Games for upper elementary school

I love music games. They are so important for developing inter and intra personal skills, something my students lack. My students don't grow up with play dates. My students don''t get to play outside because their mothers tell them it's too dangerous. My students don't get socialized at home; there is no one telling them to share their toys or take turns. My students come to school angry and lack the communication skills  to navigate arguments and disagreements  My students have no one in the home modeling appropriate ways to have conversations. My students are severely disadvantaged and will not succeed in this world without being taught how to get along with each other.  Music games are just the ticket for developing those much needed inter and intra personal skills.

 I also use music games to teach music concepts, but really, for my kids, I use them to develop social skills. And even though my students are street wise and older than their years, they are still kids in other ways and kids like to play games. I alternate between games of chance where only 1 person gets chosen at a time, or group games where everyone is playing. Games of chance teach the students that playing the game can be just as much fun as being chosen--at least that's what I tell them.  I still have some pouty faces when they're not chosen, but I quickly switch to a game where everyone is doing something. Taking turns also teaches patience and delayed gratification and recent studies, like the famous Stanford marshmallow study: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment
 have shown that the ability to delay gratification has a large impact on later successes in life.

 Here is a list of games with the music concepts they address.
 Chicken on a Fence Post. (grades 2-5) Music concepts: Sixteenth notes. AAAB form. Verse form The older kids do it with a double circle.

Se Se Se: (partner game) Music from another culture (Japanese version of rock paper scissors); pentatonic melody. To make it more fun, I have a set of bandanas with the Japanese flag and every time one of the partners lose a round, he has to fold the bandana in half. You lose when one of your feet touches the floor. If you don't have bandanas, improvise--newspapers would probably work. I got mine from Oriental Trading Company and they were about 20.00 for a set of 20. I do this game with grades K-5.

 Race Car Driver
Concepts: Timbre
Choose four students to be the "drivers."  Use a metal, wood, scraper and shaker.  Designate a direction for each instrument (backwards, sideways, forward)  Choose one student to be a race car.  The other students are tires in the road.  They should sit with hands and feet tucked in.  The object is to move the car from one side of the road to the other without hitting an obstruction.  The race car wears a blindfold.   To make it a little gorier, the students can be road kill.  Fifth graders like that a lot.

Beat Leader
Students sit in circle.  One student leaves the room.  Choose a beat leader to maintain steady beat somewhere on the body.  The rest of the circle follows the beat leader without making direct eye contact.  The student guessing must move around the circle.  The beat leader must change the beat.  If the guesser hasn't figured it out by the time he/she has walked around the circle, then the beat leader takes his place.

One, two three O'Leary
Concepts: Steady beat
 Students stand in lines, about 5-6 per line.  First person bounces the ball on beat one and passes overhead to the person in back on beat 2.  Next person bounces and passes until last beat.  The person with the ball runs to the front and all the students spread their legs so the ball can be rolled towards the last person in line.  Last person in line holds up the ball.  First team that holds up the ball wins. 

Master Master, Who Am I?
Concepts: Timbre
One person is blindfolded and sits in front of group on a chair.  Students have to disguise their voice and say, "Master, Master, Who Am I?"  If the blindfolded person guesses incorrectly the other person takes his place.  If not, the blindfolded person continues until someone stumps him.

Mabel Mabel Set the Table
Concepts: : steady beat, beginning improvisation
Students sit in circle.  The chant goes like this: Mabel, Mabel, set the table.  Don't forget the ______
Students have to fill in the blank on the beat.

Son Macaron.
A BIG favorite.
Concepts: Group steady beat
If there are drums or percussion on hand, add them each time a person is out.
Students sit cross-legged, knee to knee.  Palms are face up.  Everyone places left palm under neighbor's right hand in that neighbor's lap.  Pass the beat until the last word, "catch."  The object is to GENTLY slap the hand of the next person.  If that person pulls hand away in time, the tapper is out.  If the person being tapped pulls away too soon or is tapped, he is out

Black Snake
Concepts:  syncopa and dynamics
One person hides his eyes and the group decided where to hide the snake.  I bought a black rubber snake from the five and dime store.  It's worth it to get one.  Makes the game more fun for the kids. The students sing the song softly or loudly depending on how close the person is to the snake.  Same game as Closet Key, just different props.  Another game is suggested below.  I don't do chase games with my students--they get too wild.  But it you're brave, go for it.

