Composer of the Month

Third, fourth, and fifth grade students really enjoy our month composer studies! The first week of our study, we read a biography about the famous composer and discuss facts about their life. In the following weeks, we listen to and learn about the most famous and important pieces by the composer. Many times, I show the students a video of the piece being performed but my favorite way to introduce a piece is to show a listening map. Our most recent study was about Beethoven. Here are a few of the listening maps that my students enjoyed watching throughout our study.

At the end of our study, we usually play a game to review the information they've learned about the composer. Their favorite game is Kahoot! and they beg me to play it all the time. :) After we play Kahoot, I usually have another computer game or activity for them to do related to that composer. Since we studied about Beethoven this month, they enjoyed playing with the Beethoven Google Doodle where students had to help Beethoven get to the symphony concert by putting his music in the right order. It was a great way to reinforce identifying the most famous Beethoven melodies!

Instruments of the Orchestra

Second grade classes are currently learning about the Instruments of the Orchestra. I love teaching about the orchestra but I always struggle to create interactive lessons to go along with this unit.

After teaching about the String Family, I had the students get into 5 groups. Each team received a picture of one of the stringed instruments, a dry erase marker, and eraser. They were asked to work as a team to write as many facts about their instrument as they remember from the lesson. They also enjoyed labeling the various parts of their instrument. 

I found that this was a great way to incorporate team work and also assess what they had learned from the lesson. Once each group was done, they shared their facts with the class and posted their instrument on the board for everyone to see. 

Learning about Long and Short

First grade students are finishing up a unit on musical opposites. The last two opposite words they have been learning about are long and short. They discovered that long and short sounds can be made into patterns that create rhythms! Here are a few of the ways they experienced long and short sounds:

Students put these pictures into the correct category according to the kind of sound it made:

 

They really enjoyed using scarves to help show long and short. They pretended their scarf was a paintbrush and they painted long or short strokes as they listened to the "Long and Short Dance" (from the Share the Music curriculum).

Students used rhythm sticks to show long and short as well. As they listened to music, they used their rhythm sticks like drum sticks on the floor if they heard short sounds...

And pretended to play violins if the sounds were long...

Then, we read the book, Otto Goes to the Beach, by Todd Parr:

 In the story, Otto is having a really rough day and they hear the repeated phrase, "Poor, Otto!" 

The students quickly discovered that the word "Otto" has two short sounds and "Poor" has a long sound!

With our own dog pictures, we created patterns on the board with long and short sounds such as "Poor, Poor, Otto, Poor."

Then, they worked with a partner to create and perform their own patterns.

Finally, the students were introduced to the real musical symbols: the quarter note (long sound) and eighth notes (short sounds). They were able to make patterns with the newly learned symbols, otherwise known as "tah" and "ti-ti."

Next up... rests! Stay tuned for more rhythm work in 1st grade music! :)

Pizza Rondo and Rhythm War

Our third graders have been reviewing our music note values and discovering how they got their names - through fractions! They learned the Pizza Rondo and created the different layers of the pizza as they performed the song. Here is a video of one of our third grade classes performing the song:

After this lesson, I thought they would really enjoy learning how to play Rhythm War! I found this game on the "Just a Little More" music blog - she has a free download of the game. Most of the students already know how to play this card game so it is a very easy transition and a great way to reinforce note values. Let me tell you - this game is a CROWD PLEASER! The students could play this all day! :) Here are a few quick snapshots of the game:

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.