Make a Melody

image source

PREPARE:

1. Draw a long staff.
2. Draw and cut out music notes. (My "notes" are dots, color coded to match my handbell set.)
3. Add measure lines.
4. Laminate all pieces for durability.

---HERE IS A LINK to printable music symbols ( broken link, I think  :/   )

HAVE FUN:
Invite children to put notes on the staff.
Play with handbells.
Kids hum it.
They made their own melody!

Have more fun:
ADD: different time signatures, rests, staccatos, fermatas, crescendos, decrescendos, Forte, Piano, etcetera

*Project timeline: This project took months to finally complete (probably because I didn't have an exact clear plan when I started, and then... well, life happens). Anyway, first I made the music staff (about 3 hours), then I decided not to use it and put it in storage. 8-ish months later I got it out and made the note circles (2 hours).

*Update: We have a lot of kids. I made it work, but you could do more with a small group. But I like that the kids got an idea of what music looks like and that the notes actually do something.

(the last red "C" I taped onto the board, under the orange "D")