ENGAGE

1. Activate prior knowledge by giving groups of students copies of the organism Matching Cards. Explain that students should find all the cards showing organisms that meet the criteria for an insect. Put these cards in one pile or group.

• • Check for understanding as students categorize the insect cards.

2. Next, explain to students that many things, beyond organisms, can be classified by distinct characteristics, including musical instruments.

3. Play several clips of the following instruments aloud for students without revealing the name of the instrument. After about 15 to 30 seconds, ask students to guess the instruments they hear.

• • Piano
  • Trumpet
  • Guitar

EXPERIENCE

1. Show students the Musical Instruments Classification slides.

2. When viewing slides 4, 6, 8, and 10, ask students to name similarities they notice between the instruments in a given family. As a class or independently, invite students to form a list of traits that separate each family from the others.

3. Apply: Distribute sets of the instrument Matching Cards to student groups. Invite students to attempt to match each instrument to its proper category using the class lists of traits created during the explore section.

4. Assess (Formative): Check for understanding by observing students as they categorize the Matching Cards.

5. Reflect: Discuss with students how instrument families are similar to organism families.

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PART ONE

Ant Chant

Introduction to Ant Chant

• • Pass out printed lyrics to “Ant Chant.”
  • Play the Ant Chant recording with lyrics twice: first for listening, then for call-and-response participation (students respond with “Ants”).

Role-Play Performance

• • Divide the class into eight groups, assigning each group a specific ant role (Queen, Digger, Collector, Builder, Flying, Decomposer, Prey, or Predator).
  • Provide each group time to learn their verse and brainstorm creative ways to act out their role.
  • Conduct a class performance using the instrumental track, with groups singing and acting out their roles in sequence.

Discussion

• • Review the lyrics and roles in the ant colony.
  • Write the list of roles and responsibilities on the board or in notebooks for reference.

PART TWO

Work Songs

Explain the concept of work songs:

• • Work songs originated as a way to coordinate and motivate workers during physical tasks, such as building railroads, harvesting crops, or rowing boats. The songs often feature a “call-and-response” structure, where a leader sings a line (the call), and the group replies with a set phrase or chorus (the response).
  • This format fosters unity and rhythm, making repetitive or strenuous work more manageable.
  • Many work songs reflect the cultural identity, stories, and experiences of the workers who sang them. For enslaved people and oppressed groups, they also served as a means of communication, resistance, and storytelling.
  • The tradition of call-and-response in work songs has influenced other forms of music, such as gospel, blues, and jazz. Today, similar structures are seen in sports chants and protest songs, where collective singing fosters solidarity.

Play the recording of “Pay Me My Money Down” for students, highlighting the call-and-response format:

• • Here is a live version that features a large instrumental ensemble.
  • For activation of prior knowledge, ask students to identify the instruments they see and what families they are in!
  • Encourage students to sing the response line (“Pay Me My Money Down”) while you lead the call.

Create a Work Song:

• • Divide students into small groups. Each group selects an ant role from the colony.
  • Groups brainstorm and write a simple call-and-response work song about their ant role.

Presentations in the Listening Lounge:

• • Each group performs their work song for the class.

PART THREE

Reflection and Discussion

Ask students:

• • What are the different roles in an ant colony, and how do they support the community?
  • How might a work song be useful in a classroom or other group setting?
  • How does singing in a group differ from singing alone? How might these experiences affect a person’s feelings or sense of community?
  • Can you draw parallels between work songs and other group singing experiences (e.g., at sporting events)?

Assessment:

• • Use the provided student rubric to evaluate group participation, creativity, and understanding of the material.

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ENGAGE

Activate prior knowledge

• • Ask students to name the roles and jobs ants can play in their colony/ecosystem. Prompt students to review their Ant Roles Work Songs/the Ant Chant if needed.
  • Explain to students that just like each ant impacts their colony by properly doing their job, this also happens in bands and orchestras.

