How to Teach Music Tone Qualities to Children
Children learning music need to understand tone quality, otherwise known as timbre. Tone quality is the way instruments, voices or sounds differ, even when making the same note. The tone qualities can even differ when the same instrument and player are playing because there are various ways to play notes for different sounds. Timbre is the part of a sound that does not have anything to do with how loud the note is played or sang, the length of the note or the specific pitch, according to the Connexions website. Children need a basic understanding of tone qualities to fully understand music.
Instructions
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Explain tone quality to children. Give a basic overview of what children need to listen for at the start of the lesson. For example, explain that tone differs by instrument or singer and that even the same notes can sound different.
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Put on a recording of a single instrument, such as a flute, violin or piano. Ask the child to identify the instrument. Put on another recording of the same song with a different, but similar instrument. For example, put on the same song played on an organ rather than a piano or use a piccolo rather than a flute. Ask the child to identify the new instrument.
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Ask children to give descriptive words for the music. Many differences in tone quality relate to the descriptions people use for the sounds. For example, "shrill" is often used to describe high and annoying sounds, while "mellow" is used for quiet, down-to-earth or soothing sounds.
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Play classical music recordings. Show the students how different tone qualities can blend to create beautiful music. You don't need to use the same song as you previously used with single instrument music, but this can help children understand the concept.
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References
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