Onomatopoeia are words that mimic the sound it makes, e.g., bang, splash, swish, oink, quack, etc.
Explore words that mimic sounds with the students. Speak the words and play with effects:
- Volume: forte, piano
- Volume change: crescendo, decrescendo
- Pitch
- Word or letter emphasis, e,g., Crrrrrunch!
- Elongated, emphasized vowels, e.g., Booooooom!
- Repeated consonants for effect, e.g., drip-p-p-p, drip-p-p-p.
- Echo-layering words, e.g., swish-swish-swish (spoken repeatedly but with staggered entries to create overlay)
Explore onomatopoeia related to specific topics: Rain, Storm, Nature, Traffic, Farms, etc.
Have students design a graphic composition using onomatopoeia words and letters directly onto a score.
Graphic composition below by Julia Paranay.