On Her Broomstick

We all have those songs where we can't quite remember their source ("Wait, which book was this in?") and for me, this is totally one of those songs (feel free to comment if you know where it is from).  I've taught this song every year, usually with younger grades when we learn "Witch, Witch" although this year I'm going to try it with my older students as well.

Here's the tune:

The range is pretty large for younger kiddos but is still accessible.  I enjoy hearing  pretty "ooohs" from them.  We even discuss that this song is minor (when music is centered around "la" and sounds spooky, sad, or serious).  Older students can work on their 6/8 rhythms.

We use this slide to add instrumentation (please note that the glocks play E-B, E-B to match the pitch of the song).  It is important to have a lot of kiddos on instruments so that the movement (see instructions below) doesn't get too crazy.

I am currently learning the guitar - I mean, really, how have I not done this already?!  I'm nothing amazing AT ALL but I can play a few chords.  I am enjoying the freedom of moving the guitar wherever I need it (to our circle, on the floor, next to the rest of the instruments, etc) instead of being behind a piano.  Kiddos love singing with the guitar - there is something very "campfire sing-a-long" about it.  Here are the chords that I play.  If you have older students or just want to challenge some of your younger kiddos - they can play the chord root only (notice the circles around them match boomwhacker colors - hint hint ;) ).  You can discuss chords and accompaniment with older kiddos at this point as well.

Once we've established the song and the instrument accompaniment, it is time to add in the game.  My students are divided into four groups of about six kiddos, so this is usually how it goes:
Group 1: playing chord roots on Alto/Bass xylophones
Group 2: playing the metals (triangle, gong, glock)
Group 3: playing non-metals (quiro and hand drum)
Group 4: acting out the movement
When it comes time to switch, I just re-assign the groups to another job.  Easy!

Movement: The students are in scattered formation (they are the ghosts).  One student is the witch (complete with a hat and mini broomstick).   The witch flies around the ghosts for the first half of the song (the witch is on her broomstick flying very fast) the the ghosts join her in flying around on the second half of the song (ooo-oh, ooo-oh, Halloween is nigh).
No, this is not really a game, however, students usually understand that drama and music go hand in hand ("How strange would a movie be without music?" or "Doesn't music make you want to get up and move?").

Options (extend this song for another lesson - whoot!)
Add in a B section with the metals (Orff instruments tremolo on E, gong and triangle play freely but slowly) in which the witch chases and tries to tag the ghosts (this adds a game element - so fun).

Performance option: Older students can totally play the melody (you'd have to take the first B up the octave) on soprano xylo/metallophones (you only need a few that can play the melody - there are enough other parts for everyone else).  You could structure a form like this:
Introduction: Metal/Orff section instruments play (same as described above with optional B section) while ghosts and witch take their spots
A: Sing song with instrumentation and act out motions
B: Play song without singing or motions
A: Sing song with instrumentation and act out motions
Coda: same as intro, although tremolos slow and ghosts/witch fly out of performance space one by one

Mi So La Tic-Tac-Toe

I love using tic-tac-toe and bingo format games with the kiddos.  They don't even mind that I never give out prizes for winners, haha (so cheap).

They are a really great opportunity for students to practice ear-training and for me to assess who can read the patterns and who can't.

I usually follow these steps when I use such activities (I'm huge into getting the most I can out of anything we do, especially if it takes me forever to create and/or assemble):

Prep: Students sing each pattern on solfa as a whole class.  I make sure the students know where each solfa is living.  Students sometimes play individually and sometimes with a partner.

Level 1: I sing a pattern on solfa three times.  After the third repeat, I announce the correct number so students can check their work (while I'm singing, I'm walking around and watch the students to see who quickly covers the correct answer, who covers the correct answer after subsequent repeats of the patterns, and who doesn't cover a pattern or covers the wrong pattern).  Sometimes we get a tic-tac-toe or bingo at the same time, but it doesn't matter to the kiddos.  After about three or four repeats of this level, we move on.

