Y1. Lesson 19. Five-line finger staff
Prior learning: Two-line staff
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials:
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
so & mi
Present
Five-line finger staff
Practise
ta & ti-ti
Melodic development
Students are introduced to the finger staff in preparation for developing notation skills.
Questions
- Why are more than two lines needed to show high and low sound?
- How many lines could connect to your hand?
- How many spaces are there between the five lines?
- Project or draw step one of the three-step finger staff chart.
- Remind students that high and low sounds can each sit on a line as they are copycats! Show the letters 'h' and 'l' on two lines.
- Ask the class if they think other sounds can be higher and lower than those shown. Where would they go? They would need extra lines!
- Explain that our hands can help show us extra lines.
- Place your left hand against the two lines, palm facing inwards. Your first and second fingers should touch lines 2 and 3 on the board.
- Ask students if there could be other lines and where would they be?
- Draw the last three lines connected to your thumb and fingers 4 and 5.
- Ask students how many lines are connected to your hand
- Teach that in music, these five lines are called a staff and are used for showing high and low sounds.
- Ask students to raise their hands to eye level, palm facing outwards, and draw imaginary lines from each digit, calling out the line numbers in turn.
- Ask students if high and low sounds could live in spaces? [yes]
- Project or draw the finger staff showing lines and spaces.
- Teach students that in between the five lines are four spaces. Point and count each space in turn.
- Draw an 'h' in a space and ask where 'l' would live? [in the space below].
- Ask a volunteer to come forward and draw where the 'l' should be.
- Draw an 'h' in another space and ask another volunteer where the 'l' should be.
- Some teachers prefer to use the finger staff with the palm of the hand facing inwards, with the thumb at the top.
- We have chosen to show the thumb at the bottom, as when learning piano, the thumb is the first digit.
- However, either way is perfectly correct, so choose whichever finger staff suits your teaching style.
Rhythmic development
Students name animals from visual cues and spell with time names.
Dr James Cuskelly and students of St Joseph's School, Stanthorpe.
Questions
- Which animal has a name with only one sound?
- Which animal has a name with four sounds?
- Students are seated and watch as a series of Australian animal pictures are shown.
- Project the animals below from Visual Learning.
- The object for students is to clap and identify how many sounds are in the animal's name.
- Once the name has been correctly identified, the students should repeat the time names using ta and ti-ti over a steady clapped beat (2-metre).
- For example, 'Kangaroo' would be spelt ti-ti ta.
- This age group may not recognise some animals, so that guidance may be needed.
- Extension: Ask a volunteer to come forward and tell the class about an animal not shown and to identify how many sounds the name contains.
- Repeat as time permits.
Visual learning
Students demonstrate how many sounds are in the name of an animal and recite their time names.
Creative movement
Students sing and use creative movement in this circle game.
Dr James Cuskelly and students of St Joseph's School, Stanthorpe.
- Students form a circle. A student is chosen as the leader to move around outside the circle.
- Lead the class in singing the song, ensuring the beat is kept on their feet.
- On the words "Back, back zero", the student on the outside chooses someone and, according to the lyrics, bumps their back, side, and front before tapping them on the shoulder.
- The new leader then moves outside the circle, and the song repeats.
Listening
Students listen to four melodies and determine the name of each song.
- Students are seated and attentive.
- Explain that students are musical detectives and must discover the name of each short piece of music.
- Play the first track and invite students to name the song.
- If no correct answer is given, then play the track again. Ask for answers. If the class has difficulty, sing the first word or two as a prompt.
- Continue until you receive correct answers.
- Repeat the process with the other three tracks.
Instruments
Students discover how to play a classroom song on the glockenspiel.
- Distribute glockenspiels to the class in your usual fashion.
- Explain to students that they will discover how to play Bye Baby Bunting.
- Students should be encouraged to use two mallets held in the correct position.
- Teach and demonstrate the melody of the song, line-by-line on the glockenspiel, using good technique for clear, crisp notes.
- Invite students to play at your command, setting the beat as you conduct.
- For those students who do not have an instrument, ask them to sing the song with you as the players perform.
Part work
Students use inner hearing to establish who has the 'bone' in this seated circle game.
Download, print and laminate your bone!
- Students are seated in a circle. A chosen student sits in the middle of the circle with their eyes shut.
- A "bone" is chosen by the teacher or another student and hidden behind the back of a selected student.
- Each student has their hands hidden behind them.
- At your signal students begin to sing "Doggy, doggy where's your bone?"
- The student at the centre, eyes still shut, sings "Someone took it from my home."
- The group in unison sings: "Who has the bone?"
- The student in possession of the bone admits: "I have the bone."
- At this point, the central student opens their eyes and scrutinises the group. They are allowed 1-3 attempts to identify the one who has their "bone".
- Regardless of whether their guess is right or not, the child who had the bone takes their place in the centre. The previous central student is now in charge of distributing the "bone".
- The game continues, ensuring each child has a chance in the centre until everyone has had a turn or time permits.
- This is a great exercise to practise inner hearing and voice recognition.
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV