Expanding upon the ideas in Making Waves, the following activity uses shape to represent sound. This symbolization is a precursor to reading music and composing.  Additionally, the shapes form a graph of volume against time, so there is also a simple math lesson here, too.

To start your child reading music, you are going to send a musical puppet on a journey over some magical hills. Much more fun than clefs, key signatures and beat division! The higher the puppet climbs, the louder it sings or plays. Before starting, decide on the identity of the puppet, a starting point and a goal. for example, you could choose: a pirate walking from his ship to a treasure chest; Cinderella being driven in a coach from her house to the ball; a firefighter rushing from the fire-station to a fire; a grandparent driving to your house; a bmx biker riding towards a trophy; a mouse scurrying from a hole to some cheese; and so on. There are countless possible scenarios and, if requested, don’t be afraid of the surreal. A puppet of your family dog flying from a cake into your ear might makes this activity memorable; silliness can be very engaging.  Importantly, ensure the character and journey are meaningful to your child and the direction of travel is obvious.

The shape on the right is designed to be easily followed and understood by even the youngest musicians. There is a simple, overall movement from quiet to loud, while the three peaks – loud, louder and loudest – require control and skill to negotiate. The ‘adjective-comparative-superlative’ trio is found throughout children’s literature (Goldilocks, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Little Pigs) and should be a familiar concept. Later, this and other curves can be used to control tempo (fast, faster, fastest), pitch (high, higher, highest), and other musical parameters. For now, concentrate on volume.

To walk the magical hills:

• Print The Hills (you will need a pdf reader such as Adobe Reader). This sheet will be the stage;
• With scissors or a knife, cut along the curve to create a slit;
• Together with your child, make a stick puppet from a popsicle stick (‘lollipop’ to my English friends). Draw, cut,  paint and glue as you need. Remember the final product is far less important than the connection it has to your child, so try to do as little as possible yourself.
• Draw the starting point at the left end of the ‘loud’ hill;
• Draw the goal at the right end of the ‘loudest’ hill;
• You might like to further embellish the scene, coloring the grassy hills, drawing a sun, etc…
• Hold the stage upright and pass the popsicle stick through the slit. Demonstrate how the puppet moves up and down the hills from left to right. Always move from the start to the goal – even Chinese music notation reads left to right;
• Describe the magical properties of the hills, i.e. the higher the hill, the louder the puppet;
• Choose a simple song you both know and sing it together, getting louder and quieter as the puppet goes up and down the hills;
• Vary the speed of the journey to make sure your child is ‘reading’ the shape;
• Swap roles and let your child be puppeteer.

As puppeteer, it is probable your child will move the puppet backwards as well as forwards. There’s no need for a discussion on the impossibility of time travel; reinforce the purpose and direction of the journey (while also adding some musical  interest) with the following ‘rhythmic trick’:

• Devise a short phrase to describe the journey. For example, ‘the mouse is looking for the cheese’, ‘Grandma needs to hurry home’, ‘Here comes the fireman’…;
• Say the phrase a few times together with your child;
• Play the rhythm of the phrase on an instrument, using a single note or sound. Continue to say the phrase at first, but soon stop talking and just play;
• Once memorized, use the phrase repeatedly for a new  journey.

To extend this activity, try  different instruments or make new puppets and stages. You could also try turning the hills over to create different orientations, as seen on the left.

First steps as composer can be very small. Simply suggest your child draw some new hills. Cut the line for another puppet show or just follow the line, getting louder and quieter as directed. Some kids may need a few tries to produce a score which doesn’t loop backwards. When you get a good one, don’t throw it out! Revisiting it in the future will show your child how writing down ideas keeps them alive.