Music in Mesopotamia

I thought that it would be interesting to talk about some of the musical instruments that existed in Ancient Mesopotamia with my sixth grade class. We discussed the lyre and the reed pipe. I had videos that I showed them of people playing those instruments so that they could hear the sound that they make. We talked about each one and the sound that it produced. A few of them said things that surprised them and they commented on the sounds of the instruments. They enjoyed being able to hear the instruments being played and not just seeing a picture. 

Then I played a song from Iraq that was more modern and we discussed the similar sounds and different sounds that they heard. It was neat for them to think about how ancient cultures can impact modern day music and even customs. We discussed how in Mesopotamia they had music at special events such as, weddings, funerals and such. Then we agreed that today we have music in similar instances. 

The last thing I did with them was to have them write a paragraph anwering at least one of the following questions: 

• What music have you listened to in the past 24 hours? Did you choose to listen to it? If so, why?
• What similarities did you notice between the purposes of music in Mesopotamia and today?
• What similarities do you notice in the instruments?
• What songs are connected to the U.S. like Iraq with Mesopotamia?
• What can we learn about history and cultures by analyzing music instruments and sounds in that time period?

They turned their answers into their teacher, but it was still a neat experience because they were able to connect music to themselves and how important it can be in all cultures. Overall, I really enjoyed this lesson because they had fun and made some really wonderful connections.