Set up this easy musical scale preschool activity with mason jars. Enjoy making musical sounds in this hands-on activity that provides sensory and fine motor experiences.
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Explore musical notes with this easy musical scale preschool activity. In this activity, kids distinguish the unique sounds of notes using mason jars.
They also become familiar with the shape of a musical note and its placement on a staff.
This activity engages kids senses as they build the mason jar scale and play the notes.
- Sound: listening to water pouring, hearing the sound of the water in the jar when they tap on the side of the jar
- Sight: observing water reach the fill line
- Touch: removing stickers and placing them on the jars
- Smell: sensing the odor of the water, the stickers, and other materials
This musical scale mason jars activity is a creative way to introduce notes and their sounds with hands-on engagement with materials.
Mason jars musical scale activity
The five-line staff is in general use and will be illustrated in this activity.
- A staff or stave (plural: staves) indicates the set of lines used for the notation of notes of different pitches
Supplies for a mason jar music activity
- mason jars
- self-adhesive letters
- wooden spoon or plastic drum stick
- musical notes and staff
Instructions for a musical scale activity
1. Prepare the jars in advance.
- Add water to mason jars to reproduce the notes in the scale on the keyboard. Experiment with the sound by tapping gently on the jar as you add, or remove, water.
- Apply the letter indicating the note of the scale on each jar so that the bottom of the letter indicates the waterline.
- Empty the jars.
2. Prepare the musical notes and staff.
- Draw musical notes on plain white paper so children can color and cut out the notes or cut out the notes from black construction paper for the children to place on the staff.
- Draw a musical staff on a sheet of poster paper, or print two or three from the template provided to tape together.
3. Fill each jar with water to the bottom of the letter on the jar.
To make this easier for young children, have the correct amount of water for each jar in a corresponding plastic cup, so kids can pour from the cups into the mason jars.
4. Tap on the jars to hear the different sounds (notes).
Experiment striking the jars with a wooden spoon, a plastic drum stick, or a rubber mallet.
5. Place the prepared staff in front of the jars.
Draw a mark (X) on the staff to indicate where each note will be placed.
Note: This activity is based on the C major scale.
6. Place musical notes on the staff to line up with the jars.
The letter on the mason jar names the note on the staff.
More mason jar music activities
- In a small group activity, provide a jar for each child and a plastic container of water. Experiment with the amount of water in the jar and striking the jars with a wooden spoon, a plastic drum stick, or a rubber mallet.
- Find the sounds created by the jars on the keyboard – kids mimic each sound by tapping their corresponding mason jar.
- Promote this as a child-led activity by providing materials and allowing kids to explore and discover with minimal guidance.
Fun with a musical scale activity
Kids learn best when they interact with materials. An introduction to music through hands-on activities helps make learning fun and memorable.
Kids will love making sounds with the jars, and experimenting with the mallets.
Add more instruments to the jam session as kids become comfortable with the actions, sounds, and rhythms.
