Step 1: Introducing the Story & Setting the Beat

Before we even start reading, students need to get ready for their part! We begin by exploring the object sounds that Peter complains about in his home. These include:

🔹 A creaky bed – “Creeeak!”
🔹 A squeaky floor – “Squeak, squeak!”
🔹 Swishing leaves – “Swish, swish!”
🔹 A hissing tea kettle – “Hisssss!”

Each sound has a matching movement, helping students internalize the rhythm while keeping a steady beat. By practicing these sounds together, students are actively preparing to bring the story to life through music!

Step 2: Adding the Animal Sounds

As the story progresses, the wise man instructs Peter to bring animals into his home. Each animal makes a two-beat sound, creating a rhythmic pattern for students to follow:

🐄 Cow: “Moo moo”
🐓 Hen: “Cluck cluck”
🐴 Donkey: “Hee haw”

To reinforce rhythm and timing, I point randomly to different animal pictures—students must respond on beat with the correct sound. This keeps them focused, engaged, and listening carefully!

Step 3: Preparing for the Full Musical Story Performance

Now that students have mastered the animal sounds and their rhythmic patterns, it’s time to bring “Too Much Noise” to life with instruments! But before handing out instruments, we take one more step to lock in the steady beat.

Reinforcing the Beat

We read through the entire story once, with students chanting their sounds on beat while I point randomly to different pictures. This ensures that:

✔️ Every student is confident in their part
✔️ The class can keep a steady beat together
✔️ They are fully engaged and actively listening

After this first reading, I let students know that we’re about to level up—they’ll now add instruments to represent each sound!

Step 4: Adding Instruments & Dynamic Expression

Now that the beat is strong and steady, I assign instruments to different sounds in the story:

🔹 Creaky bed → Woodblocks
🔹 Squeaky floor → Egg shakers
🔹 Swishing leaves → Scarves or wind chimes
🔹 Hissing tea kettle → Guiros or rainsticks

🔹 Cow (Moo Moo) → Hand drums
🔹 Donkey (Hee Haw) → Castanets or Lumi Sticks
🔹 Hen (Cluck Cluck) → Claves or finger cymbals

Each small group or solo player is responsible for one sound effect, playing at just the right moment in the story.

Reading the Story Again—Now with Music!

We go through “Too Much Noise” a second time, but now students perform their parts using instruments at the correct moments. The class is transformed into a live soundscape, and the storytelling becomes a full musical performance!

Bringing Stories to Life Through Music

“Too Much Noise” is the perfect example of how storytelling and music can come together to create an engaging, interactive, and educational experience for elementary students. By combining chanting, steady beat practice, instrument play, and dynamic exploration, students don’t just hear a story—they become part of it!

This lesson reinforces essential music skills while keeping students actively involved through movement, listening, and performance. Most importantly, it reminds us that music should be felt, experienced, and enjoyed—not just learned!

Looking for more lessons like this? Join The Soaring Scarves Academy and get access to a full music curriculum, movement-based activities, and professional development—all designed to make your music classroom more engaging and effective.

Let’s make music come alive for our students—one story at a time!