EXPERIENCE & EXPLORE

Part 1:

• • Ask students if they can name some of the different types of music groups or bands that exist. If needed, show students video clips like this one provided to help them identify different types of musical groups.
    • Note: This video is one of 4 episodes that explore different genres of music and musical groupings.
  • Ask students what the jobs/roles they see when viewing the different musical groups (a singer, drummer, violinist, etc.).
  • List these ideas on chart paper or digitally.
  • Then, ask students what jobs they may not see on screen but who are working behind the scenes to make sure the performance is successful (sound engineers, conductors, lighting experts, etc.).
  • Add these roles to the list.

Part 2:

• • Ask students to again think about the different roles in an ant colony and compare them to roles in a band or orchestra.
    • For example, a student might say, “The conductor is like the queen ant because they guide and organize the entire group.”
  • Next, discuss what happens when one ant or one member of a band/orchestra doesn’t do their job properly.
    • For example, in an ant colony, if a worker ant stops collecting food, the colony suffers. In a band, if a musician plays off-beat or the conductor loses focus, the music can become chaotic.
    • Highlight how teamwork leads to harmony, while a lack of coordination can create disharmony.

• • colony by properly doing their job, this also happens in bands and orchestras.

APPLY

The Instant Percussion Orchestra

The Instant Percussion Orchestra

• • Explain to students that, like ant colonies, if they are to thrive, orchestras and bands have roles for everyone to play.
  • First, divide the classroom into small groups (we suggest 4-7). Each group is going to have a different musical pattern to play. Some will be very simple and provide a musical foundation. Others will be slightly more complex. The patterns will all fit together to create a rhythmic piece of music.
    • Note: This exercise is designed to be simple enough that a teacher with little to no musical background can lead it and it, but is also open-ended so that teachers with a deeper understanding can build on the basic idea.
  • Next, introduce the musical starting point: a repeating count of four. The teacher leads everyone at the approximate tempo of a clock – “1 – 2 – 3 – 4, 1 – 2 – 3 – 4, etc.” This is the basic framework for the exercise. In the beginning, the teacher will be the conductor, but this role may shift to a student once the class is comfortable with the activity.
  • Then, assign each group a “part to play” in the orchestra. Here are some suggested parts for each group:

• • • Group 1: slap their thighs on the count of one
    • Group 2: clap hands on 2 and 3
    • Group 3: tap desks on 1 and 4
    • Group 4: say the word “hello” in a low voice on 1
    • Group 5: say the words “you again” on 3 in a high pitched voice
    • Group 6: make a sound like “ooooooo” on 4
    • Group 7: Make the sound of bird calls in and around the music

• • Experiment with the Instant Orchestra!
    • Demonstrate the importance of teamwork by having groups intentionally stop playing or “mess up” their parts when prompted—speeding up, slowing down, or playing off-tempo. This shows how the orchestra’s full sound depends on everyone working together.
    • Students will learn how different roles complement each other, just like in an ant colony. Some may prefer simpler parts, others more complex roles, and some might even want to be the conductor!

REFLECT & ASSESS

Reflect:

• • Have students reflect on how their percussion orchestra sounded when all the different groups were doing their jobs and working together vs. when they weren’t. How did it affect the sound and success of the performance

Assess (Formative):

• • To evaluate the Instant Orchestra exercise, we suggest providing students with open-ended questions to extend and enrich this activity.
    • What ant role is most like a conductor in an orchestra and why?
    • Which part of a band is most similar to a builder in an ant colony, and why?
    • What happens when not all members of the colony/band are doing their jobs properly?
    • Consider how we, as humans, are like an ant colony and how we are not.
    • Ask students where in society we can find examples of people working like an ant colony.
    • Lastly, you could ask them to reflect upon the following Maya Angelou quote: “If it is true that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, isn’t it also true a society is only as healthy as its sickest citizen and only as wealthy as its most deprived?” How can we learn from the group dynamics of an ant colony?

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