Level 2: This level is the same as level one, only I sing the solfa on a neutral syllable.  The students will have to label the solfa themselves using their ears, and then find the correct pattern.

Level 3: For this level, I only play the pattern (usually on the piano or recorder).

Extensions: Students love to volunteer to sing a pattern for the class.  This can be a bit nerve-wracking for some of them, so I usually only take volunteers.  If they mess up or fail to sing on the correct pitch, often the class isn't sure what pattern to pick, so the students (especially the performers) realize how important musical accuracy is.  Depending on the solfa we're using, students also enjoy playing patterns on the instruments.  They can do this with a partner, with one student playing the pattern and the other trying to find it on the game-board.  If the bingo board has a "free space" the students can take turns creating the "free space" pattern (which I write on the board for all to see).  Only if and when I sing that pattern can the students now cover the "free space".

Try these steps out for yourself.  You'll find my "Mi So La Tic-Tac-Toe" game on my TPT store as my latest freebie (click the picture below).  Enjoy!

"Back to School" Treble Clef Matching Game

Another great way to review musical concepts (or assess what your students know if you've moved to a new school) is to pair students up for a matching game.

I use matching games ALL the time with grades K-5.  Although I've used cute bunnies and even flowers in matching games before, my older students love them.

I've come up with many different ways to use the same set of materials (other than just matching) so that the students are truly getting enough practice on the concept.

Here's my latest creation.  It has a "back to school" theme.  Here's some ideas on how to use it:

1. Basic Matching Game: Students (in pairs) match the word spelled musically on the chalkboard to the word on the teacher.
Note: When playing this way, the students are seated in a large circle next to their partner.  I "challenge" them to complete the activity three times before they call me over to check their work.  This eliminates mistakes and gives my struggling students adequate time to at least complete the activity once.  It also allows me time to walk around and observe how the students are doing and how they are working together - and to help out when I need to.

2. Memory matching game: Students (in pairs) turn the cards over.  One partner turns one teacher and one chalkboard over.  If it is a match, the student keeps the pair and continues.  If not, the other student takes a turn.  The student with the most pairs at the end (when all cards are gone) wins.

3. Whole-class matching game: I distribute the materials to pairs of students (or individually if I've made enough).  Using my projector and document camera, I show the students a chalkboard and ask them to find the corresponding teacher.  This can get competitive if you break the students into little teams and award points for teams that get the answer correct.  If you're not sure that your students will be successful playing ways 1 or 2, try this first so they see what you're asking them to do. 

Download this game here: Back to School Treble Clef Matching Game

Dinah/Pick a Bale

I'm working on a few new lessons for my older kiddos (4th and 5th).  This lesson is a review for the beginning of the year.  The students learn "Dinah" by using reading skills and have fun with movement for "Pick a Bale of Cotton" (which they learn by rote at first but we will revisit it later as they learn "fa").

I love it because:
1. Vocabulary: We review TONS of vocabulary as we learn the song (vocabulary words are defined on nearly every slide)
2. Pitches: We review the pitches Do Re Mi So La to prepare for a review of high Do, low La, and low So
3. Rhythm: We review the half note, quarter note/rest, eighth note pair, and sixteenth notes (in prep for learning more 16th-note variations).
4. Instrumentation: I love transitioning from fun body percussion (including clapping, tapping shoulders, and patting) to a three-part Orff arrangement (BX/BM, AX/AM, and tambourine)
5. MOVEMENT: I created this movement myself inspired on a few "getting to know you" activities I did with my family at summer camp this year.  They did a version of "rock paper scissors" that even I loved.  I decided to adapt it to the song and give it a "farm" theme - we've got the "farmer", "wolf", and "bull".

