SE 6.03Montessori Bells: Matching Pitch
The child strikes a bell from the fixed set and finds the bell with the same pitch in the working set.
Presentation
- 1
Show how to hold the mallet between thumb and fingers and strike the bell lightly near the rim.
- 2
Show how to stop the sound by touching the bell with the damper.
- 3
Choose two brown bells with very different pitches (for example the lowest C and the high C) and one matching control bell.
- 4
Strike the control bell, listen, and damp it.
- 5
Strike each brown bell in turn and damp it, then strike the control bell again.
- 6
Place the brown bell that sounds the same beside the control bell.
- 7
Add bells gradually as the child succeeds.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Match all eight bells of the C major scale.
- Match the full chromatic set.
- Match with the working bells moved to the other side of the room.
Control of error
The control set is fixed in order; the bells in each pair look the same except for the base color, and the child can strike both together to hear whether they sound the same.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Strikes and damps the bells gently
- Matches the eight bells of the C major scale
- Hears and names "higher" and "lower"
Guide note
If the classroom uses tone bars instead of bells, the same sequence applies.