Chapter 12

Activity 12.1

Aural Forest

Did you enjoy reading the Panchatantra story at the beginning of this book? It has many interesting characters. It is not only entertaining, but also has a beautiful message.

Now, can you think about conveying the essence of the story through music and sound?

The story is set in a forest. Can we create the sounds of a forest using our bodies and objects around us? Which animals and birds make sounds in a high pitch? Which ones make sounds in a low pitch?

Now, let us read another story.

Activity 12.2

The Four Friends

Once upon a time, four friends lived in a jungle — a deer, a crow, a turtle, and a rat. They were very good friends and spent most of their time together. One day, they saw a hunter coming towards them. All of them were terrified and ran for their lives. The crow flew to the highest branch of the nearby tree, the rat hid in a nearby hole, while the deer ran fast and hid in the bushes. The turtle, however, could neither hide nor run and was eventually caught by the hunter. The hunter put him in his sack and went away.

The three friends then thought of a plan to save the turtle. The crow flew high to locate the hunter, and the deer followed him. As soon as they found the hunter, the deer overtook him from a different route and lay still at some distance, pretending to be dead. The hunter saw the deer and dropped his sack to run towards it. Meanwhile, the rat came to the spot and bit the sack with his teeth to free the turtle.

On the other hand, the deer ran away in the dense forest as soon as the hunter came closer. The hunter was taken aback by what happened and returned to the place where he had dropped his sack. To his surprise, the sack was empty, and the turtle was missing. He returned home empty-handed, and the four friends celebrated their escape.

First, read the story aloud in a monotone voice — with all words and sentences in the same pitch and volume, and without emotion. How does it sound?

Now, read the story again, but add variations to the way you read it. Read some parts in a soft tone; you can even whisper some words, and some parts can be loud. Some parts of the story can be in a low voice, and some with a high pitch. You can even speed up or slow down some sentences, and add some pauses.

Now, how did that sound? Which version of your reading made the story more interesting for the listener?

Remember to use voice modulations appropriately when you are speaking or singing. It can make your audience pay more attention to you.

Note for Teachers:
Encourage and help the students to enact the story with appropriate music and/or sound effects.

Active Listening

Musicians need to have a keen sense of listening to understand what they hear. They need to ensure that they are singing or playing in tune and rhythm, and are reacting to the other musicians in the group. After all, just like many sports, music requires teamwork and collaboration to be a success.

All of us listen to music in some form. It may be playing in the background, or you may hear it while watching TV or a movie.

Discuss the various times and places you come across music. What purpose does music serve in these situations?

Activity 12.3

Listening to a Performance

Note for Teachers:
Children learn a lot through active listening. Try and arrange for a local musician to visit the classroom, or if possible, take the children on a field trip to watch a live music performance. If this is not feasible, play a video of a music concert of any style in the classroom. Encourage the students to actively participate by keeping count of the rhythm/tala, applauding appropriately and staying focused on the music.

Have you ever attended a live music performance? Find a music concert to attend and complete the following activities.

Draw a picture of the concert that depicts the performers, their instruments, and the stage set-up.

Now, we are ready to record the song. You can choose to sing it by yourself, or in a group. Once you have recorded the song, play it and listen to it.

You can also give feedback to your friends on how they sang. Remember to praise them for their good performance, and gently suggest what they can do better.