Here are some slides from the PowerPoint:

Steady Beat

Adding organization

Rhythmic Icons

Prep for Tika-Tika

Rhythm Slide

Melody Prep Slide

Melody Prep on Staff

adding solfa pitches

solfa melody

solfa on staff

rhythms on staff

entire song - talk about phrasing

 Instrumentation and movement activity is included.  You can download the file here Dinah/Pick a Bale

I also like this line dance for the song "Pick a Bale":

Old Maid Rhythm Game

It is amazing what can be found in the dollar bins at Target.  I found this gem, "Old Maid" which I easily adapted into a rhythm game.

I'll play this game with my new 3rd graders as a review in the Fall.  Some of the words on the cards can be tricky, so I'd say you'd be most successful playing this game with 2nd or 3rd graders.

The good thing about this activity is that there are many ways (probably more than I've listed) to incorporate other subjects into this musical review lesson.

Materials: Old Maid card game (laminate for durability), black permanent marker, rhythm instrument (optional), pencil and paper for writing response (optional)

Here is a picture of the all the cards with the rhythms I assigned them.  Depending on the level of difficulty, you could incorporate some 16th note patterns.

Basic Game Directions
Object: The players collect as many matching pairs as possible and avoid ending up with the Old Maid card.
Set-Up: Put students into groups of 4 (or less).  Shuffle and deal out all the cards.  If a player has any matching pairs in their deck, they place them in their own discard pile.
Gameplay: Players take turns picking a card from the hand of the player on their left.  If a match is made, they put it in their discard pile.  The game continues until only one player is left holding the card - the Old Maid card!  They loose the game.
Variation: The player with the Old Maid at the end wins - and gets her "cookies" (pictured on her card).

Musical Extensions
1. Students must clap and chant the rhythm on each pair they create.  Then, the group can clap and chant that student's rhythm.
2. Students can lay out their pairs when finished and clap and chant each pair.  They can play their pairs on an unpitched rhythm instrument.

Language Arts Extensions
1. After the game is played, students place the cards face up, paired, in alphabetical order (as in the picture above).  They then take turns reading the cards.  You can also discuss the use of alliteration ("fashionable fox" - both start with f's).
2. Students can create their own card (you can use small index cards) by first creating a name ("Silly Swan" or "Tricky Turkey" etc) using an adjective and an animal name.  Then, they can illustrate the animal.  Finally, they can write the rhythms that correspond to their animal.  This way, you can create a student-made set to play with in the future.  I CAN'T WAIT TO DO THIS!
3. Have students respond (with paper and pencil) to the following writing prompt, "Which character would you most like to meet?  What would you talk about?" (you can also create your own prompts)

Math Extension
1. Students can create a "bar graph" by graphing matching rhythms (see below).  They can then discuss which rhythms had the most pairs, which had the fewest, and discuss the difference between them, add them together, subtract them, etc.  (You could easily create a worksheet for them to log their answers, or put discussion questions on the board, such as "Which rhythm has second most pairs?")

How would you use this activity?

Do Re Mi Lessons

Sometimes I feel like "Do Re Mi" is my home-base.  We cover it in 2nd and review it at the beginning of 4th and 5th and use it extensively when playing recorder in 3rd.  I can't tell you how many games, powerpoints, and lessons I have that use these pitches.

At the beginning of the year, my older students logged their Do Re Mi learning in their interactive notebooks.  Here's an example page:

My Do Re Mi Song

At the beginning of the year I got quite a few new students.  I gave them some extra practice:

Do Re Mi Music Street

And we learned lots of fun songs (and some we got to learn later on the recorder):

Frog in the Meadow

Hop Old Squirrel

Rain is Falling Down

Closet Key

Sailor on the Sea

I also created a 5-page assessment (including a composition section):

I'll be posting some more in-depth Do Re Mi lessons from my Re Lesson Bundle soon - I've got quite a few new ideas for old favorites.

What Do Re Mi songs do you like?

