My reading group activity By Yvette

Ruby Group 1

Title: GHB

School Journal Part 3, Number 2, 2006

Learning Intention

I am learning to link prior knowledge and experiences to the texts I read

1. How do the bagpipes link to historic times?

Patriotic songs were played on the bagpipes to fire up the soldiers when they were at war with England.

2. What are the requirements for playing the bagpipes?

A strong pair of lungs and a lot of air to produce a steady, loud sound on the bagpipes

3. At what age did Nick learn to play the bagpipes?

He was 3 years old when he first heard the bagpipes at a fair, ever since then he wanted to play the bagpipes. He loved the loud noise.

4. What is a chanter?

A small pipe with finger holes on which the melody is played to get used to the fingering.

5. Why was Nick disappointed when he started to play the bagpipes for the first time?

Because only a few squawky sounds came out.

6. How long did it take Nick to perfect his playing?

It took about half a year for Nick to master them.

7. What are some of the activities that have to be co-ordinated when playing the pipes?

*The leather bag has to be inflated by blowing through the blowpipe.

*The elbow has to apply steady pressure so that air can travel up into the drone pipes and down into the melody pipe to produce a sound.

*The melody must be played with fingers of both hands.

*The music must be learnt because you cannot read music when you are marching.

*The drone pipes must be held carefully so that they don’t slip and poke someone in the eye.

8. What events did Nick play for?

*A Scottish dance evening

*A fair

*An opening for a new part of the school when the Governor-General visited.

*Before a rugby game.

9. Why is practising the bagpipes important?

If you don’t play the bagpipes often, the reeds dry out and it’s hard to bring them back to the right moisture level. The drone pipes can also get out of tune if the pipes aren’t played everyday.

10. What are the parts to bagpipes?

*Leather bag.

*Drone pipes.

*Blowpipe.

*Melody pipe (chanter)

11. How many notes are played on the bagpipes?

9 different notes.

12. How is the Queen of England woken up each morning?

The Queen of England has a personal piper who wakes her up most mornings. He plays while walking up and down the castle lawn under her bedroom window.

A fact?

The sound of the bagpipes can carry up to 9 kilometres.