'Haikulele!'

• What do you get if you combine a Japanese poetry style with a well known four string instrument?

(Copyright Miss Starrs, St Johns CofE Primary Academy, Wednesbury!)

So just in case you don't know...

• 'Haiku' is a style of Japanese Poetry that counts syllables on each line

• The pattern of syllables must be;

  • 5 on the first line...

  • 7 on the second line...

  • 5 on the last line.

• If you combine the literacy element with a pentatonic scale...then you get...

There are many different ways to do 'Haikulele' but here's how my friends in Year 5 at St. Johns CofE Primary Academy tried it...

1. Work in twos...

2. Learn the C Pentatonic Scale...you can do this by clicking here...

3. Write a Haiku poem...

4. Arrange how you're going to do the reading/ playing parts...

5. Perform/ record your 'Haikulele!'

Here are some examples of their poetry based on their topic of Japan. It featured Mount Fujiama, The Olympics and Martial Arts amongst other things!

They worked their poems out on whiteboards, which were then photocopied. Then we recorded them in their pairs and tagged all the recordings together; with a little atmospheric reverb below...

So why not have your own go at some Haikulele compositions?!

(Good Luck!)