Put the BEAT in your Feet: Music Game for Reinforcing Tempo

Ever notice how the "Freeze Dance" or "Move/Freeze" never seems to get old for our little students?
Including movement in lessons is something that truly can help regain focus.  Students are being asked to do so much more in their regular classrooms that could cause them a true need to move their little bodies around and get that blood flowing again.  I was taught to rotate activities of concentration vs. relaxation throughout my music class lessons and this is one game that has stood the test of time over the last 18 years with many different grade levels.

"Put the BEAT in your FEET" 

A super fun and simple game that can be used for any grade level and the kids love it!
You can even use it for music sub plans!

TEMPO Identify GAME:

• Students in standing circle
• Teacher uses Temple Blocks and plays a steady beat
• Students must “match the beat with their feet.”   They must (march) in place UNLESS you say “TRAVEL.”  (I make sure to remind them before I start by counting off "In your place, ready go" - When you stop, their feet must stop.   
• Ask them to raise their hand and identify the tempo (fast, slow, medium). 
• If correct, change the tempo and play again.  When you feel like they're really focused on listening and ready, they can travel around the room matching the beat to their feet.  They love this game!   
• Make sure they identify the speed correctly.  To differentiate for upper elementary grades, give them 3 "Tempo" choices and reinforce that music vocabulary!  (Largo, Presto, Andante, etc.) I have different tempo visuals posted, so I direct their attention to the Tempo Wall.
• And of course, to make it more challenging, you can choose to add in the old "If you move, you're out," or even have individuals play the temple blocks!  Just another trick to keep students engaged.
• {Music Class Transition Idea} During my lessons, I like to have the kids come in and sit on their carpet spots, but throughout the lesson, we "travel" to different places in the room.  Playing this little game can work as a transition.  And, it works well to help quietly transition those very energetic and chatty classes.  I'll say, "Put the beat, in your feet," travel to ......."Singing Street" or wherever our next learning spot will be.  

Give it a try!  Please comment if you have a short and sweet no-fail game that helps reinforce a concept.

Making May Musical Linky Party

I am so very excited to be hosting my very first Linky Party in celebration of the TpT Teachers Appreciation Sale May 5-6!  Most TpT Stores will be discounted at 20% off and you'll save more with the TpT Code THANKYOU at checkout for 28%!!!  If you're a blogger, please join us and link up!  Simply blog about the following three things:

1)  A resource from your own TpT store that you're excited to sell
2)  A resource from another TpT seller that you're excited to purchase
3)  A set of clip art you can't wait to purchase, too!

Include the following image in your post and link it back to this blog post AND please remind your readers to come back and check out all of the other blogger's posts who are linked up here!  :) 

1)  First, a resource from my store that I'm excited to be selling:  "The Case of the 3 Sneaky Singing Snails."  I have a Sol-La-Mi set and a Sol-Mi set available.  Your students are asked in these interactive PDF games to help the detective find the 3 "sneaky snails" who have stolen melody patterns.  The only way they can find out if they caught a snail is to sing a melodic pattern correctly.  There are 2 different cases so that you can play this game during more than one lesson and also adorable flashcards with melodic patterns starring the "sneaky snails."  I have a wonderful music teacher buddy who has the S-M-L set and he told me to introduce the game, he sat at his piano and said, "Oh no, boys and girls!  I can't remember the melody!  I wonder if it was the sneaky snails!!!"  And they ate it up.     

2)  Next, a resource from another music seller I'm excited to purchase during the sale:

 Last Summer, I had discovered Jennifer's awesome blog called "The Yellow Brick Road" via Pinterest.  Well, she had written about using these adorable "Rhythm Monsters" made from googly eyes and pom-poms - I was so inspired, I ran out to Michael's Arts & Crafts and made my own set which the kids BEG to use!  Now, she just recently posted this set above which is an interactive game is an "interactive game, in which students practice or review rhythms by speaking, clapping, or performing on rhythm instruments. The game introduces students to the rhythm monsters, friendly characters who use the special language of rhythm to communicate."  And there are printable worksheets, too!  Yep, I need it.

