A listening and observation lesson – using Youtube videos
There are some truly amazing videos of crazy, weird, unusual and wacky instruments on Youtube that are perfect for showing students in class.
This lesson is adaptable – there are a set of questions for students to answer (individually or as a group) and you can use any instrument video of your choosing.
I’ve given a few examples below (and in the downloadable lesson plan).
This could work as a quick mini-lesson, or fill an entire regular lesson. It can also work as a standalone activity or fit into a broader unit of work on a specific topic.
Who is this suited to?
This is an adaptable lesson which suits students in years 5-8.
The lesson plan
- Download the lesson plan and student worksheets at the bottom of this post. There is one designed for students in K-4 and another for older students in years 5-8.
- Find a Youtube video that features an unusual musical instrument. There are LOTS of options on Youtube. I’ve suggested a few below but you can use any video you like.
- Decide whether you will play the video to the class as a group (you’ll need a data projector and speakers) or whether students will watch the video on their individual devices (laptops or tablets)
- Distribute the listening worksheet to the students. You can either print it out, or distribute it digitally so that they can annotate it on a tablet device.
- Play the video and allow the students to fill in their responses.
Example unusual musical instrument videos
Below is a Wakelet collection of videos that would work well with this lesson. Or you can use one of your own!
If you’re not yet a member of the Midnight Music Community, you can download this sample lesson plan and the student worksheets below (come and join us inside the Community if you’d like more like this!). Enter your details and they will be sent straight to your inbox (I’ll also send you weekly music tech tips, updates and any future free resources).
In the PDF download you will find:
- The lesson plan (includes teacher directions and curriculum standards for USA and AUS)
- Student worksheet – simplified version for K-4 students
- Student worksheet – for year 5 – 8 students
10 Comments
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Thanks for this Katie, I used it with my year 7 class and linked it into instrument classification and how sound vibrations are set up. They loved the range of different instruments and are keen to make their own vegetable instruments and marble machines!
Excellent Bek! Sounds like you could make that into a great STEAM project 🙂
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Hi Katie, I have tried to download this twice with a couple of different email accounts but I never received it.
Hi Sarah – dod you check your spam/junk folder? Sometimes things end up there. If you’re still having issues, you can send a message to [email protected]
Simply awesome!!! I can’t thank you enough for the work you’ve done to aid us in enriching our curriculum. I have added your website to my colleagues’ shared drive.
Many thanks!
Wow – thanks so much Anne! That’s a lovely comment 🙂
I was not able to download the worksheet. 404 Page Not Found. 🙁