Looking for engaging, musical games to play with your students? Here are a few of my favorite games and activities for elementary music classes, children's choirs, and elementary group classes.
Who doesn’t love music and what all it represents? And as you all already know it is said that having a musical education can help your brain to develop stronger in other educational areas as…
Turn up the music for these music party games for kids! Super games for karaoke, disco or dance parties with ideas for kids from 5 through to 15 years.
Five fun and action-filled circle games to practice rhythm, pitch, and more with your elementary music students.
These fun Musical Games with ping pongs are great for music classes, they're fun, cheap and easy to set up and always very popular!
Kids love balls and I use them to teach concepts, in team building, during rehearsals and more! Here's my ten ways to use balls in the music class room.
Coming up with engaging games for a middle school classroom can be daunting. They are at an age where they want to be independent, yet need some hand holding. They start the “I’m too cool for school” attitude and it can be intimidating at times when you introduce a new game or project - immediately the eye rolling takes over and you are stuck with questioning yourself. I’m here to tell you, I’VE BEEN THERE! It is incredibly frustrating when you are put in a situation like that, but I’m here to s
Write for the NAfME Blog SEARCH & FILTER Search Category Subscribe to NAfME Notes Subscribe to NAfME Notes, our biweekly e-newsletter, to receive highlights from the blog and other NAfME news in your inbox. Subscribe Now Write for the NAfME Blog Interested in sharing your experience with the music education…
Free printable music notes themed I spy game - a fun music theory game for kids
Do you have a favorite rhythm game or activity to use in your music lessons? Rhythm is something that always needs review, so you can never have too many
Playing classroom games is not just about having fun, it can serve as a tool to create a positive learning climate too. Read on to find out..
Which free piano teaching games are the best? Which ones do you need in your teaching toolkit? These top 9 are the perfect place to start!
Here are some fun and simple music games for kids, that are also educational. Play them at home or in class.
Teaching elementary music with no touch singing games? That is a tall order, but here are 6 fun suggestions for general music classes!
Learn how to practice rhythms with this budget-friendly and fun rhythm game in your elementary music classroom.
This new music game with dice, Shake & Tap, can be used with students of all ages in a private or group setting. Download the free pages!
Try using rhythm games in your music classroom with these sets of rhythmic notation cards
Looking for a fun way to teach crescendos and decrescendos? The Monkey Game is the most requested game in my elementary music room-- and will be yours too!
DIY Rhythm Dice: how I made the dice, how I use them in my classroom, and the FREE resources that I've made to go with them.
This is a super fun (yet truly educational!) game based on the popular game, "Don't Break the Ice!" In this game, students must identify note names and hope they don't cause all the ice to fall! 11 MB | 6 pages Buy as part of the Don't Spill the Music bundle found here or save when you pick and choose multiple game based centers (discount listed below).
The Rhythm Race: Rhythmic Value Game (BUNDLE) from Shelley Tomich of PitchPublications.com is a great game for music lessons, music classroom centers, or as a resource for your sub plans. Students …
Extra Beat, Take a Seat is a really fun game to play with upper elementary students to help them count beats. This can be played with no materials or rhythm sticks.
Teaching elementary music with no touch singing games? That is a tall order, but here are 6 fun suggestions for general music classes!
Use this Music Bingo as a whole-class classroom management tool for your music class! When students aredemonstrating good behaviour, pick a bingo card and add it to where it matches up in the board. 5 in a row = BINGO (choose a reward for your class such as movie day, pajama day, free time, etc.) How to use: - Print 2 copies of the bingo card - Laminate both copies - After laminating, cut each individual square on only one of the cards (these will be the cards you choose from) - Attach velcro pieces on both the cards you cut out and the spaces on the board (see pictures) *you can also use sticky tack if you wish! - When your class is demonstrating positive behaviour, choose a bingo piece to match/attach to the larger card. - 5 in a row (straight across, up/down, diagonal) = BINGO! (class reward) - If you choose, you can also take bingo pieces off the board for undesirable behaviours
Use our free printable music activity as a boredom buster with kids stuck at home or as a fun part of music education in a classroom.
Beat passing games for the music room: Great singing games for the upper elementary music classroom!
Learn all the tips and tricks for playing the rhythm chairs game in the elementary music classroom.
This Animal Actions Rhythm Game is the perfect way to get things moving and practice listening and note recognition skills at the same time.
Music education has not been left out as the world goes digital thanks to online games that make learning fun.
