A Great Half Step, Whole Step Game

A Wonderful game to reinforce the difference between half steps and whole steps called Crazy Keys.  The thing I love the most about this game is the wiggly worms.  Great manipulative item, that is fun, especially for boys.  Jen's Piano Studio has some other wonderful ideas.  She has put a lot of time and effort into creating some great resources.  Check it out!

Lucky Leprechaun Game

The Lucky Leprechaun Game is played like "Old Maid" except the goal is to be the last player holding the Lucky Leprechaun. 

How to Play:  Use the Shamrock Staff Playing Cards

Google Docs: Shamrock Staff Playing Cards

Shamrock Staff Cards
1. The dealer shuffles the cards and deals out all the cards to the players. It doesn’t matter if they don’t come out evenly.

2. Each player picks up his cards and holds them so that other players cannot see them. Players may want to organize their cards so that like notes are together.

3. Next, players take out of their hands any pairs they have. For example, if a player has two A's, the player takes that pair out. All the pairs from all the players’ hands go into a pile, face down, in the center of the table. However, if a player has, for example, three C's, he can only put down the pair.  Depending on the level, pairs do not have to be the exact same note.  For instance you can have a Middle C and a Bass C be a pair.

4. The player to the left of the dealer (Joel) spreads out his hand, face down, on the table. The player to his left (Amy) picks up one of those cards. If she can make a pair by using that card, she removes the pair and puts it in the pile at the center of the table. Otherwise, Amy just keeps that card.

5. Now, Amy spreads her cards on the table, face down, so that the player to her left can pick up one card out of her hand.

6.  Play continues in this way. Eventually, one player will be left with card "The Lucky Leprechaun" and that players wins.  You can also see who has the most pairs and they can be the winner as well.


Can also be played with Shamrock Keyboard Cards

Shamrock Key Signature Cards

Dr. Seuss Songs

It is Dr. Seuss' Birthday on March 2nd and to celebrate I have compiled some songs inspired by his wonderful books

Click on the picture for a copy of these songs!

Wocket in my Pocket  Sung to “Did you ever see a lassie”

Did you ever see a wocket that lived in my pocket?

Did you ever see a wocket that lived in my pocket?

He goes this way and that way, and this way and that way

Did you ever see a wocket that lived in my pocket?


Substitute the things in the book for the underlined words
Have children come up with other ideas like "there's a ghar in my car "or a "tamera in my camera"

Mulberry Street  Sung to “As I was walking down the street”

As I was walking down the street, down the street, down the street

A cart and horse  did I meet Heigh, Ho, Heigh, Ho, Heigh Ho

Rig a jig, jig and away we go, away we go
Away we go, rig a jig and away we go, Heigh, ho, heigh, ho, heigh, ho


Substitute the things Marco sees for the underlined words

The Cat in the Hat Song Sung to “Addam’s Family”

The cat in the hat (snap, snap)

The cat in the hat (snap, snap)

The cat in the hat, the cat in the hat 

The cat in the hat (snap, snap)

He causes so much fun

But when the fun is done

You will be the one

To send that cat away

If I Ran the Zoo
Down in the zoo with the beat in your feet
Tell me the animal that you'd like to meet
A lion, a lion, she wants to meet a lion


Keep a beat with stomping or pats and ask children to name an animal


We're Going to the Zoo
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
How about you, you, you
You can come too, too, too
We're going to the zoo, zoo zoo

See the elephant with the long trunk swingin'
Great big ears and a long trunk swingin'
Snuffin' up peanuts with a long trunk swingin'
And we can stay all day!

See all the monkeys they're scritch-scritch scratchin'
Jumpin' around and scritch-scritch scratchin'
Hangin' by the long-tail scritch-scritch scratchin'
And we can stay all day!

There's a big black bear he's a huff-puff-a-puffin'
His coat's too heavy he's a huff-puff-a-puffin'
Don't get too close to its huff-puff-a-puffin'
Or you won't stay all day!

Well the seals in the pool all honk-honk-honkin'
Catchin' the fish and honk-honk-honkin'
Little tiny seals all honk-honk-honkin'
And we can stay all day! 


