Music Games for 5th grade orchestra
Hello all,
I'm a 5th grade orchestra teacher and our school year is winding down. We had our big concert and now we're back working in our method book. I would like to hear about any music games you know of that would be appropriate for a 5th grade beginning orchestra. I was a late beginner and didn't have orchestra in my school, so I can't rely on my memory for this one. I'm really trying to keep things fun so that I can retain as many kids as possible for my 6th grade teachers. The more fun the better! Thanks!
Replies (11)
Because young children are capable of learning through games, that's why. Developmentally speaking, children learn through playing. It's Child Development 101.
I like playing note reading games with my kids. My relay game is very popular with my classes. Begin by drawing 2 staffs side by side on the board. Under each staff place a round magnet. Divide the class into 2 teams. If you have an uneven number of kids in the class assign one of them to keep tally. Call out note names and have them run up to the board to identify the note by putting the magnet in the right place. You can make this more tricky and difficult by calling out fingerings (2nd finger on the A string). Rules: 1. First person to get it right scores a point. 2. Take your hand off the magnet for judging. 3. Teammates may not call out answers upon penalty of disqualification. 4. Teacher's judgment is FINAL.
Result: Promotes speedy note reading in an engaging activity where knowledge counts, and engages the children in much needed physical activity!
Another fun thing I do is a "pretend bell choir" while practicing our songs. Let's take Twinkle Twinkle. Last week I had 7 kids in the group. Each kid was assigned a note (D-B) and 1 was assigned the rests. They stood in a line like a scale and stepped out when it was their turn to sing or pizzicato that note. I don't know why they got such a kick out of this but the song is learned hands down.
I got more, will post when possible.
...and the contrast in the two viewpoints above illustrate just how important it is for teachers of any age to continually expand their knowledge of the subjects (and related fields) that they teach.
Perhaps game playing was not considered an "acceptable" form of learning in some educational methods in the past, but the extensive research into child cognitive psychology (and most importantly, how "play" is critical to the development of reasoning, experimentation, and interaction with new information) supports it to an exceptional degree.
After I finish the spring concert with my elementary orchestras, we do a few activities that reinforce the point that just because the concert is over, learning is not over with!
1. Exploring sound: using skills they have learned about point-of-contact, bow speed, and bow distribution, I challenge a class to come up with as many different kinds of sounds as possible in a given passage in their textbook (I use the Essential Elements 2000 series, supplemented by additional published works as well as learning sheets that I've come up with for my groups specifically). I'll divide the class up into teams by instrument and go around as each group offers both a description of the sound/tone quality using terminology that we've learned so far and attempts to demonstrate it.
2. We do a "playoff" game with two teams where students choose a work out of their textbook to play as a solo in front of the class. Each team earns points for every piece presented by a student with correct rhythm, notes, bowings, dynamics, etc. (with point deductions for errors).
Even a small reward for a job well done is motivational and helpful at the same time. I give my kids fancy music pencils to put in their cases. those little rubber mutes (you can buy them by the hundred), and for those students who put in exceptional effort I give out DG label recordings of my favorite orchestral works from the big orchestras...anything to continue to motivate them to listen to composers they haven't heard and keep orchestra on their plate as they continue in their education.
Our students have so many distractions these days, and as teachers we need to constantly update our approach to reaching our audience lest our craft is perceived as being outdated and irrelevant.
Not only kids, but adults like to 'play' also. We had a great night some time ago, when our ensemble director left the music at home. We are adult learners/returners.
She wrote the first and second lines of a couple of kids tunes on the board (frere Jacques and London Bridge), divided the group into 2 sides, got each side to learn the line of music written on the board on their side (about 20 notes), and then turn our backs to the wall and play as a round. Even standing to play in a group was fun. Playing from memory, We were forced to listen to each other, no conducting, come in and finish on time, be in tune with each other. then we had to introduce dynamics as called. I remember it being very silly and giggly, but we learnt a lot.
Gene,
I do the same stuff with my kids too, right down to Essential Elements and supplemental music. You say everything I try to say but better.