Rhythm Basketball
concept:s:  rhythm reading and assessment  Materials: rhythm sticks. nerf ball, CLEAN wastepaper basket
Divide class into 2 or 3 teams, depending upon the class size.  One at a time members from each team are shown a rhythm card.  The students have to play and/or say the rhythm correctly.  If they get it right, they can toss a nerf ball or whatever you have on hand into an overturned  wastepaper basket.  I'm sure this game could be adapted for other sports depending on what you have on hand.

Passing Games:
Obwisana
This is a fun game to do in the warm weather. I have the students gather rocks and sit in the breezeway near my room.

The Slaves of Job

Dic-Dictation
Students stand in a circle with both hands held out.  In the center the leader taps each student's palm on the steady beat while reciting this poem: Dic-dictation, corporation.  How many trains are in the station?  Close your eyes and think.  (This game preps for the eighth and two sixteenth notes rhythm)  The person whose hand is tapped on the word think has to quickly come up with a number between 1  and 10.  After a number is chosen, the person in the middle says:  (I'm going to use 8 as an example)  E-I-G-H-T spells 8 and O-U-T spells out, again tapping each student's hand to the steady beat.  On the word "out" the student whose is tapped puts one hand behind his back.  The winner is the student who is the last one with one hand still in the game.  Spoiler notes: 1.  Quickly gloss over the dic part of the poem.  Fifth graders know too damn much.  So do third, quite frankly.  2.  Many of my students did not know what dictation or corporation meant.  3.  My fifth grade stumbled on the spelling of 8.  Heavy sigh.

Pumpkin Pumpkin
 This is a k-5 favorite.  They ask for it every week until May.  It prepares half note and reinforces minor mode.
Song:  Pumpkin Pumpkin On the Ground.  Will You Make a Scary Sound  ooooooh.  Will it land on you?  (s-d-s-d-s-d-m.  s-d-s-d-s-d-m   fa (half note) m (half note) . m-r-d-t-l.    Students sit in a circle, or however your room is configured.  Students close their eyes.  One student walks around the circle and stops behind someone and says BOO after the song is over.  If the person jumps, he gets to take the other student's place.  Spoiler alert:  1. Younger students have no ability to sound scary so I tell them if they make another student jump,  he/she wins.  If not, the other person wins and we move on to another student.  2. NO TOUCHING when trying to scare the other student.  3.  I always start the game and manage to make everyone jump.  That just sets the mood....and I love doing it.

Little Sally Walker
This is a game that all the grades love.  Apparently there is a rap version of it now that's quite, um, earthy, so its popularity has resurfaced.  It's a great song to prep the eighth quarter rhythm.

Make sure to swing the rhythm.  Clap on beats two and four and add two claps on the rest at the end of first phrase.  

More lesson ideas

More Ideas for Lessons:

1.      Tempo:   On the Trail by Grofe – have students turn their chairs around and “ride” them like burros while showing the following youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_7DA1G6tVs

After going over some tempo terminology, listen to different selections for examples.  Some choices might be: Camille Saint-Saens “Carnival of Animals” – “Elephants”, “The Swan”, “The Aquarium”; Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 21 – Andante; Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”; Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” (this is another good “horseback riding” selection!). Student volunteers can lead the class in appropriate movements for each. If you have students who are a little shy or do not want to participate, they can hold up signs with the appropriate tempo markings. Make some signs with the musical term on one side and the tempo on the other for students who need a little more support. For example:  LARGO and SLOW.

2.      Famous Composers:  Compile worksheets and have students complete them as center activities. Have students listen to selections in a whole group setting first, and then divide into smaller groups to complete worksheets. You could either rotate each group through every center or bring the whole class back together for each group to present their information. You could create centers based on famous composers, grouping them by different styles (for example, Still, Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Huddie Ledbetter are all famous African – American musicians and composers but are known for producing different styles of music ), by different eras (for example, Handel, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Saint – Saens),  by instrument (for example, all piano or all orchestral selections) or even by musical concept (for example, form, dynamics, tempo, etc.).  Denise Gagne has a series called, “Listening Resource Kits” that are very good. 

