@The Arts Unit Creative Classes

Make it and play it!

Teacher notes

Learn about, make and use percussion instruments

Student music resource developed by The Arts Unit

Years 3 to 6 Music

What will your students learn?

Your students will:

  • learn about percussion and percussion instruments

  • watch and listen to a variety of percussion instruments being played

  • create their own percussion instrument

  • compose and perform with their instrument

Syllabus outcomes

Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus

Stage 2

  • MUS2.1: Sings, plays and moves to a range of music, demonstrating a basic knowledge of musical concepts.

  • MUS2.2: Improvises musical phrases, organises sounds and explains reasons for choices.

Stage 3

  • MUS3.1: Sings, plays and moves to a range of music, individually and in groups, demonstrating a knowledge of musical concepts.

  • MUS3.2: Improvises, experiments, selects, combines and orders sound using musical concepts.

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus

Stage 2

  • ST2-2DP-T: selects and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity

  • ST2-7MW-T: investigates the suitability of natural and processed materials for a range of purposes

Stage 3

  • ST3-2DP-T: plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity

Further learning

The NSW Department of Education have a set of resources and videos for a series of learning activities called Tuneful trash.

Learn more about combining musical concepts with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) by visiting their website.

Suggestions for how to use this resource with your students

Collection of student work

  • Google Form: create a Google Form with activities and/or questions, as well as, the ability for your students to upload of any files they create. Email this form to your students with the link to the Creative Class and all your student responses will be collated in a google sheet.

  • Google Classroom Assignment: create an assignment or a quiz in your classes Google Classroom with activities and/or questions, as well as, the ability for your students to upload any files they create.

  • MS Teams: create a quiz or an assignment in your class team drive where students can submit responses and upload any files they create.

  • Email: instruct your students to email you any responses and files they create.

  • Flipgrid: a website that allows teachers to create "grids" to facilitate video discussions. Each grid is like a message board where teachers can pose questions, called "topics," and their students can post video responses that appear in a tiled grid display.

  • Jamboard: an interactive whiteboard which can be used as a feedback board for you and your students to use.

For further support on how to create these resources

Offline access

Download and print this document to send to students with limited access to online resources.

Make it and play it! - @The Arts Unit Creative Classes.docx

Would you like to promote your school and showcase your students' work as a result of engaging in this Creative Class?

Help us celebrate the fantastic work of NSW public school students by emailing photos or videos that you have permission to share and comments on how your students enjoyed the class to digital.artsunit@det.nsw.edu.au.

Please include the Creative Class title and your school name in the email so we can share on The Arts Unit social media and our website.

Teacher feedback

We are very interested in your feedback.

Please complete this short survey reflecting on this resource.

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