These activities explore the notion of using everyday objects and ‘found sounds’ to create music,
using recordings from Minute of Listening as a starting point. They are suitable for Key Stages 1
& 2 and support KS1 & 2 Music and Art & Design, as well as KS2 Science (materials).
You can find recordings to support these activities in the Minute of Listening application under
the ‘Everyday Objects’ sound theme.
On the following pages you will find resources for the following activities:
Field recordings are recordings made in the real world, away from the recording studio. These
recordings are collected from all over the world by experts who work to establish a lasting
record of interesting sounds, which include animal, musical and language-based sounds. Many of
the field recordings in Minute of Listening include sounds made by everyday objects or
homemade instruments.
Some examples of this type of recording are used in conjunction with the suggested classroom
activities below:
The Earth Bow (week 2, day 4) recording was made by Louis Sarno and is played by one of the
BayAka tribe who live in a remote area of rainforest in the Central African Republic. The
BayAka’s way of life is considered to be unusual and endangered nowadays: they are hunter
gatherers who live in both semi-permanent settlements and temporary hunting camps in the
rainforest. As well as living in harmony with their surroundings, the BayAka are steeped in their
own unique musical tradition from a very early age and many are virtuosic musicians and
singers.
BayAka musicians make their instruments from materials found in the local environment, so
many instruments are made from wood, seed pods and animal skin. They have also investigated
the musical qualities of their surroundings and are able to drum complex and beautiful rhythms
© Sound and Music
on water, tree roots and the earth itself. The Earth Bow is made by tying a piece of rope
(usually vine fibres) to the top of a sapling which is bent into a bow shape. The rope is plucked
and the tone changed by pushing or pulling the sapling.
The Musical Saw (week 10, day 5) is thought to originate in pioneer communities (notably in
Northern America and Russia) where people travelled great distances carrying only essential
belongings. They carried items like tools so that they could build new homes once settled, and,
at some point, someone must have explored the musical potential of the saw for want of more
recognisable musical instruments!
The Straloch Rock (week 4, day 5) recording was created by children from a primary school in
Scotland. They made recordings of everyday sounds around their school (the school bell,
children shouting, the creaking gate), and also captured sounds made by objects they found in
their classroom. These recordings were edited together to create a musical piece.
Sound artists also collect field recordings of everyday sounds and arrange them to create
original sound work. Many of these ordinary everyday sounds, once transformed by the artists,
become something extraordinary and the original sounds are often unrecognisable. This is
sometimes called ‘sampling’. You can hear some great examples of this amongst the Minute of
Listening recordings, including Matthew Herbert’s ‘Sugar’ (week 8, day 2), all made from sounds
of experiments on sugar and coke cans, and ‘Imperfections on the surface are occasionally
apparent’ (week 8, day 4), which is a composed piece for 10 performers creating different
sounds with cardboard coffee cups on different surfaces.
1) Explain that some artists use ordinary, everyday or found sounds to make their sound art, and
that pupils can become sound artists and performers and create a new piece in this way.
2) Play /re-play the extracts listed below to establish the concept of using everyday objects and
sounds from our environment to create a new piece.
Recordings:
i) An Apple A Day (week 1, day 5)
Source: Lots of people eating apples
ii) The Straloch Rock (week 4, day 5)
Source: Sounds recorded around a school
iii) Sugar (week 8, day 2)
Source: Sounds of coke cans & sugar experiments
iv) Tumblewash (week 5, day 1)
Source: A washing machine
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3) Ask and explore the questions underneath and list answers on the board:
Questions:
What sound(s) is/are this piece made from?
What makes you think this? (reveal the answer/source of sound at this point)
What food/food packaging do you think would make an interesting sound and why?
What objects in the classroom do you think might make a good sound?
Why do you think this (consider materials etc)?
4) Discuss what properties the chosen object would need (portable, available; loud enough;
suitable to be played together; enough for everyone etc) and which materials would lend
themselves to being played. For older classes you could use this as an opportunity to talk about
how sound is made through vibrations, and changes with different materials. Pupils could work
in ‘detective pairs’ to investigate and make a short list of three suitable classroom objects.
5) Use this activity as an introduction to the exercise on the following page.
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The Earth Bow being played by BayAka people in the forest of the Central African Republic. Image © Pitt Rivers Museum
© Sound and Music
Children making sound with objects found in their classroom. Images by Ania Grom-Yoncali
© Sound and Music
Creating an original class sound piece
Introduction: This is a music-based activity to encourage pupils to use listening, composing,
performance and appraising skills to make a new sound piece which will be played by all class members.
Year Groups: Key Stages 1 & 2
Objectives:
> To encourage pupils to consider their everyday environment as a source of interesting
sounds.
> To explore how different sounds are made using different materials.
> To create, arrange and perform an original class sound piece based on ordinary sounds.
Recordings:
i) Symphony No.9, Movement 2 – Beethoven (week 12, day 4)
ii) The Straloch Rock (week 4, day 5)
iii) Imperfections on the surface are occasionally apparent (week 8, day 4)
You can find other recordings to support these activities in the Minute of Listening application under
the ‘Everyday Objects’ sound theme.
