| One of my favourite parts of a vocal or instrumental | | | | Once the students are familiar with the conducting |
| music class usually happens in the first five minutes. | | | | patterns have them take turns being the conductor. |
| This is the time that can often make or break the | | | | Moveable Beat - This one is fun for a very basic beat |
| rest of the lesson. Teaching time allotted for music is | | | | activity with younger children. As a selection of music |
| often at a premium, so whether the students are | | | | is being played have the students "keep the Beat" in |
| coming into your room on rotary or just changing | | | | different parts of their bodies. The teacher calls out |
| over from another subject in the classroom, getting | | | | the part and students move the beat accordingly. E.g. |
| their attention quickly is important. | | | | "Keep the beat in your feet." (hands, knees, |
| Short music activities that energize and focus | | | | shoulders, head, toes, nose, everywhere) |
| attention while working on the elements of music can | | | | Interpretive Movement - Have a variety of styles of |
| make the first five minutes both fun and educational. | | | | music ready to play (recorded or live). Ask students |
| Some activities may have the students looking at | | | | to "move to the music" showing the beat, tempo, |
| you strangely at first (Teacher's gone over the | | | | melodic movement and perhaps a repetitive rhythm. |
| edge!), but once they get the idea and join in, even | | | | Depending on the age and experience of the children, |
| the reluctant students come prepared each day to | | | | you may want to introduce one element at a time. I |
| start with either a game or an active response to | | | | don't use the word dance for this activity since some |
| music. | | | | children freeze up if they think they have to dance. |
| These opening activities can be selected according to | | | | Sol-fa Calisthenics - This works well with younger |
| the focus of the day's lesson, as a review or just as | | | | children for practising the concept of pitch. Assign the |
| a general development of music concepts. Of course | | | | parts of the body to the notes of the scale. Start |
| there are those days when the main lesson is just | | | | with do, (toes), mi (knees), sol (waist), la, (shoulders), |
| going horribly wrong, the students are hanging from | | | | do1 (head) and when the students are ready, add re |
| the lights (Day after Halloween perhaps?) and nothing | | | | (mid shin), fa (hips) and ti (ears). |
| is being accomplished other than the beginnings of a | | | | To teach the positions, the teacher sings the notes |
| raging headache! On those days I would chuck the | | | | and shows the positions as the students follow along. |
| lesson plan and fall back on one of the energizing | | | | Once the students are familiar with the location of |
| music activities so that the students could be very | | | | each pitch, the teacher could sing the notes and the |
| active and still get some value out of the exercise! | | | | students do the movements, touching the correct |
| A few Ideas to Get Started | | | | part for each note. For some groups it may be easier |
| Echo Orchestra - Students stay seated and the | | | | for the students if the teacher sings the pattern first |
| teacher quickly splits the class into 4 or 5 groups as | | | | and then the students sing and do the movements. |
| might be done for singing in a round. Starting with the | | | | For a better workout, put in several larger intervals. |
| first group, the teacher vocalizes a short melodic, | | | | For example: do-sol-do1-do-sol. Give the students a |
| rhythmic or sound effect pattern that the group | | | | break when they are tired. Have a leader perform |
| begins to echo and repeat. Once that group is going, | | | | the movements while the students sing the correct |
| the teacher starts the next group with a different | | | | pitches. The concept of tempo could also be |
| pattern and continues until all groups have started | | | | introduced. Before starting, tap and count out eight |
| "playing in the orchestra. The teacher then conducts | | | | beats to establish the tempo of the exercise. |
| the group indicating crescendos, decrescendos and | | | | Major/Minor Freeze Dance - When working on the |
| changes in tempo for the entire "orchestra". Individual | | | | major and minor scales, this activity gives students a |
| groups should be quietened, raised or cut off and | | | | fun way to learn to recognize the sound of each. |
| restarted so that they get an opportunity to listen to | | | | This works best if the teacher (or student) can play |
| the others and hear the changing sound with | | | | short rhythmic passages on a piano or some other |
| different crescendos and decrescendos. This is also a | | | | instrument. As the music is playing the students may |
| great activity for working on crisp cut-offs! | | | | dance (move) as long as it is in a major key. As soon |
| The teacher should try to have the different | | | | as the music changes to a minor key the students |
| patterns cover the ranges in pitch (high, medium, | | | | must freeze until they hear a major key again. |
| low) and perhaps have a percussion section. For a | | | | Sometimes switch it around and allow movement |
| wacky day make the strangest melodic and rhythmic | | | | with the minor key and freeze with the major key. |
| sound effects that you can for each group. | | | | |