Tennis Ball Rhythms

To go along with our Rhythm unit, 4th and 5th graders have been talking about subdividing and how music note values are related to fractions.

Classes have really enjoyed this tennis ball rhythm activity! Each note has a different movement that goes with it to represent that note value. It helps to reinforce steady beat, how the notes are related to each other, and how they fit in the measure. Here are some pictures of the students practicing:

Whole Note: tennis ball goes around the body in a large circle for 4 counts

Half Note: bounce tennis ball for 1st count and catch ball for 2nd count

Quarter Note: toss the tennis ball up and catch on each beat

Eighth Notes: toss the ball back and forth between each hand on each half beat

You can find this activity here on YouTube:

(In addition to "Stars and Stripes," I have the students try the activity with a variety of styles)

Musical Pizza Fractions

3rd grade classes have been learning how music and math are very closely related!  I used pizza fractions to illustrate how the music notes got their names.  I also used this as a way to introduce the 16th notes which they will be learning about next year in 4th grade.

I made this felt pizza my first year of teaching (9 years ago) and it has held up pretty well!  I handed out the pizza slices and had the students take turns coming up to help build the pizza.  As they created each layer, we talked about that note, its value, and its equivalent fraction. 

Next, I taught this song called "Pizza Rondo" (written by J.R. Fretz) and we added Orff accompaniment.

 Then, we created contrasting sections using these poems that go along with each layer of the pizza.

 We combined all of these parts and put together a performance for their teachers!  Our principal even got to come see one of them.  :)  I chose a few students to perform on instruments and the other students created the layers on the pizza as we performed the poems in Rondo form:

Our finished product:

Update: Here is a copy of the melody and Orff Arrangement. So many of you have been asking and I haven't been able to locate a copy of this song elsewhere for purchase so I think I am safe posting this. Let me know otherwise. :)