4th Grade Harmonic Function Identification Activity

Post date: May 6, 2018 2:47:19 PM

This is a favorite activity for students, and it helps them learn to identify different types of patterns/chords easily. You hear them sing the song "Sarasponda" while moving around the room. Afterward, they find a partner and listen to the patterns that I sing and the chord I play on ukulele. If they hear a major tonic chord, they sing the answer and shake their partner's hand, if it's major dominant, they sing that and give a high five, and if they hear major subdominant they sing the answer while giving a fist bump. This skill helps to focus their attention on identifying and hearing harmonic changes in songs that they listen to and perform. Being able to define and recognize these patterns/chords also helps for next year when they play ukulele.