3)  And finally, a clip art set I just have to have!  

Educlips Ice Cream set has been on my wishlist and I'm drooling for it!  

LOL - could it be the pregnancy cravings?

 Well, that's all for now!  Remember the TpT Code THANKYOU at checkout!!!  Feel free to leave a comment or if you have a blog and would like to link up, here's the information below: 
An InLinkz Link-up

Worked for Me Wednesday

I'm excited to link up with the awesome Aileen Miracle at Mrs. Miracle's Music Room for her "Worked for Me Wednesday" linky party.  For our posts, music teachers will talk about something we've done before that we've found that has worked for us!  After you read my idea below, simply click on this picture below to go check out some more posts with great ideas!

My post today is about my magical wind chimes.  Yep, they're truly "magical" in my little music world.  Well, at least for behavior management!!! 

Years ago, I was teaching a very chatty first grade class and trying so hard to come up with something...anything to grab their attention and keep it.  I am still not sure how I came up with this and how it worked and has continued to work for years, but I would bet money on the fact that it works because kids WANT to use their imaginations naturally.  So....this is what happened one very magical music class:  

"Boys and Girls, the strangest thing happened the other day!  I was teaching a class and by mistake I came over here and played the beautiful sound of these wind chimes and the next thing you know...my whole class just...fell asleep!!!  The WHOLE class.  AND then, the STRANGEST thing happened, when I played the wind chimes again, the class woke up, BUT, they had NO idea that they fell asleep.  They just sat up, looked at me, and smiled, like nothing had happened at all.  It was so magical.  I mean, I wonder if it only works on that class....or maybe just on amazing listeners out there....I mean...I wonder...would it...maybe work...on well....no...I don't think so.....well, maybe I should just try.....(cue the wind chimes...and down they go with a giggle!!!  Silently "asleep")  WHAT in the world just happened!?!  These MUST be MAGICAL wind chimes!  Wow!  I wonder if I play them again...(they all wake up and look around).  "Kids!  You fell asleep!"  "huh?  no we didn't...etc." - I mean, no way would it ever work more than once" (wind chimes - down they go...giggles, etc.)  And so on.  

They.  LOVE. this.

From the day I introduce this, I now have one of the BEST classroom management tools ever.  Simply play the wind chimes....kids automatically "fall asleep" and I can teach while they're silently attentive!  I use this for all of my "listening lessons."  They love it and ask me if we are going to play the "wind chime" game constantly.  I use it with my "Carnival of the Animals" unit when I want them to focus their listening.  I can tell you that I've had less than a hand full of "non-believers," but with a little persuasion, eventually, they cave in.  I usually just say, "Well, these really only work on the best listeners..." and MOST of the time they lie down...only once in 15 years, have I actually said to a child, just play along and have fun with us.  Again, deep down, it's all about "play" and using their imaginations - for most, it's just natural.  I love their "acting" skills, too.  "What?  Who me?  I wasn't sleeping."  hahaha! 

I have to also share that one year, we had a part-time music position added to our school.  This teacher had some 1st grade classes with students I had the previous year.  She was teaching a lesson and singing a song where there were wind chime parts and played them - to suddenly find....lol......her whole class laying down on the floor pretending to be asleep!!!  hahahahahaaaa! Oh my goodness did I crack up laughing when she told me this - I remember her describing it as turning around and seeing her class of "narcoleptic children and being totally confused."  They told her later about the magic wind chimes - but what a gift to know that my silly idea had STUCK with them.  Ha!!!!

So, that's my idea that TRULY "Worked" for me.  I hope you enjoyed it!  Please feel free to comment below if you enjoyed this post or even share something that completely has "worked" for you in your music classroom.  Thanks for stopping by!