3.      Opera vs. Musical: Ask students if they can name a famous musical. Discuss their answers. Ask if they know what an opera is. Again, discuss their answers. Have an “opera only” day (or portion of the class) where everything is sung. Sing the following with any melody you like:

Everything’s sung in an o – per – a (O - per – a)

Everything they do on stage (On the stage)

Everything’s sung in an o – per – a (O - per – a)

And it was once all the rage (All the rage!)!

Hold up signs with the phrases in parentheses for students to repeat after you. Make signs with the following vocabulary words (you can make them so you can post them on the word wall, if you’d like): Recitative; Aria; Overture; Intermission; Finale.

Sing each of the vocabulary words in a dramatic voice; have students repeat each one. Play excerpts of “Porgy and Bess” for the students, including the song, “Summertime”.

Some information about “Porgy and Bess” – it premiered on Broadway in 1935, and it featured an African – American cast of classically – trained singers, which was never done at that time. It was based on Porgy by the famous poet, DuBose Heyward. It was written by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, with some of the lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. The music was influenced by jazz and blues. It is considered one of the most important musical works of the 20^th century.  

4.      The Science of Sound: This is an excellent center idea for 4^th grade in particular, since it is usually included in the science portion of the 4^th grade CRCT.  Please see attached center activities.

5.      Legato vs. Staccato: Listen to “Le Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint – Saens. There is an excellent version in the Silver – Burdett music series. Divide class into two groups – one to dance as skeletons on the staccato section, the other to wave scarves around in time to the legato section. Ask for volunteers for each group (differentiation); if you find too many want to participate in one group over the other, you can repeat the activity so students can switch parts.

6.      Choreographed Locomotor Movement: “Shoo, Fly” – girls all dance first together and then boys dance. The boys will usually beg to participate after they see the cool “inside out” circle the girls make! On line formation dances, try working “backwards” – teach a simple song game such as “Here Comes Valerie”, then find some Motown music for a “Soul Train Line”, then show videos of “The Stroll” and learn how to do that. Finally, the students can watch a video of “The Virginia Reel” and learn that dance. The students will have already gotten more comfortable with dancing in front of each other, and they will more than likely be more willing to learn the older dances. This method also lends itself very well to discussing the way the dances have evolved and changed while maintaining many similar traits. The students may even be able to come up with some current line dances.

7.      Centers for Instruction: There are quite a few areas that lend themselves to the center concept. The students enjoy working in centers because it is in their comfort zone. If you want to create centers, make sure that you include worksheets, research, or some type of memorization activity for the majority of them, with only one or two playing centers.

For example, after teaching about the letter names of pitches and where they are found on the staff, I taught my 4^th and 5^th grade students about Major vs. minor scales and keys, and assessed their knowledge of scales, keys, and note names in 3 weeks. I also included information about an important American composer, and exposed the students to two famous songs.

 After we discussed, sang, read, and played the Major scale in the keys of C, F, and G, I talked about sharps and flats in relation to the keyboard. I then introduced the minor scale. We sang and read both scales using the solfege syllables in the key of C for simplicity. After that, I showed youtube videos of “Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier” (there is a beautiful rendition by James Taylor), and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” as sung by Paul Robison. We completed a Vinn diagram on the two selections as a group, with student volunteers manning the markers (you could use a smartboard for interactive use of technology). The next week, the class divided into 4 groups –

Center 1 – reading about William Grant Still and completing worksheets about what they read. They were allowed to work together in any way they chose, but they each had to complete their own worksheet. I didn’t have a listening station with headphones, but if I had one, they could have used it.

Center 2 – flashcards with pitches on the treble staff, musical terms the students had learned so far, and instructions to memorize them as a group. I allowed them to choose how they would work on the flashcards, and then I came around and quizzed them.