Animal Moves, Animal Grooves

I'm obsessed with animal-based informative TV - at least on the weekends, or while I'm getting ready to go.  Every morning I start my day with "Big Cat Diary" on Animal Planet at 5:00.  Rowr!

Students love animals too, especially when we get to act like them!  Toward the end of the year, I do a lot of animal and jungle-based lessons.

I love Jungle Beat by Lynn Kleiner.  In fact, I love a lot of her books and own many of them.  I suggest checking her out - she really has some great recordings, ideas for teaching and making creative props and instruments, and they are all a lot of fun and clearly explained for us to use.

If you're looking to add some animal fun for free, check out Animal Moves, Animal Grooves from my TPT store.  I was inspired by my TV shows, haha, and the song "Follow Me" or "Do As I'm Doing".

Instructions are included, by I'm always more lengthy on my blog.  If you take the time to read them, you can really get the most out of this download.

First, print out the animal cards on cardstock.  Laminate.  Cut out.  Place face-down inside a hula hoop.  Seat the students in a circle around the hula hoop.  You will also need (if you choose) something to tap the students with.  I use a soft Funoodle (pool noodle) that I've cut in half.  When I "tap" the students on the head, I really "tap" the air above their heads - no true contact.

Teach the song to the students by rote.  Ask them to listen for when you use you speaking voice and when you use your singing voice.  Divide the song into two parts - the A part (singing) and the B part (speaking) and label as form (the plan or pattern music follows).  Sing the song again, patting the steady beat with alternating hands during the A part, then clapping the counting to 8 section of Part B.  Then, ask the students "How did I show the different parts of the song with my hands this time?" (You patted then you clapped).  You can transfer the pat to D and D octaves in a smaller keyboard instrument (I like to use soprano xylophones) and the clap to hand drums (which are easy to pass around the circle so many students get a turn).  For the first few times, you will have to demonstrate how to do Part B (Walk to the center of the circle, select a card from the hula hoop, say the name of the animal at the appropriate time, and lead the students in performing the action of the animal for eight beats).

Once students are comfortable with singing, moving, and adding instruments, you can walk around the circle and tap above their heads on the beat for the A part.  At the end (on the quarter rest) of the song, whoever was last to get "tapped" goes to the center and leads the class for Part B.  Afterward, they give the card back to you.  Continue moving and singing until all cards are gone.  You'll need to keep switching out instrument parts.  I like to assign a "Xylophone Expert" to stay at the keyboards the entire time to assist students as they come over to play.  You've always got one (or more) students who you know are just perfect for this job, and it allows you to spend less time focusing on/transitioning the xylophone players.

There are many ways to extend student learning with this activity (especially if you are playing it during a subsequent lesson).  Here's some ideas:

1. Label the B section as "call" (the solo student who picks up the card) and "response" (the class when they respond)
2. Play with the dynamics of the counts of eight - Start out piano, and gradually crescendo to forte by the end (use the correct terms)
3. Have students sing the call and response (on simple so and mi melodies) of Part B - this gives many of them a chance to sing soloistically
4. Use already performed animal cards to create an introduction to the song - students can clap the rhythm of the words (or play them on the instrument that they are on)
5. Add a partner song or connection - add a book about animals or another animal song

Let me know if you have any other ideas! :)

Low La Lessons, Games, and Activities

My older students (3rd and 4th) are working on (it varies per grade) low la, low so, and high do - really trying to get that extended Do pentatonic learned and practiced before the summer.

Low la and low so go really great with our recorder unit and a lot of the songs provide students the opportunity to add movement or well-loved folk dances, instrumentation, and explore their creativity and composition skills.  I, for one, and in love with anything La-based, so I'm excited we are here as well.

I included some of our favorite lessons in this set for teaching Low La:
Corn Grinding Song

Hosisipa

Canoe Song/Land of the Silver Birch

Old Mr. Rabbit

See the Rabbit Running

One Morning Soon

Who Has Seen the Wind

Along with teach aides, printable games, and worksheets:

Rabbit Race - solfa and recorder matching game

Grocery Store Recorder Folder Game

Game Activities for Low La Patterns

In The Doghouse!

