Boom Chicka Boom (Dynamics) | Free Music Lesson Plan - MakingMusicFun.net

Big Idea

Students learn about two dynamic levels: piano (p) and forte (f) with this manipulatives-based no-prep music lesson plan. The adorable illustrations make this lesson irresistible for your youngest learners!

Grade Level: K-1
Activity: Rhyme & Musical Manipulatives
Skill: Dynamics (Forte and Piano)

Students will understand and demonstrate two dynamic levels: piano (p) and forte (f) through performance and the use of visual aids.

This lesson is designed to fulfill the 2014 National Standard for Music:
With guidance, demonstrate and copy variations in melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for compositions and improvisations. (Creating - MU:Cr2.1.Ka)

Boom Chicka Boom | Music Lesson Manipulatives (Premium)

Boom Chicka Boom (Rhyme)
Plastic Sandwich Bags

Music Lesson Plan

Step 1
Tell students, "Let's learn about dynamics. Dynamics is a big word for all the loud and soft sounds we hear in music." Explain that composers use Italian words to tell performers how loud to play:

Piano (Soft)
Mezzo Piano (Medium Soft)
Mezzo Forte (Medium Loud)
Forte (Loud)

Tell them that today, the lesson will focus on Piano and Forte.

Step 2
Explain the game. "I'm going to teach you a funny rhyme. I'll say a phrase, and then you repeat it. If I say it forte, you say it forte. If I say it piano, you say it piano."

Step 3
Perform the rhyme as a call and response:

"Boom Chicka Boom!" (forte)
"I said a boom chicka boom." (piano)
"I said a Boom Chicka Rocka Chicka Rocka Chicka Boom!" (forte)
"Oh Yeah!" (forte with jazz hands over head)
"Uh huh." (piano with jazz hands by face)
"I said a Boom Chicka Rocka Chicka Rocka Chicka Boom!" (forte)

Step 4
Give each student a sandwich bag with eight radio cards. Explain that the big radios represent forte (loud) and the small radios represent piano (soft).

Big Radio (Forte)

Little Radio (Piano)

Step 5
Have students take the radios out and place them in a pile, putting the empty bag behind them to keep their workspace clear.

Step 6
Tell students, "I'm going to say the first phrase again. Listen closely to whether it's loud or soft, because you'll need to pick the right radio to match." Perform the phrase.

Step 7
Ask students to choose a radio based on what they heard and place it on the floor in front of them. Tape the matching radio card to the whiteboard so they can check their work.

Step 8
Continue this routine for the remaining phrases. Students should line up their radios from left to right to create a "map" of the rhyme's dynamics.

Step 9
Once the sequence is complete, perform the rhyme together. Ask students to point to each radio as they say the corresponding phrase to reinforce the connection between the visual symbol and the sound.

Step 10
Ask for student suggestions to rearrange the dynamics. Move the cards on the whiteboard to create a new version and perform the rhyme again with the new dynamic levels.