Center 3 – playing the Major and minor scales in the key of C by reading them on the staff. I had both scales printed out (and each pitch labeled if they needed). There were resonator bells for the students to use. Again, each group determined how they would accomplish the task. I found the resonator bells to be effective for this activity, but you could use hand bells, too. Either instrument requires the students to work together and is easily played by everyone. If the group is smaller, each student can play more than one pitch.

Center 4 – writing two melodies of their own, one in Major, one in minor. Again, encourage groups to accomplish the task in their own way. I gave them staff paper and required them to choose a time signature, write at least 4 measures, and asked that they include rhythm. Some students wrote their own melodies; others worked in pairs or small groups. I played their selections at the end of the period.

The centers took about half of the class time to complete, so we rotated once. The third week, we were able to rotate two more times until all students visited all four centers. It was a little noisy and busy, and I had to bounce around the classroom quite a bit, but it was effective. I was also able to document individual results of informal assessments, and I had written artifacts (as per TKES).      

The Good, the Bad , the Ugly and the Downright Unfathomable

While I'm happy to report that the old adage about dress rehearsals is still in working order....mostly.  I thought the students did a pretty decent job on their performance, but getting them on and off the staging area looked like black Friday at Walmart.  

The fifth grade has been rehearsing their parts since the cavemen were potchkieng* around with paints at Lescaux.   Each instrument had been assigned and all the students knew which ones they were playing.  So when it came time for them to get up and go to the very same instruments that had been rehearsing on, they stampeded toward them as if there were a fire sale.  Usually in class there can be a clamor for the basses, but I handle it by rotating the students in groups so that it's not always the meanest boys who bully their way over to them.  But in this case, I just don't understand their inability to walk at anything less than warp speed.  They won a race that had already been predetermined.  

To their credit, though, the arm folders and rage machines, minus only 2 of the worst behaved students in the entire world who were under the care of a stern first grade teacher, sang with gusto.  Many of them had something resembling smiles on their faces.  One of them, who spends a lot of time either suspended at home or in the "opportunity" room, was dressed in a neat, white collared shirt, as per instruction, and clean, pressed pants.  He took his place with the singers and stood there calmly..Perhaps he was plotting something and waiting for me to take my eyes off of him.  I turned around and counted to 10, which would be enough time for him to mastermind a bank heist--he's pretty good at being devious.  I turned back around. No one in his vicinity had called out to complain that he had hit them. He was still standing still. I wondered if he had had a mini stroke. I watched him while he sang. He had an expression on his face that was unfamiliar to me; I think it was enjoyment.  When I saw him line up after the performance, he said "That was fun, Ms. Jove."  I almost plotzed.**  I replied, " I am pleased you enjoyed this experience.  Maybe now you will get it together in my class.  You are much too handsome and smart to behave like a twit.  I just saw that you are capable of doing something wonderful."  He smiled and turned away from me in embarrassment.  I wonder if anyone has ever said anything nice to him before.

For my part, I did make some goof ups.  I blanked out on one of the German lines of Silent Night and stopped singing for a second.  I had several brave 4th graders who wanted to sing one verse in German (differentiation, don't cha know)  and they were counting on me to mouth the words.  When I stopped singing for a second they reverted to the English words--except for one Hispanic student who kept soldiering on in the German.  Her accent was also pretty darn good.  She had come to see me several times on her own time to get help with the pronunciation. I gave her an extra hug after the performance. 

Several teachers had switched grade levels this year, but my brain was not able to map them differently and when they came in I was insistent that they sit with the grade level that I mistakenly thought they taught.  I am fortunate that the staff is tolerant of my brain farts and took everything in stride, even when I skipped the second grade and noticed it halfway through 3rd grade's performance.  When I walked over to fetch 2nd grade they all chimed in , "You FORGOT us!"  

I am also happy to report that the 3rd grade's unicellular blob that was standing in for a circle at the dress rehearsal had morphed into a real circle.  The kids took their partners and didn't complain if it wasn't their usual one, or worse, had to pair up with someone that moments ago  had become their sworn enemy.  I partnered up with the biggest trouble maker and was pleased to see that he was enjoying himself and had decided to stop doing his customary half swagger, half  perp walk. I think some of them are so busy cutting up and clowning around that when they are forced to be serious, i;e. forced to partner up with me, they are finally able to allow themselves to have fun in a productive way.

