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I never knew music could be fun!" ~overheard from a Grovecrest 3rd grader after music class
Here are some great ideas to add fun and interest to your music lessons. If you would like to share your own ideas, email them to grovecrestmusic@hotmail.com or comment below.
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Classroom Tic-Tac-Toe
For this activity set up 9 chairs in a 3x3 grid. Then divide the students into teams.
One team are the “O’s, the other team are the “X’s”. Then use a set of flashcards with all the
musical instruments. Show one team the first card, and call a students name. If the student names
the instrument correctly, they may choose a seat in the grid. If they do not know the instrument
the other team may try to answer. The first team to get a row completed wins and we continue to
play. You could use any flashcards at all - notes, symbols, rests or even composers! Its a good idea
to take turns on which team starts the game each time.
Leah Taylor from www.funmusicco.com
Flashcards with musical instruments are available in Printable Music Lesson plans - Instruments of
the Orchestra from the Fun Music Company.
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Word Rhythms
You can quickly come up with a series of words to do with a topic ( ex.Dog breeds). Start the students
off with some rhythm combinations. Students match up the rhythms with the correct dog breed name.
Students can then come up with other dog breeds and write down or match up the rhythms.
They can then go into small groups and put together a series of words with the rhythms and try to
say or clap their rhythms at the same time. An off shoot of this idea can be to use body percussion
for each of the different rhythmical ideas.If further time and instruments are available tunes can be
created to go with the words and thus a silly song is created.
Mary Gentle from www.funmusicco.com
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Music Memory
Draw a collection of music symbols on the whiteboard and have the students name them as you do
so. After that have them turn their backs (or turn the white board around) and erase one. They must
name the missing one. Keep going until they are all gone.
Lonna Possehl from www.funmusicco.com
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Playing Musical Words--this game would be great for recorders or in the Piano Lab
Using manuscript on a whiteboard draw up notes that spell out a word: (eg. “edge”, “dad”, “face”,
“cabbage” etc..) one point is first allocated to a student or team who correctly identifies the word.
Then you can get the students to ‘play’ the word on an instrument. The first to accurately play the
notes in correct octave position wins a point.
Stacey Smart from www.funmusicco.com
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Conducting Game
I begin by asking if anyone can think of a two-beat song. If not I suggest ‘Row, row, row your
boat’ (Or age appropriate if they are older)then I get the group to clap down on their knees for the
down beat and click for the upbeat. Ask if they notice the difference in dynamics. Explain why the
downbeat is louder.
Do the same for a three-beat song (eg. ‘Happy Birthday’) and four-beat (eg. Twinkle Twinkle)
Then I play some contemporary kids music and ask them to ‘conduct’ or clap/click the rhythm as
soon as they hear it. When I see a child that has it I indicate they must stand and stop conducting.
The game is over when all are standing. Play the songs in random order ie first a four-beat, then
two-beat, then three-beat etc.
Audrey Reynders www.funmusicco.com
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"No Music, No Life. Know Music, Know Life."
