My Daily Walk, Cycle, Scoot

As you take a walk, cycle or scoot around your neighbourhood, notice how you move through the space and notice the different patterns and shapes around you.  Music is also full of patterns and shapes and so, in this activity, you will use your movements, and the places, objects, shapes and patterns you find, to create your music. On your walk, cycle or scoot notice:

• Street furniture: lampposts, road signs, postboxes, bollards, railings, hedges, walls, grates, manholes .....are they in a regular or irregular pattern?
• Buildings: churches, mosques, gurdwaras, factories, shops, schools
• The ground beneath you: smooth road, bumpy cobbles, patterned pavements, grassy path
• Road markings: yellow lines, crossings, parking spaces....

Did you:

• Travel by foot, bike, scooter or skateboard?
• Run, skip, climb, leap, hop or jump?

• Climb a tree or balance on a log?
• Kick a ball, throw a Frisbee, sail down a ramp, swing on a branch, fly a kite or go up or down some steps?

• Go along, through or over a wood, field, car park, street, tunnel or bridge?
• Find a treasure - a painted rock, fairy door, acorn, fir cone or special stick?

Take a camera, notebook or clipboard and paper.  Write notes, take photos and make drawings of what you see including the patterns of things you find. 

For a PRINTABLE version CLICK HERE

My Musical Map

Make a simple map of your daily walk/cycle/scoot. You could use google maps or another mapping app to help you with the shape of your route. Here's my route:

• Use different colours and types of line to show different paths or different ways of moving. 
• Use symbols to show things you found, did or saw 
• Draw the patterns that you found - the railings, the pavements, the lampposts
• If available, use tape, stickers, conkers, card, bottle tops, as well as pens

Make the map as descriptive as possible as this will be your musical 'score'.  Using you map, think about how you could make your walk/scoot/cycle in sound. For example: a regular line of trees or bollards could be a regular rhythm; cycling down a hill could be a sound going down in pitch; a bright red postbox could be a bright 'red' sound. 

Collect sound makers from all round your house to help you do this. You can also use your body, your voice and any instruments you might have.

Experiment and practice your sounds. Remember the map is just a guide. You can decide what to include and what not to. You could choose a section of your walk/scoot/cycle to make music for, or you could do the whole route, but choose to make some, but not all, of the sounds. 

Please send any music you create to learning@bcmg.org.uk