Looking for a fun way to teach crescendos and decrescendos? The Monkey Game is the most requested game in my elementary music room-- and will be yours too!
I love using body percussion activities, so I am sharing some teacher tips and ways to use them in your classes.
I've been lucky enough to attend the Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference this week and had a lot of success at my booth! It was fun to meet so many wonderful teachers from around the world. I was particularly touched when people THANKED me for being there. What an honor to share my ideas with these wonderful people. The music dice were such a success and I had a handout with a bunch of games and ideas for the music dice. I promised to post them online so here they are! (I should mention that these are compiled with the help of Dana Rice www.thefameschoolblog.com) Roll 10 *Choice of music dice depending on what needs to be worked on. *2 players (student and parent/teacher) *Private lesson or home practice - any instrument Put 10 playing pieces between the two players (dominoes, skittles, pennies, etc.) The student rolls the die and names it. If she can name it correctly she gets one of the game pieces. If the teacher/parent needs to help the parent/teacher gets the game piece. Continue to do this until all the pieces are gone. The person with the most game pieces at the end is the winner. Continue to play this each day until the student can get all 10 game pieces easily. Grab A Chord * Lines and Spaces Dice * Great to play in a group or private lesson - especially piano and guitar. The teacher rolls the dice and students search for dice to build 3-note chords. Students get one point for each chord. Play several rounds. The student with the most points at the end of the final round wins.! Roll and Clap * 4 Rhythm Dice * Great to play in a private lesson - any instrument. The student rolls the dice and claps the resulting rhythm from left to right. If the student is correct, the teacher claps back. If the student is incorrect, the teacher says, “Didgeridoo?” (This is a play on the Australian musical instrument because it sounds like you could be saying “Did you redo?”) Oops! * Accidental Die * Another great game to play in a private lesson- any instrument. The teacher chooses a musical note from a song the student is playing to be the Oops note. Student rolls the die and uses that accidental whenever the Oops note appears in the song. For example, if the Oops note is A and the student rolls a #, the student must play A# whenever an A appears in the song. This game will help students hear how accidentals change the sound within a song. Silly Phrase / Funny Word * Dynamics Dice * Group class or private lesson. At the start of the game, the teacher and/or students choose a funny word or silly phrase. Examples: “Cantankerous” “Didgeridoo”. When the student rolls the die they will say the funny word or silly phrase using that dynamic. In a group setting, everyone can take turns saying the funny word or silly phrase using different expressions like a question, exclamation, happy, sad, etc. 24 Beats * Notes Dice (16th), Notes Dice (2-8ths), or Notes and Rests Die. * 2-4 Players Players take turns rolling the die. The time value of the note is your score - write it down. The first player to get 24 beats is the winner. This game can be made more difficult by requiring that each measure be completed before starting the next measure. The Write Rhythm * Time Signature Dice and choice of Notes Dice (16th, 2-8ths, Notes & Rests) *2-4 Players *Staff paper Roll the Time Signature Dice to determine the time signature of the passage you will play with. Space 8 bars on your sheet of staff paper. Select which Notes Dice you will roll. Use the note or rest you roll to fill all or part of a measure. If you cannot use the note or rest which appears, you must wait for your next turn. The winner is the first player to fill up eight measures of rhythm. Little Composer * Time Signature Die and choice of Pentatonic Dice, Rhythm Dice. * Great for home practice. Students will start the practice session by writing a clef on their staff paper (treble or bass - if you are using another clef you will want to use the Lines and Spaces dice instead of the Pentatonic Dice.) After the initial warm-up, the student can roll the Time Signature die to determine the time signature of her piece. Write it on the paper. Between each piece or activity during practicing the student can roll the Pentatonic Die and a Rhythm die and fill in the staff paper with her piece. When practicing is over she can play her piece or have mom or teacher play it. See what great music can come after a great practice session! Treble Cups (for piano) * Treble Clef Die and Lines and Spaces Dice * 5 Paper or Plastic Cups * Paper Keyboard or Giant Keyboard Mat * Small ball or crumpled paper, bucket * Ages: 6 and up * 5-10 minutes The student chooses a cup and tries to match the dice to the correct key on the keyboard. For each one the student gets correct, he/she gets a chance at tossing a ball or beanbag into a bucket. For Group Play - Split into teams. The team gets a point each time their player correctly answers and the team with the most points wins. 100 Beats * 2, 3, or 4 Notes Dice (2-8ths) * Any chart with 100 (or more) squares or spaces. Roll the dice and clap the rhythms. Then count the