The simplest of harp lessons has children make a rubber band harp. Gather rubber bands of different sizes and have the kids pull them around a hollow container, such as a plastic food storage container. You can provide containers of varying size as well. The kids then pluck the rubber bands and observe the differing sounds. Thinner bands will make a higher pitch than thicker bands. Smaller containers will produce a softer sound and the pitch will be higher. Build a set of questions the children must answer to push the kids to explore all the different sounds the device makes.
Bringing in a real harp allows students to see how the instrument works. You can pluck the string so the kids watch the vibration. Discuss with them the vibration difference when you push the sustain pedal or when you muffle the sound with a pad. Ask the students to speculate why the sound is different. Have children pick three strings to play, either together or separately. Ask the students to decide whether the combination made a pleasing sound or if it sounded “wrong.” This leads to a discussions on harmonics, the way people like to hear and how certain notes can make you uncomfortable or uneasy.
Draw a diagram of the strings of a harp, labeling each with the appropriate note. Show the children how the notes interact by playing various combinations on the harp. Have a second diagram ready for another tuning configuration. Either using a second harp or by tuning it in a different key, demonstrate how the change in tuning alters the notes of each string. Play memory games with the notes until the students know the basic harp configuration. You can take this a step further by showing the musical note associated with the letter to help begin the music reading process.
Get some simple sheet music. A single note per beat tends to work best at the kindergarten level. Let the students practice with the harp and see if they can identify the tune. You can use simple songs such as “Three Blind Mice” or “Old MacDonald.” You can let the kindergarteners simply read the letters or you can show the music. A combination helps the kids learn to read music as well as identify the letter of the notes.