Hearing the difference between loud and soft seems easy for a child to notice at any age. However identifying it and labeling it in a musical setting is an important skill. This is one of the activities my 2-5 year old students like the best:
*History* Haydn was a composer way back in the 1700-1800s. He was owned by a prince and was required to compose for the prince’s big parties. The guests however, would feast before Haydn’s premiere and fall asleep during the performance. Haydn decided to channel his irritation and practical joker tendencies into a song. Hence he composed his famous “Surprise Symphony” https://youtu.be/lLjwkamp3lI. This song gradually gets softer (diminuendo) to lull the audience to sleep. Then suddenly the horns blow loudly to scare the audience and wake them up.
*Music terms*
- forte- to play
- piano- to play softly
- diminuendo– to gradually play softer
- subito- suddenly
*Activity* Play this song for your child as you both pretend to fall asleep . Then suddenly “wake up” startled when the song gets loud.
This is a fun activity that also teaches children to listen for changes in music and notice how different sound effects impact the listener in different ways.
Music Roots 