2nd grade was awesome.  The instrumentalists played a fairly complicated part for their age.  They didn't maul the yarn on the mallets or twirl them like fire batons.  They remained in either ready, playing or resting position.  I was impressed. One of the more serious girls in the back row had taken it upon herself to wave her hands like an umpire at home plate every time the instrumentalists were to stop at the a capella section. Maybe I'll hire her, too.

 My first grade conductor whispered the words into my ear before starting so I stepped away from the group and let her take over.  It was like having a mini-me, only without the brain farts.

Kindergarten knew their words and lisped on cue.   I  only noticed  2 students picking up imaginary string while they sang; the rest of them were actually focused.  For the next two days I would hear strains of their song as they stood on line in the cafeteria or walked through the hallways.  Most of them couldn't wait  to tell me how much  fun they had and that they loved their song.  

So even though their were glitches and rough spots here and there, and my ears were bleeding after some of the songs, I was pleased that the students enjoyed their performances. That's the best take away from the performing aspect of my job: self-satisfaction and pride.  So I guess I'll take the bad, ugly and unfathomable along with the good because the good is as good as it gets.

*It's a Yiddish word meaning to tinker or mess around.  **Plotz is also Yiddish.  It means to faint.or collapse from surprise.

Today we had a run-through for our holiday program.  It was a clusterf**k of notes, voices and attitude.  Half of the 5th graders stood with their arms folded glaring at me or dust motes--couldn't tell which--as if I'd asked them to get a rectal exam.  They still don't know all the words to Deck the Hall and half of those words are fa la la.

4th grade sang 1/7th of Silent Night
.

3rd graders couldn't make a double circle even though each class has done it a bazillion times.  Finally gave up trying to have each class do a double circle individually and combined them into one giant paramecium-shaped blob that might be considered  a circle if viewed from Pluto. Still have some directionally challenged children walking in the wrong direction and causing multi-car collisions 

2nd grade actually did a good job.  They played the instruments better than the 5th graders and knew all the words. Granted, the Dreydl song has few words, but they knew them.  As did 1st  grade.  They knew it better than I did--"Noooo, Ms Jove.  It starts with up on the rooftop."  I sing it and then, "Noooo Ms. Jove.  It's DOWN from the chimney."  I start over again.   I say old Saint Nick and again, a chorus of, "Nooo Ms. Jove.  It's GOOD Saint Nick."  I try once more and a small voice pipes up emphatically, "Ms Jove you are still not singing it the right way."  I bring her to the front and tell her to lead the group.  She does a great job.  I hire her.  She will stand with me tomorrow to make sure I don't forget the words..

Kindergarten are singing bits and pieces of words that they remember from All I want for Christmas. Picture ADD frogs waving their stenciled smiles on popsicle sticks that the kindergarten teachers forgot to send them with, and then handed the specialists the bags to disseminate to the mass of wiggling children.  They were upset because we weren't giving them the right ones even though they were all EXACTLY the same except for their names scrawled on the back.  We told them not to worry about it and that they'd have the right ones tomorrow.  They worried.

At least 10% of each grade level sent to time out areas in gym. Three sent to the opportunity room.  One fist fight.  And a partridge in a pear tree.  I am not drinking anything that's not 90 proof tonight.

They say that a bad dress rehearsal foretells a good opening night.  I am willing to bet I prove this wrong. 

Jolly Old Good SantaNICK upon the Rooftop Jingle All the Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay or why I hate Winter Holiday (formerly known as Christmas) programs

I am Christmased music out. I spent 25+ years as a high school choral director and presented as many winter holiday programs.  I enjoyed that experience. Rehearsal period lasted, at most, 3 weeks.  But now that I teach elementary school I have to start rehearsing concurrently with spooky Halloween music because Thanksgiving break, unplanned field trips and all sorts of other unscheduled classroom interruptions leave me with perhaps 3 rehearsals to insert the music into the children's brains, which are generally focused on other important things such as staring into space or finding new and ingenious ways to irritate each other. ( I have to give them credit on the second activity; they are super inventive in this area.)  But at least they didn''t do what they did in the art room a few days ago-- several of the more creative 5th graders tore off the metal rims on some of those old school wooden rulers and made claws out of them.  That takes a special amount of effort and determination; I just wish that sort of behavior transferred over to learning a song.

