Here are a few simple classroom games you can play to help your students learn about the cello and double bass in the music classroom. These will make your music lesson plans fun!
Learning about the parts of the instruments is easy if you play this game: play Pin the Parts on the Double Bass or Cello (a variation on Pin the Tail on the Donkey). Simply have one student blindfolded and they have to pin the paper instrument parts (for example the scroll or endpin) on a poster of a cello or double bass.
Another fun game is to have the students collect objects or pictures of different sizes (e.g., tree, car, mobile phone, ball, train etc.)Show or speak pairs of objects, and have the students indicate the relative size relationships with the words cello (for small) and double bass (for large).For example, telephone, tree would be cello, double bass and beach ball, baseball would be double bass, cello. This will reinforce the relative sizes of these instruments, which may be a little tricky to remember. If you have already had a lesson on the violin and viola then you can extend this activity to include all four instruments, and have students compare the relative sizes of them all.
Here are a few excellent pieces featuring the cello and double bass:
Camille Saint-Saens, Carnival of the Animals, V. The Elephants (featuring double bass section). Several commercial recordings are available.
Pablo Casals plays J. S. Bach Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello (music begins at 0:53)
Dvorak Cello Concerto, first movement