Resources:
Curriculum links:
-
Classroom objects of different materials
-
Recording equipment (optional)
Music KS2 Performing, composing, listening and
appraising skills.
1. Listening Activity
a) Start with the introduction exercise on page 3.
b) Next, listen to Beethoven’s Symphony no.9, Movement 2 (you can find this in week 12, day 4, or under
the ‘Music’ sound theme) and ask the following:
What sounds can you hear?
How is this sound created?
Who or what do you think is making this sound?
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c) Now listen again to The Straloch Rock. Ask the same questions and compare the observations with
those made for the Beethoven extract. Try to work towards making the comparison between trained
classical musicians and their specialised instruments, and performances on everyday objects. You could
also introduce a third piece, imperfections… to further illustrate the comparison (it is a composed
piece but performed using an everyday coffee cup on different surfaces).
d) Explain that although only some musicians own and play instruments, including some of the pupils in
the class, everyone can be a performer on everyday objects.
e) Ask which piece pupils like best and why (consider instruments/objects used; structure; style; melody;
rhythm).
2. Creating the new piece
a) Split the class into 3 or 4 groups, with a leader for each group. Refer back to the introduction exercise
and ask each group to find some objects of different types around the classroom that they could use to
make sound. It may make the next exercise simpler if children in the same group choose similarsounding objects.
b) Ask each group to create a short rhythmic phrase with their objects (you can limit this to 5 beats and
model some examples).
c) Each phrase should be different, and will need some rehearsal time to ensure that it is played in unison
and is as rhythmically precise as possible. Rehearse the phrases in sequence (and as designated by the
teacher at this stage) and establish a background pulse (a more able child could conduct or beat for the
others to follow) for support and continuity.
d) When more confident, select a pupil director to stand at the front and choose the order of phrases by
pointing at each group in turn: the groups will have to watch and listen very carefully at this point and
the results may be less precise, especially during transition from one group to the next! If you have
time, you could try different combinations of phrases and discuss which phrase is best for starting and
finishing.
e) If possible, record the piece and decide on a title for your work. Try playing the recording to another
class and ask them to try and guess a) what the sounds are and b) what they think the piece might be
called.
© Sound and Music
Making musical instruments using found materials
Introduction: This is a Music and Art & Design based activity most suitable for KS1 and is designed to
encourage pupils to make instruments from found (recycled) items in their local environment.
Pupils will mirror other cultures where people use readily available materials in order make instruments
and play music.
Year Groups: Key Stage 1
Objectives:
> To create an instrument from found objects in a local environment.
> To understand that people around the world often make instruments and music from what is
available to them in their environment.
Recordings:
i)
Earth Bow (week 2, day 4)
ii)
Musical Saw (week 10, day 5)
iii) imperfections on the surface are occasionally apparent (week 8, day 4)
You can find these recordings under the ‘Everyday Things’ sound theme in the Minute of Listening
application.
Resources:
Curriculum links:
-
Recycled objects: particularly cardboard
tubes; glass jars; ice-cream tubs; cereal
boxes; yoghurt pots etc
-
Greaseproof paper
-
Tin foil
-
Sticky tape
-
Elastic bands
-
Rice or lentils
KS1: Art & Design,Music, Science (uses of everyday
materials)
KS2 :Art & Design, Music, Science (sound)
1. Introduction Activity
a) Play the sounds listed above and discuss what the ‘instruments’ are made from. Explain that, like the
BayAka and saw player on the recordings, pupils are going to make instruments from objects found in
their environment, and, in this instance, which they have used and recycled.
b) This activity could be developed into an investigation for KS2 pupils, exploring which materials are
best suited to certain jobs, and why. For example, which material is best for a drum skin.
© Sound and Music
2. Performance
a) After checking that all instruments are suitably robust, each group should devise how they would like
to present their instrumental section to the class: this could be a short demonstration of the sound
they can make or a more ambitious, rehearsed rhythmic phrase.
Give your ensemble a name!
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You will need: long cardboard tubes; silver foil; greaseproof paper; rice; sticky tape.
a) Twist a long section of foil (the same length as the cardboard tube)
and insert inside the tube so that it is touching the inside edges in a
zig-zag fashion.
b) Seal one end of the tube with a disc of greaseproof paper, secured
with sticky tape.
c) Insert a small handful of rice inside the tube (its progress down
the tube should be slowed down by the foil coil inside).
d) Seal the other end of the rain stick securely with greaseproof
paper.
e) Decorate the outside of the rainstick with paint or felt pens.
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You will need: large and small yoghurt pots; newspaper; rice or dried pulses.
a) If you have large yoghurt pots with lids, leave them as they are and decorate, or cover with
greaseproof paper held on with elastic bands. Make drum sticks by rolling up and taping newspaper.
b) To make hand-held shakers put dried rice or pulses in the pot and cover tightly with greaseproof
paper (as with rainsticks).
You will need: 9 or 10 similar glass bottles, spoons and water and a responsible adult nearby!
a) Fill each jar or bottle with different levels of water: you can experiment here and try to make different
notes when played with the metal spoon.
b)Think about how different amounts of water in the bottles changes the ‘pitch’ of the sound. Why might
this be?
© Sound and Music