I read several blogs and take note of all the enthusiastic music teachers who can generate thousands of cute ideas and themes for each program. I think I lack the gene for cuteness.This is my eighth year of trying to do just that, and I am almost out of ideas:   Winter holidays around the world;  A Nutcracker fest replete with scarves, recorders, red and green paper plates and rhythm sticks; Ode to Snowflakes or something like that.   This year I came up with Sounds of the Season--a catchall theme that allowed me to do what I felt like doing without really having to fit my selections into any category. I chose traditional Christmas carols, which for me, a Jewish person, reminded me that, in my elementary school days, I would come home and serenade my mother with, "Christ the Savior is bo---orn" and she would tilt her head, look at me in a funny way,  and say, "Well, the melody is very nice."

I decided to pick traditional carols (and one dreydl song so I could be inclusive of all the Jewish people within a 50 mle radius: one) because my students have such a limited repertoire of known music. Two years ago I asked the ad-hoc faculty choir to sing some traditional carols in between set movements. They asked me for some suggestions and I picked out war horses like Deck the Hall  and Angels We Have Heard on High.  They shook their collective heads from side to side; they didn't know any of them.  The choir ended up singing a few gospel selections, which didn't sound particularly Christmas-y. They sang about Jesus, but I don't recall anything about His birth,  presents, on this day was born, wise men--none of the usual Christmas references. I remember my principal shaking his head and saying, "Can they sing stuff like this at a program? It's really religious."

 I can't believe this community doesn't know any of these carols.  You can't go to malls or stores or listen to the radio and not hear them.  You'd have to live in a sound proof bunker to avoid hearing Christmas carols.  I heard a story on NPR that radio stations are trying to beat each other by being the first non-stop 24 hour Christmas music stations in their area, and that these stations start earlier and earlier every year to claim this title.  I am flummoxed.

Even though I pick music that's appropriate for each age group, the kids still have a hard time memorizing more than one verse to a song.  I make sure to explain unfamiliar words like don, apparel, Yuletide, troll, I make rehearsal cds for the teachers; I bribe the kids with lollipops, but still this is how most songs sound:

First comes the stocking of mumblemuble
Oh DEAR SANTA mumble mumble
Bring mumble mumble DOLLY mumble
One mumble mumble EYES
HO HO HO HO HO HO WHO WOULDN"T KNO-OH
HO HO HO HO HO HO HO WOULDN'T KNOW-OH
Up on the housemumble click click CLICK
down from the chimney comes old/good Saint Nick
HO HO HO, HO Who Wouldn;t.....which is where I break in and say, "Children, the chorus is over, please don't sing HO HO HO any more.

 Maybe I should start teaching the songs in August.

Myra's musings:

We went to visit much younger friends last night who have a 7th grade daughter and a 1st grade son. Upon her mom's urging, the daughter dragged out her flute to show me what she played in the middle school band's Christmas program. "What should I play?" she asked her mom. "Any one of those songs that doesn't just have a rif," her mom replied. (I am flummoxed as to what she meant by riff,  unless maybe she meant a song where her daughter played the harmony instead of the melody). The daughter said, "Okay, I'll play 'Christmas Chips and Salsa' ..." She proceeded to play a very familiar melody, so I began singing along, "Here we come a-wassailing, among the leaves so green ..." The young flutist exclaimed, "You know that song? No one knew that song! That;s why the band director called it, 'Christmas Chips and Salsa'!" Her mother interjected, "Of course she knows it! She's a music teacher!" It took every once of self control I posses not to put my face in my hand and shake my head.

 

Yes, Virginia, traditional Christmas carols DO exist, in the hearts and minds of those old geezers who remember singing them as children. I guess we're going to have to add them to the list of things we need to teach these young whipper - snappers in order to keep our cultural heritage alive - sigh!

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