Music_Movement_Activities

children's music

Music Exercises in the Classroom

PLAN AHEAD

Be sure that you have plenty of space and that the noise will not disturb others. Before beginning a rhythm activity, think about how and when it will end before the music turns to noise and the movement activities turn to chaos. Think ahead and take control so the activity doesn’t get out of hand.

MUSIC OVERVIEW

	Music: Music is the art of combining sounds
	Characteristics: loud/soft, hi/low (deep), fast/slow, rough/smooth, quiet/noisy, in harmony…
	Rhythm is the steady beat of a song that repeats over time. Lots of things in our lives have rhythm: walking, running, the syllables of our names, a spinning fan, the rotation of a tire, a clock ticking, birds chirping, etc. It is the steady rhythm that helps everyone sing the song together.
	Beat: A beat is a rhythm that repeats over time. (bada boom, bada boom, bada boom, bada boom or rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat)
	Tempo: The rate or speed of a song. This is usually constant, but songs can speed up or slow down as they go. Try tapping the beat of different songs and see if the beats stay the same distance from each other. Take a simple song, like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, pat together while you sing. Speed it up and slow it down.
	Melody: A melody is a sound in sequence. Your voice usually rises and falls to the melody of the song.
	Anything makes music: Every voice has a musical quality. Discuss outdoor sounds and rhythms: car humming, birds and nature, planes flying overhead, lawnmower, door bell, choo choo train, sand, etc. Indoor sounds and rhythms: dripping faucet, pencil tapping, alarm clock, grandfather clock, timer, shower, water running, TV, radio, stereo, appliance hum, washer, dryer, phone ringing, answer machine, fizz, food cooking, computer keyboard, toilet flushing, shaking spice, frying food, brushing teeth, instruments, etc. On the body: Velcro, zipper, walking, running, heartbeat, fabric brushing against fabric, finger snapping, gum popping, tongue ticking, sneezing, coughing, finger tapping, etc.

BASIC RULES FOR PRESENTING MUSIC

Before you come in, write notes in a bullet format that describe the sequential moves in the songs that you intend to use, so that you are familiar with them.
The younger the child, the more basic the music and moves, and the more time you allow for physical and verbal responses. Is the music age-appropriate?
Review the rules for use of props, safety, boundaries, type of movement allowed, and personal space.
Whenever possible, relate moves to a theme, concept, or experience that the children have had. Have they been to the zoo? Did they see how the animals moved? How about to the beach? What kinds of animals live in the ocean. Describe how they look, and how they move. CD: Animal Romp & Stomp. Have they been to the doctor? What took place? CD: Smart Songs 1
Integrate the song with a book that you are reading.
Move through a short and concise version of the song with the moves in the proper order. Using your notes, enthusiastically describe and practice the moves with the children. Don't forget to allow the children to come up with their own moves.
Introduce age-appropriate props after children have become familiar with a song and the coordinating moves, and then practice with the props.
Be sure to repeat your songs from session to session, allowing ample time for children to become familiar. Children can watch and listen to the same entertainment over and over again, and familiar songs create a sense of belonging.
Do not expect young children to participate for too long. Five to fifteen minutes is a good rule.
Be creative. Find different ways to use the music, and a variety of ways to tie it into a lesson, literature, or fun art activity.
Evaluate how the presentation went, and be prepared to modify and adapt the moves for the group you are working with.

WHILE MUSIC IS PLAYING...

	Test your songs. If the children are not moving or responding the way you had expected, revisit your presentation, consider deleting, simplifying, or adding props. Consider playing it in the background during an art activity, or replacing the song with a different one on the next go round.
	Look for children who aren’t participating and try to engage them, without scaring them away. Sometimes, if you just ignore shy children, they will eventually step in and participate, but this could take anywhere from a few minutes to days.
	Separate children into large enough groups to avoid their feeling left out, or having to wait in line for a turn. Pick a leader if you like, but use activities and props that include all of the children. If you only have enough props for half of the children, let the other half pat the rhythm while they wait their turn to use the rattles, drums, or rhythm sticks.
	Discipline disruptive children by having them sit aside until they are prepared to participate properly.

EXERCISES IN THE CLASSROOM

Tap or clap or pound to the beat of the music you are playing. Tap on different parts of the body, and across midlines.
Play a real or imaginary instrument in many different ways; loud, soft, fast, slow, with short and long sound.
Play a song, and encourage simple gross motor skills: marching, walking, skipping, hopping, sliding, galloping, and other moves.
Call out different parts of the body and have the children move just those parts. Swing both arms, then first one arm and then the other. Try chair dancing by asking children to move just their upper or lower body.
Call out different directions and introduce opposites: right/left, front/back/side, above/below/behind/beside, around/over/under, close/near/far, edge/middle/end, enter/exit, high/low, stop/come/go, down/up, back/forth, in/out, here/there, lead/follow, fast/faster/fastest, slow/slower/slowest, quiet/loud, etc.
Play “Copy Me” while singing hi/low, loud/soft, fast/slow, sad/happy, etc. Make a rhythm with your voice that the children can mimic: rat-a-tat, ding-a-ling, waa waa, clank, thump, ding, dong, clickety clack, clip clop
Offer other variations in song. Sing loud and gravely like a monster, or soft like a mouse, or sharp like a witch. Let the children decide what they will sound like.
Play “Copy Me” while clapping or tapping different rhythms on various parts of your body, and across midlines. (hi/low, loud/soft, fast/slow…)
Change the rhythm and tempo while the children dance. This will help them concentrate on listening to the sound and dancing with it. Dance Freeze songs are great for this.