number of beats and move a game piece that number of spaces on the board. A student can play this on her own or with a parent or other student. Musical War * 2 Notes Dice (16th Notes) * 2 Players * 20-50 game pieces (gems, chips, pennies, etc.) Both students roll their dice at the same time. The note with the higher note value gets a game piece. If the note values are the same WAR begins. Double the number of pieces and roll again. The winner gets the game pieces. If it’s the same value again double the game pieces again. When all the game pieces are gone the winner is the one with most game pieces. Sharps & Flats * Basic or Advance Key Signature Dice * Ages: 8 and up * 5-10 minutes The student rolls the die and places a small object like an eraser on the corresponding keys on the piano. This game can be played with a timer by having the student play up to 6 rounds trying to get faster each time. Record the fastest time and try to beat the record in the next lesson. Tic Tac Toe Rhythm Dice * 2-3 rhythm dice * Needed: 2-3 minutes Student rolls 2-3 dice together and the teacher plays one of the rhythms. The student must identify the die that was played. The game is over when the student has guessed correctly 3 times in a row Name That Symbol * Notes Dice Variety * 5-10 minutes This can be played in a group with any instrument. The teacher rolls 1 die at a time and the student(s) must shout out the name of the symbol. The student who gets it correct first keeps that die. Play continues until all the dice are taken. The student with the most dice wins.
Five fun and action-filled circle games to practice rhythm, pitch, and more with your elementary music students.
Learn how to practice rhythms with this budget-friendly and fun rhythm game in your elementary music classroom.
Pass the Shoe is a fantastic song for practicing steady beat in the elementary music classroom. It's a short song with a catchy tune, making it easy for students to internalize. The accompanying game can be modified in multiple ways to fit nearly any age group and skill level.
Here are several summer music camp activities you can do with group classes or camps over the summer. They can be use with a group of different ages.
By now you know how much I love to use props in the music room. Lately I’ve been experimenting with the parachute. I’m sure I’ll discover lot’s of new ways to use it in my classroom as I “kid” test the activities. So, I came up with ten musical parachute activities for the music classroom. […]
My 15-Minute Music Lesson Freebies are some of the most popular here at Music in Our Homeschool. See links to all of them here.
Have you found yourself in a review rut? Try out musical games for secondary classrooms to wake up your students and watch them learn!
Kids love playing bingo, and with this free printable Music Bingo, children will also be learning about music notes, rests and more, and improving their fine motor skills and music skills.
This new music game with dice, Shake & Tap, can be used with students of all ages in a private or group setting. Download the free pages!
If you've been looking for elementary music games, these are 4 of my favorite ones. Kids retain what they're learning through hands on activities.
If you're starting centers in elementary music class, then you may need some ideas. These are my favorite rhythm centers for general music!
Learn all the tips and tricks for playing the rhythm chairs game in the elementary music classroom.
I love when we have an Olympic year in music class. This is the second one we've celebrated since I began teaching, and we went all out! I started off by selecting 8 countries and then dividing each of my classes into 4 teams (I have 4 risers, so each riser was a team). Students in grades 4-6 participated, so there ended up being one grade level each on every team. Each day, students competed in a different Olympic event. The events we competed in were the ski jump, speed skating, curling, bobsled, biathlon, and ice hockey. Each event focused on a different musical concept such as rhythm, singing, note reading, rhythmic values, etc. Here are the posters I created for each one. We listened to the national anthem of the winning country after each event and kept track of each country's medals on the board in the back of the room. The students loved checking the board to see which country was in the lead. Here is the final medal count from the end of the month. Here are some pictures of the students competing in each event. We used paper plates for ice skates, actual curling brooms for curling, floor hockey sticks and tennis balls for hockey, and laminated tag board for cross-country skis. The difficulty of each event was modified based on the grade level. It was a great month! Speed Skating Speed Skating Curling Ice Hockey Instrument Family target for the biathlon Cross Country skiing to the target in the biatlon Biathlon Biathlon: matching the instrument to the correct target
What's better than Go Fish? Musical Go Fish! Download this free and educational piano game from Hoffman Academy.
Here are some fun and simple music games for kids, that are also educational. Play them at home or in class.
Looking for engaging, musical games to play with your students? Here are a few of my favorite games and activities for elementary music classes, children's choirs, and elementary group classes.