Greetings,
I am a language teacher. My whole professional life/work is centered around games. I have spent twenty years trying just about every conceivable language teaching approach and methodology with all levels of learners. I have found that young children learn the fastest via games for two primary reasons a) because of their propensity for indirect learning and b) because fun is nowe well established as a centrl component of the best learning state. Funnily enopugh this applies equally(but a little differently) to all ages. I have often come across the notion that adults do not need ot havefun because they have `matured` in some sense that is never very clealry defined and therefore only wish to work seriously at things. I no longer have any serious desire to dig out or do research that proves this wrong but my life experience tends to show that this is not really the case.
For example I train groups of fifty or more adults ranging from mid twenties to mid sixties to be elementary school teacher s on a regualr basis eveyr year. They turn up for the training nervous about many things inclusing being in new country, starting a new job, not messing up with the kids and so on. I generally make what seems to be an amusing speech about finding the inner child and learning to let go. Then almost immediatley we are jumping around singing children songs , playing silly games while at the same time feeding in what is currenlty the most detailed and extneisve elementary school training system in Japan. During the week the participants absorb all that is needed but more significantly they noticeably reacquire the abilty to let go and have a really good time with others which they had somehow seemed to have lost amidst the pressure of being an adult, looking like an adult and supposedly acting like one. At least according to my experience fun really is for everyone.
Incidentally, I seem to recall one of the most salient comments made about or by (?) DeLay in the last Strad article on her was that she was having fun. They may come in many differnet forms but aside from games there isn`t much else in life worth having and being.
Cheers,
Buri
Gosh its amazing how I ramble on after drinking too much coffee. Back to the prune juice i think. This is too much fun.
Marty,
A couple of years ago I invented a game for 5/6 graders called "music theory bingo." Basically, I made up cards with answers to theory questions, everything from intervals to keys to various terms and symbols. I'd put questions on the board, and if someone had the right answer, they covered the answer with a game piece. The first to get several in a row got a prize. However, I did cheat: I'd walk around and see who needed a win, and ask a question that they had the answer for. Helped the kids that never won anything. They liked the break from playing, and I was able to get some theory into them. Of course, I did have to spring for the prizes....
Scott
Get them all to hold their bows, with a good bow grip, pointing straight up at the ceiling. Do a spider climbing up the drainpipe by inching their hold up the stick bit by bit until they get to the middle. Along comes the rain and they have to come back down again. If you make it a race they always cheat (and they always beat me!) but it is a lot of fun. I usually follow this with them holding their bows horizontally and feeling the bent little finger take the weight of the stick. Then windscreen wipers and you have a nice little routine that lasts about five minutes and gets them thinking about the bow.
Play two bar phrases to them and wait for them to respond with the same notes played back. You often don't have to even say anything, even to a new group. They will just do it. It can start really simple (just D and A strings in a simple rhythm) and then progress through D major scalic phrases, to more complex scales around D. Just for fun put in some ideas in F# major to see if they really have ears! I always start a rehearsal with this sort of thing but sometimes start with D major two octaves (the violins in 3rd position, the basses jumping back to bottom E) and use any sort of orchestral technique such as tremolando forte piano, hooked bowings and difficult bowings from the repertoire you are using.
Not sure what level your students are but I hope this helps.
There was a music game called "Dudley Do-Right" which I tried to get some information on before but no one at violin.com seems to know about it. I think it was a Robert Culver (?) thing.
ok, perhaps my comment about game playing was too stingent
Martin...this I totally agree with. I cconsider these viable violin teaching tools
Martin - I'm stealing your windshield wiper game! My kids love the spider bow game but I definitely disqualify them for cheating.
I like doing Round Robin note reading games. We all get in a circle and each player is responsible for a note or rest of the piece. We move in a counter clockwise direction. Whoever plays the wrong note/misses a beat/loses count sits down. The last person standing becomes co-teacher for the day.
About prizes - there are all sorts of prizes to give to students. For winning a game you may assign them a monitor position in the class, or a 15 minute private lesson with you, or you may give them something of a prize. I usually stock up at the dollar store where you can get nifty little packages of pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, stickers, etc for very very cheap. I never give candy (I don't like to deal with allergies or sugar rushes)
I sometimes have them roll a large foam dice to determine the number of times we play something. Or, when they first walk into the class, ask them to give you a number between say 1-120. Do not tell them why. After they have all picked, then explain that those are the exercises they are going to review.
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April 9, 2009 at 04:47 PM ·
Why must everything today have a game associated with it?