

Week 36

  1. Make music. Each week you can play with a different online music maker, but maybe you’ll find a favorite.
  2. Here’s a fancy mixer or a keyboard.

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