Experiment with rhythms, using hands, feet, voices, rhythm sticks, and other instruments. Can the children make a fast rhythm? A slow one? The rhythm of a horse galloping? A snail crawling? Play "follow the rhythm." Can they copy a simple rhythm that you or another child plays? Can different children play different rhythms at the same time? Beat out the rhythm of a familiar song.
Identify the instruments in a song and have children mimic the instruments they recognize using their hands.
Compare the sounds that different instruments make either recorded or home-made.
Ask the children to close or cover their eyes and listen. What sounds do they hear? Where are they coming from? Compare indoor and outdoor sounds, or sounds in different rooms. Can the children guess what room they are in from the sounds they hear? Is there more sound coming in one ear than the other?
Ask the children to cover one ear. Is it easier or harder to hear? Is the music louder or softer?
Make up "guess what's making the sound" games using sounds from odd things in the room, musical instruments, children's voices, different objects in plastic eggs, etc.
Separate the class into groups with each group taking turns singing a different part of the song. Cue them on when to come in and sing, and when to be quiet.
Form a marching band and march the kids around the room, shaking their shakers, and banging their real or imaginary drums.
Form a symphony of sounds with real and unconventional instruments and give a "concert." Ask different "groups" to play at different times or in different rhythms; alternate solos, or trios.
Using home-made, real or imaginary instruments, tell the children that you shall be the conductor. When you shake your head, they cymbals will clash, when you shake your feet, the tambourines will shake, when you shake your hands, the drums will drum, and so on. When you shake your whole body, all everyone plays their instrument. Allow the children different turns as conductors.
Sound patterns: Play a song and have the kids tap dots or draw lines on paper based on what sounds they hear and how it makes them feel.
Mimic sound waves by pouring water in a large glass or bowl and playing music, or thumping on the table. Children will be able to see the waves in the water.
Feel the vibration by encouraging a child to sing while touching their own throat, or touching the ground near speakers, or touching an instrument, or being barefoot near drums. How do deaf children hear music?
Vary your music collection between recordings for listening (background for rest, eating, painting, play…), singing, movement, and storybook.

- Multi-cultural Music: Latin Lullaby, Esta Es Mi Tierra
- Different Styles: Opera, Classical Music, Country, Jazz, Reggae, Folk Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano...
Exploring cultural and historical connections (using rhythms from different counties or time periods: jazz, classical, reggae, blues, rap, Spanish guitar, American Indian flute) Songs heard in school, in places of worship, and from teachers and parents, teach about life and culture. The songs might be bi-lingual, or the words might teach about hard-to-understand concepts like faith, patriotism, love, and freedom. Shy children might feel bolder among other people when they are loudly singing or dancing, whereas misbehaving children might be calmed by soft music.
Do pantomime dancing: lumber like an elephant or slither like a snake; pretend to be a bouncing ball or a tree in the wind; someone picking up spilled sticks or carrying heavy packages.

Have the children sing a song “in the round” chorus by chorus. "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," for instance.

Start everyone clapping and have each child take turns adding a verse to a new song
Record the children's singing, and let them dance to their own music.
Substitute the child's name or a familiar location for names in a song: "Old Bill Thompson Had a Farm."
Make up a melody (or use a familiar melody) and use it to sing the names of the children. Be sure to clap out the syllables to the beat.
Play a song or instrument, and have kids dance and then freeze when the music stops.

Listening Activity: Take turns blindfolding a child and station the other children around in a circle at different distances. Have the child who is blindfolded try to identify the child by voice, and identify the distance or location.

Listening Activity: Let the children dance! Play different types of music: country, flamenco, tango, Mexican Hat Dance, classical slow, classical fast, Hava Nagila, etc. How does the music make them feel? How does the music make them want to move?

TRANSITIONS
You might buy a kitchen timer, set it for three minutes, and ask the children to stop playing an instrument or dancing when they hear the buzzer. You might ask another child to "be in charge" of the band and give the directions to trade instruments and begin a new song. Children also respond to redirection. Interest them in a new activity or a new song. Play the CD player, or if it's on, turn it off, and begin singing yourself.

COOL DOWN

If dancing ends too abruptly, the children's energy is left scattered like blowing leaves. It's best to wind children down gradually from quick rhythms to slower ones; from large moves to small moves; from loud songs to soothing songs; from gross motor to fine motor skills.

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