6/8 Time

I found yet another use for my large felt notes. The 5th graders were learning about 6/8 time. I put them into groups and they were each given a pile of various notes. Using those notes, they had to create 2 measures in 6/8 time. They could do it in treble clef or bass clef. Once I had checked their measures, they copied the notes onto the paper and labeled the pitches. Once they were done with that, they used Boomwhackers to perform their composition for the class. 

 

Steps, Skips, and Repeats

The 1st graders have been talking about how notes can move by step, skip, or repeat. On large staff paper, we used felt notes to notate these different patterns. It really helped the kids see the movement of the notes.

Skips

Easter Egg Hunt

I'm a bit behind on my posts, but I wanted to share a great activity I did with several of my classes for Easter. I got a great deal on plastic Easter eggs at the Crazy Days sale in town this summer and I've been waiting all year to use them. I created a composition Easter egg hunt for several of my classes that they loved.

1st, I sorted the eggs out by color to create 5 different teams. Then, I put a piece of paper inside each egg with a note, time signature, or treble clef written on it. The students had to find all of their eggs and the pieces would add up to create a two-measure composition. Once they found all of their eggs, they went to the note station where they collected the pieces they had found in their eggs. I have a bunch of felt notes that fit great on a large piece a staff paper. (Had they been smaller, I would have put them right inside the eggs.) The teams took their notes back to their spots and composed their 2 measures. Each group was given a different time signature, so they had to make sure to have the correct number of beats in each measure.

This activity worked great, except to this day, there are still 2 eggs missing that we never could find! I'm hoping a good end-of-the-year cleaning will help me find them!



Opening up their eggs

Done!!

Improvisation and Partner Assessment

The 2nd graders recently learned about improvisation. We created a rhythmic pattern, and then improvised a melody on the xylophones and metallophones using the pentatonic scale.

Then we discussed what things were important to do when improvising on the instruments. We decided on 5 things: steady beat, correct rhythm, mallets bounced off the bars, proper hand position, and the melody should end on 'C'. The students paired up and graded their classmates on these 5 things. It was great seeing them play teacher for the day. They gave positive feedback as well as constructive feedback.



Students on the left, teachers on the right.

Teachers on the left, students on the right.

Aiken Drum

There was a man lived on the moon and his name was Aiken Drum! The 1st graders recently learned this song, and then afterwards we used instruments from our classroom to create our own man on the moon. Here are some of their wonderful creations!

Carnival of the Animals

In 1st grade, we study the "Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saens. After listening to each animal, we do a movement activity to help us remember each piece. Here are some ideas of what we do.

Lion: I print off some pictures of lions that I put on popsicle sticks for this kids. Every time they hear the lion roar, they raise their lion high in the air. During the bouncy parts, they bounce their lion around on their hands to the steady beat.

Roar!!

Hens and Roosters: I divide the class into 2 groups; hens (girls) and roosters (boys). They stand in 2 lines facing each other. When the girls hear the hens in the music, they quietly pretend to talk to one another. When the boys hear the roosters, they try to get the girls' attention in some way. No talking is allowed, but it's so fun to watch the boys try to distract the girls.

Mules: We run in place as fast as we can moving up and down and then collapse at the end. The main point of this one is to make the kids as tired as possible! Ha!

Toroises: Dance in slow motion.

The Elephant: I pair up the kids and teach them a simple waltz step. They love it!

Kangaroos: During the staccato parts, we hop around the room like kangaroos. When it is legato, we stand still, and look around, trying to decide where to go next.

Aquarium: We get out the ribbons and do gentle ribbon dances. Their motions need to be smooth and slow. Otherwise, I have a great listening map that I use from the Music Express Magazine. We use different instruments to represent the changes in the music.

Animals With Long Ears: We count the number of Hee-haws.

Cuckoo: I pair the kids up with one squatting behind the other. On the cuckoo call, the child in the back pops up and sings So-Mi!

Pianists: I have a music rug with piano keys as the trim. The kids love to pretend to play the piano on the rug while listening to this one.

Fossils: We play this like a game of Red Light, Green Light. The kids are dinosaurs that come to life and move when they hear the xylophone. I have my back to them, and turn around when there is no xylophone, trying to catch them moving.

The Swan: We simply sit with our eyes closed and enjoy the beautiful music!

Finale: The kids love this video. In fact, I usually show it before we start the book and then show it again at the end.
Carnival of the Animals

The very last day, we do a "quiz". I have a coloring book for each of the kids with a picture for each piece. I then go through and play each of the pieces and they must point to the picture that matches the piece being played.