Going along with the Doggie songs from my last post, I created a matching game called, "In the Doghouse!"  I like to use matching games as short (about 15-20 minute) assessment and review activities for the students after they've already learned a new concept and have had multiple chances to use that knowledge.

I've played similar matching games (there are lots at my TPT store) with all grade levels.  They have been very successful and fun, and great for me when I'm assessing progress.  Solfa or rhythm matching games are really fun because we get to explore the listening and performing elements that go with them (not just simply matching).

These activities are also easy to use with a sub, even if they have no music experience.  You can also get many activities out of one set of cards: listening, singing, reading, composing.  If you're looking to get the most bang for your buck our of you matching games, this post is worth the read.

  I follow these steps when playing games such as this one:

1. Sit in a circle of pairs.  Each pair of students gets once complete set of game cards in a ziplock bag.  Pairs are instructed to share with each other and work quietly to arrive at the answer.  3/4 of my classes can do this well, with little reminders from me, but for the other 1/4 that don't get along so well, I take extra time to model working with a partner, discuss situations that might arise and how to handle them successfully, and set more clear expectations and consequences if their sharing doesn't go the way I'm asking for.  I also insist on correct posture (criss cross applesauce) and quiet game play (during the listening examples) so that everyone can focus and be successful.

2.  I usually assign one of the students in the pair to be in charge of the materials (cleaning up the cards, turning in the materials, putting the plastic bag in their lap so it doesn't get mixed up during game play).  I ask that student to find all the dog houses (12) and then I have both of them put the houses into two rows of six.

3. Then, I play a singing listening game.  I sing an example and the students echo.  I repeat this two more times while they find the correct dog house.  Then, I reveal the answer.  They get really excited, so I allow them to do a "silent cheer" if the answer is correct.  We continue until all patterns have been sung.  I even select some students to perform the patterns alone.  For many students, they can recognize a solfa pattern on the staff and label it correctly, but they may lack the confidence to correctly sing it.  This gives students more opportunities to hear the pitches sung correctly (by either you or successful classmates) and truly develop the aural recognition of the relationships between the pitches that they need to sight sing - not just sight read. 

4.  I extend the listening game to include an instrument (or you could sing on a neutral syllable).  Students will have to listen to level of the pitches carefully to find each answer.  They are even MORE excited when they get these right.  If you have a sub, they often won't feel confident enough to do step 3, but they can easily do step four if you equip them with an instrument (I use a metallophone with only the bars F#, A, and B on it) and this print out:

 5. Next, I let the students match the dogs to the correct dog house.  With older students, I let them do this totally on their own time.  If they finish early, I instruct them to sing each example and evaluate their partner's voice and use of hand signs (they really don't mind doing this because everyone else in the class is talking and singing too).  With the little ones (kinder and first), however, we match them one by one.  I'll say, "Find the dog that matches the Mi So La So doghouse" - then I walk around and check that everyone has the correct answer before we move on.  The advantage to doing it this way is, well, go on to step six ;)

6. After all patterns have been matched, I ask the students to put away the doghouses and leave the dogs out.  Then, I repeat steps 3 and 4 (only about 4 patterns for each step this time) so the students get more listening and singing practice.

7. Students can also create compositions by stringing two or more dogs together.  Students can sing their composition for the class and have the class create that composition with their cards.   Some students can sing one composition while another.  They can even play their compositions on an instrument.

If time allows, the students can play this as a matching memory game (turn cards over - pick up two cards - if they match keep and go again, if not, other player's turn).

You can download In The Doghouse from my TPT store by downloading the preview for Doggie Doggie and Red Rover lessons.  If you've already purchased my updated Mi So La lesson bundle you'll find it there also (in the D Major folder).