Lesson 6-The Music of Bird Calls

Hello 4th Grade Families,

This week we are exploring the music of bird calls.  Bird calls are music directly from nature and have also inspired many composers to write songs that sound like birds.  Choose from the many options below to decide how you would like to explore the music of bird calls.  The nature journal assignment ties directly into Ms. Carpenter’s art assignment for the week.  Remember I love to see videos and pictures of how you chose to complete your assignment.  You can send them to me at jdamon@wsesu.org.  I hope you enjoy exploring the music of birds!
                                    ~Mrs. Damon


Listening to Music Inspired by Birds:
Bird calls are very musical and have inspired music for years.  My two favorite songs inspired by birds are “The Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” from Mussourgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition and the bird theme from Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”.  When you listen to “The Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” you can imagine them pecking inside their shell, finally breaking free and then excitedly running around.  Listening to the bird theme from “Peter and the Wolf” makes you think of a tiny little bird who quickly flutters from branch to branch, soaring up into the sky and then settling back on a branch.  

“The Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” by Mussougsky-https://safeYouTube.net/w/jNyG
Bird Theme from “Peter and the Wolf” by Prokofiev-https://safeYouTube.net/w/ePyG


Respond to the Music or Bird Calls You Hear
Movement:
Listen to the music above or go outside and listen to the birds around you.  When you listen to music or bird calls imagine that you are a bird and move around the way you imagine a bird moving, dancing or “flying” around.

Drawing:
Listen to the music above or go outside and listen to the birds around you.  Draw a picture of what you imagine when you listen to the music or the bird calls.  

Write Down Bird Calls-Nature Journal:
Sit outside and listen to the birds around you.  Choose one bird to focus on at a time and write down their song or bird call.  You can either write it down using music notation or you can create your own way to represent what the bird call looks like to you.  I have included pictures of both and if you scroll down you will find a video of me demonstrating how to do this with both music notes and an example of drawing what you hear.  

Website of Actual Bird Songs: 
www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds
The bird calls from this site were recorded in New York state but these birds can also be found in Vermont. 

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