Treble Clef Practice with Boomwhackers

Fourth and Fifth grader music classes have been learning about and reviewing the treble clef staff. They've been playing games to practice identifying the names of the lines and spaces. Before we begin playing soprano recorders, I wanted to give them a little more practice with reading a melody on the treble clef. I set up 5 stations around the room with a variety of children's melodies (Twinkle Twinkle, Old MacDonald, etc.) and but a set of Boomwhackers at each station. When the students arrived at a station, they were to divvy out the Boomwhackers and review which note they had an where it was located on the staff. Then, they worked together to play the notes in order to create the melody. Each group typically had time to play through each melody about 4 times before they had to rotate to the next station. This took concentration and team work!

Instruments of the Orchestra Centers

Here is a sneak peak into some centers that 2nd graders recently did to help them practice identifying the Instruments of the Orchestra!

Note Identification Centers

The 4th and 5th grade classes have been spending some time reviewing lines and spaces in preparation for our recorder unit.  I love using centers to help students practice certain skills.  It gives me a chance to assess the students as I observe.  The students love centers because they get to play fun games!  Here are the centers I chose for our treble clef study:

1) Staff Wars: A Smartboard Game - There are many online games like this but my students enjoy this one because it is all about speed and of course, it's play off of Star Wars.  The students can play the game in a variety of ways.  Some work together as a team to identify the notes and others compete against each other.  I've had a few groups see which team member could get to the highest level or get the most consecutive right answers.  While assessing, you can quickly see which students have the notes memorized and which are still relying on their mnemonic devices. 

2) Board Games: Trouble and Connect Four - I got both of these games at the Dollar Tree, added some flashcards, and - voila!  Students LOVE board games and I usually add a few "Lose a Turn," or "Move Ahead 3 Spaces" cards to make the game more exciting. 

3) Staff Spelling Bee - We do this as a whole group activity in previous lessons so that the students understand the concept.  I print off a bunch of words using letters from the musical alphabet (i.e. BEAD, ACE, BAG, etc.) and the students take turns drawing words and having the group "spell" them on their staff boards.  The student that draws the word gets to be the "spell-checker" and some groups even chose to do speed rounds.  You could even have them try to come up with a funny sentence.

4) Beanbag Toss - At this station, the students will take turns tossing a beanbag at the staff and identifying the note where it landed.  After a few rounds, the students can try tossing more than one beanbag and identify all of the notes.

5) Boomwhacker Station - This station allows the students to put into practice the note-reading that they have been practicing.  They divide the 8-note scale between the group members and work together to play the provide melodies. 

After all this practicing, my students are MORE than ready for recorders!!  Now, the question is ... am I ready??  ;)

Rhythm Centers

First grade students have really been enjoying their rhythm centers!  This has given them a chance to practice identifying, performing, and creating 4-beat patterns using quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes.  Here are some of the fun games they played:

Center 1:  Koosh Ball Rhythms (SMARTboard) - The students take turns tossing the koosh ball at the board and when they hit a circle a rhythm will pop up.  They then have to read that rhythm correctly to their team.

 

 





Center 2:  Rhythm Board Game - When it is their turn, the student draws a card and reads the rhythm to the group.  If they read it correctly, they can roll the dice and move their game piece.

 



Center 3:  Rhythm Bingo - One student will be the "caller" and will read various rhythm patterns aloud to their group.  The group members then have to find that rhythm on their card and cover it up with a Bingo chip.  The first student that gets Bingo will be the new caller of the game.

 



Center 4:  Rhythm Composition - The students will take turns being the "composer" who will create a 4-beat rhythm pattern hidden behind the "screen."  The composer will read aloud their rhythm and the group members have to notate the rhythm using their rhythm cards.  The composer will then reveal the rhythm by lifting the screen and check who got the right answer.

 



Center 5:  Rhythm Matching - Students will take turns flipping over two rhythm cards trying to find matches.  If they get two cards that are the same, they have to say the rhythm correctly to claim the match.