Earth Sounds

In our continuing series of cumulative "sound songs", we have come up with one that focuses on the earth. (After all, Earth Day is in April.)

As with our previous sound songs, the idea is to introduce various sounds or bits of melodies one at a time or in groups, building to a certain point, then un-building back to the base. In this case, the base is a piano and synthesizer pad which plays through the eight measures fifteen times on the P/A cassette.

You can use the form we suggest in the magazine and on the cassette, or you can adapt it for your own version. In fact, we encourage you and your students to come up with alternate ways of layering and unlayering the parts. You don't have to use all fifteen times through if your version is shorter. You can fade the cassette out when you're done. If you're performing it live, using your own piano, synthesizers and/or mallet instruments, you can make it any length you wish.

We have chosen four non-pitched percussion instruments for our version: small triangle, guiro, claves, and small shaker. These can also be altered or added to for your situation.

The best benefit from performing a song such as this one is the learning of part singing. Each student has the opportunity to learn her own part well first, then add to it slowly while still maintaining her own line whether it's melodic or rhythmic. Another benefit is that once all of the parts are in, it sounds really cool! Your students will be impressed with themselves, as they should be, for pulling it off.