The Animals in the Zoo Sung to "The Wheels on the Bus"
The snake in the zoo goes hiss hiss hiss
Hiss hiss hiss, Hiss hiss hiss
The snake in the zoo goes hiss hiss hiss
All day long

Subsitute other animals and sounds

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
A - B - CDE (Teacher)
A - B - CDE (Students)
Grade One is where I want to be. (Teacher)
Grade One is where I want to be. (Students)
F - G - HIJ
Learning to read and write each day.
K - L - MNO
Many boys and girls we know.
P - Q - RST
Sharing books with you and me.
U - V - WXY
Now it's time to say good-bye.
Z - Z - ZZZ
Grade One is where I want to be.
(or, with the zed sound -)
Z - Z - ZZZ And the letters are in my head.

If You're Happy and You Know It
If you're happy and you know it,
Bounce around “b” “b”
If you're happy and you know it,
Bounce around “b” “b”
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it,
Bounce around “b” “b”.
Catch a ball “c” “c”...
Dance with me “d” “d”...
Fall down “f” “f”...
Gallop like a horse “g” “g”...
Hop on one foot “f” “f”...
Jump so high “j” “j”...
Kick in the air “k” “k”...
Laugh out loud “l” “l”...
March in place “m” “m”...
Nod your head “n” “n”...
Paint a picture “p” “p”...
Quash a quilt "q" "q" ...
Run in place “r” “r”...
Sit on the floor “s” “s”...
Talk to me “t” “t”...
Vacuum the rug “v” “v”...
Walk around “w” “w”...
Yawn right now “y” “y”...
Zip your zipper “z” “z”...
 

Horton Hear a Who

Play Horton Hears a What?

Gather sound clips of effects or instruments and play Horton Hears a What?

Have children identify the sound.

Wonderful collection of songs on this CD.  I love the green eggs and ham song! Dr. Seuss Song CD

Check out these resources!

Pot of Gold Game

Here is a game for St. Patrick's Day that has students adding and subtracting rhythms.  Players try to be the first one to fill up their pot of gold!

Here are the directions:

Each player chooses a rhythm card that has an addition/subtraction problem on it.  You can make some or use my Rhythm Addition Cards.   Students calculate that answer and take that number of gold pieces to put on in their pot.  You can use pennies or bingo chips for your gold.  My students love my Magic Notes, so I will most likely be using them.

You could also roll rhythm dice, if you have any of them.  Another idea I had was to make time signature cards and have a missing rhythm.  The note value of the missing rhythm would be how many gold pieces the student gets to add to the pot.

Google Doc: Pot of Gold Game

Pot of Gold Game

Wonderful Music Term Game

Music Matters Blog has come up with another wonderful new game using Scrabble tiles called Fun Group Music game for knowing your terms and symbols

This game has students naming different terms and symbols and drawing the symbol on a whiteboard as well.  I could see using this to name instruments and composers as well, maybe even your favorite piece.

If you don't have scrabble tiles, consider using some boggle dice, letter tiles or beads with letters on them.

Candy Hearts Game: Tempo and Expression

I wanted to focus on tempo and expression, so I came up with a game that uses those cute little candy hearts for Valentine's Day.

I created heart cards with musical expressions on them and tempos.  Students will pick a expression card and perform the correct expression or tempo with the candy heart.  You can purchase the candy hearts or conversation hearts they sell at the store or use the ones I made below.

The student then reads the candy heart with the correct tempo (you can use a metronome) or expression.  I found it helpful to have the student say the words on the candy heart three times.  So, they would say "Be Mine, Be Mine, Be Mine" with a ritardando or  stacatto or a mezzo forte voice.  Afterwards I let the students eat their candy hearts, which they throughly enjoyed.

Goggle Docs: Candy Hearts Game

Candy Heart Game

Staff Note/Key Signature Stickers

Here are some staff note stickers I created using labels.  The label I used were an Avery Template 8160, size 1 x 2 5/8.  Once they are printed, they can be cut and stuck to just about anything.  I used them in my Valentine's Letter Game.

You could stick them to any foam shape and create a wonderful game.  Share any ideas you have.  I would love to hear any suggestions or ideas!


Google Docs: Staff Note/Key Signature Stickers

 Staff Note Stickers