The Song of the Sanshin
Kenji lived on a warm island in Okinawa. The blue sea was all around his home.
Kenji loved to visit his grandfather, Ji-Ji. Ji-Ji had a special musical instrument.
It was called a sanshin. It had three strong strings and a body made of snake skin.
"Would you like to play?" Ji-Ji asked with a smile. Kenji nodded his head fast.
Ji-Ji sat close to Kenji. He showed Kenji how to hold the wooden neck.
"Pluck this string first," Ji-Ji said softly. Kenji pulled the string with his finger.
A bright, happy sound filled the warm room. It sounded like the waves on the sandy beach.
"Good job," Ji-Ji said. "This song is very old."
Ji-Ji sang a song about the wind and the sea. The song came from the Ryukyu Islands long ago.
Kenji tried again and made a sweet sound. He felt very proud.
He wanted to play music just like his grandpa. They played together until the sun went down.
Listen to The Song of the Sanshin
PicoBuddy read-aloud story
- sanshin:
- A traditional three-stringed musical instrument from Okinawa, often with a body covered in snake skin.
- pluck:
- To pull a string with your fingers and let it go quickly to make a musical sound.
- Okinawa:
- A group of warm, beautiful islands in Japan surrounded by the blue sea.
- Ryukyu Islands:
- A chain of islands in Japan, including Okinawa, known for their ancient and rich cultural traditions.
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
“The Song of the Sanshin” is a short story reading passage about Okinawan Musical Traditions, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minutes to read (163 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.