Music — Tone Bars and Scales

Tone bars extend the Montessori Bells into the realm of performance. The child moves from matching pitches to playing melodies. Music becomes personal expression, not just auditory training.

• Framework: Montessori
• Unit: Cultural Studies
• Learning area: Music
• Level: Ages 5-6

Objectives

• Play scales and simple melodies on tone bars
• Connect tone bars to the Montessori bells
• Read simple musical notation
• Experience music as a language of its own

Materials

• Set of tone bars covering a diatonic scale
• Wooden mallets
• Music staves with simple melodies
• Tone bar card for do-re-mi placement

Instructions

1. Arrange the tone bars in pitch order with the tone bar card. 2. Strike each bar in turn, naming the pitches (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do). 3. Play scales up and down. 4. Show a simple melody on a staff (e.g., Mary Had a Little Lamb). 5. Match notes on the staff to tone bars. 6. Play the melody slowly. 7. Play again with correct rhythm. 8. Invite the child to invent a simple melody. 9. Notate the invention on a blank staff.

Educator tip

Introduce note names (do-re-mi) before letter names (C-D-E). The movable-do tradition helps the ear. Switch to fixed letters as needed for written music.

Assessment

Note accurate pitch matching, rhythm, and willingness to improvise.

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