Tone Bar Pitch Grading

Grading pitches develops the ear training essential for music education and language learning (tonal discrimination supports phonetic awareness).

• Framework: Montessori
• Unit: Sensorial
• Learning area: Auditory Discrimination
• Level: Ages 4-6

Objectives

• Discriminate between musical pitches
• Grade sounds from low to high
• Develop ear training for music
• Build mathematical understanding of intervals

Materials

• Set of tone bars (diatonic scale)
• Mallet
• Tone bar stand or mat
• Pitch reference card

Instructions

1. Present tone bars in random order. 2. Strike first bar with mallet. 3. Strike second—compare: higher or lower? 4. Find lowest tone. 5. Find highest tone. 6. Grade remaining tones between. 7. Play the scale from low to high.

Educator tip

Use consistent striking force. Children should listen with eyes closed. Pair tones before grading the full set.

Assessment

Child grades tone bars from lowest to highest pitch.

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