Submitted by Sandy Elder, Michigan

Idea posted September 27, 2002

Here's a simple, effective, and fun beginning music-literacy activity for kindergarten or severe special ed.

Lesson in brief: Students place small round candies on music staff boards (anywhere on the staff) in a line left to right. Then they play one sound per note as another friend moves the candies off the staff. After, they get to eat the candies.
Materials: I used those round candy wafers, but LifeSavers also work quite well. Enough for all kids to have 8-10. Music staff boards, enough for individual or partners to have one. Bells, glockenspiels, or any other melodic instrument - enough for all or to share. This lesson will work with only one instrument at the front of the room.
Procedures:
  • Kids partner up.
  • Distribute wrapped candies and boards. Make sure boards are in proper position on desk/floor, i.e. horizontal staff.
  • Introduce the concept of notes on a staff: each note = one sound, high notes = high sounds (top of glock.), low notes = low sounds (bottom of glock.). For this lesson, don't worry about note position except the notes must be moving left to right not stacked on top of one another.
  • Kids place one candy on the staff.
  • Take turns letting kids play one sound as teacher moves the note off the staff with his/her finger (as the student makes each sound, the teacher moves the corresponding note off the board).
  • Place two notes, three, etc... take turns playing and moving the notes off.
  • Place all candies on staff. Take turns playing while students move each other's notes off the staff, left to right. (The kid moving the notes may be looking at the staff upside down and moving right to left. This is OK. IMPORTANT: The kid playing the instrument will be seeing the notes left to right.)
  • End of lesson: Eat your candies!!!