High and Low Sounds

High & Low Sounds

Now that your child knows how to sit and shape their hands, it’s time to explore the keyboard. This lesson is all about discovery: the right side of the keyboard plays high sounds, the left side plays low sounds, and the whole keyboard is an adventure waiting to happen.

We bring it to life with animal associations — birds live in the high register, elephants live in the low register — and a zoo improv game where your child responds to animal sounds by playing matching regions of the keyboard. No wrong notes. Just play.

What You’ll Learn

• High & Low — Right side = high sounds (birds, mice, tiny things). Left side = low sounds (elephants, bears, thunder)
• Animal Associations — Connect sounds to animals — it makes the keyboard memorable and fun
• Zoo Improv — Hear an animal sound, play the matching region of the keyboard using black keys. No wrong notes possible
• The Middle — Discover that the middle of the keyboard lives between high and low — that’s where most songs happen

Practice Activity

The Zoo Game: One person calls out an animal — ‘Elephant!’ — and the other plays low, rumbly sounds on the left side of the keyboard. Then ‘Bird!’ — play high, tinkly sounds on the right. Try ‘Cat’ (middle), ‘Whale’ (very low), ‘Mouse’ (very high). Use only black keys so everything sounds beautiful. Take turns being the zookeeper.