Watch a Full Video Walk-Through Here~

Let’s Get Started

Here’s how to bring it to life in your classroom:

• Act out the characters:
  Read the dialogue using high voice for the mom and low voice for the dad. Your students will instantly start connecting pitch with character—this builds ear training and vocal expression.

• Show pitch with solfège hand signs:
  Add do, re, mi, fa and sol hand signs as you sing “up, up, up” and “fall down” or “ow, ow, ow” to model vocal movement and expression.

• Use movement to reinforce pitch:
  Have students stand on tiptoes for high notes (birds) and crouch down for low notes (fish). This physical connection makes the pitch patterns stick.

• Connect sound to classroom objects:
  Ask: “What makes a high sound in our room? What makes a low sound?” Whether it’s a triangle vs. bass drum or bird vs. frog sound effects, you’re encouraging auditory discrimination.

Let Them Compose—Even as Beginners

Once your students can hear and feel high/low, they’re ready to compose their first 4-beat melodic pattern.

• Use bird and fish symbols for high/low pitches.

• You can offer:

  • Digital drag-and-drop versions

  • Printable Velcro boards

  • Or simply blank composition sheets and cut-out icons.

• I keep it purposefully simple to give students the confidence to succeed.

• BONUS: Let them play their compositions on xylophones using just high C and low C—this works beautifully for young learners and builds familiarity with barred instruments!

Make it an interactive experience:

• Don’t just read the book—live it! Ask students:

  • “What tempo would your body move at if you were hurrying?”

  • “What would walking look like? Running? Freezing still?”

  • “Can you move like a bouncing basketball? Can you float like an airplane?”

• Use expressive movement to connect sound and meaning: This helps students analyze what they’re hearing in a deeper way and reinforces key concepts like staccato vs. legato, forte vs. piano, and allegro vs. lento.

• Encourage student interpretation: When a baby cries in the story or a bus drives by, ask:

  • “Was that sound smooth or choppy?”

  • “Was it loud or soft?”

  • “Fast or slow?” These conversations help students link sound to musical elements—essential for composing with purpose.

What I love most about The Listening Walk is that it allows me to gather meaningful assessment data without pausing the flow of the lesson.

I’ve created both printable and digital worksheets where students:

• Match sounds to dynamics, articulation, and tempo

• Create a short rhythm based on a sound they hear

• Start composing based on real-world inspiration!

These assessments help me identify which students grasp concepts like loud vs. soft, short vs. long sounds, or slow vs. fast tempos—and they feel more like a game than a test.

You can create your own version or download the ones I use inside The Soaring Scarves Academy (and try them free with a one-month membership!)

Or

Start Simple, Build Confidence, and Watch Them Create

Here’s the most important takeaway:

Teaching composition in the elementary music classroom isn’t about writing symphonies. It’s about giving students the tools to express their ideas musically.

With stories like Up, Up, Down and The Listening Walk, students learn:

• To understand fundamentals like pitch, rhythm, tempo, and dynamics

• To analyze and interpret musical moments

• To create something of their own that matters to them

That’s what composition is all about.

Final Thoughts~

You’re teaching so much more than songs—you’re teaching musical literacy, creativity, and confidence. And the best part? You don’t need to sacrifice student joy just to get the data you need.

Bring stories into your room. Let students move, play, and sing. And most importantly—let yourself feel proud knowing you’re doing both effective teaching and effective assessment… beautifully blended.

Happy playing,
Leanna O’Brien
Founder of The Soaring Scarves Academy

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