Who says you have to be inside to teach/learn your music
theory?
Here are some games for learning that you can do outside (or inside if you have
to)
Each child has a ball. They hold the ball up above their head to make it a note head and their body is the stem. The teacher explains the different parts of a note using a chart and body demonstration. To make quavers they must hold the ball up with one hand and put the other hand on their hip 'tea-pot'-like. To make grouped quavers two or more students must hold hands and hold their ball up with the other hand. To make a bar line, two students sit their balls between their feet, join hands and raise them up while the other children run underneath with their balls.
How to play:
Each child gets a ball and teacher chooses a song which all the students sing while they walk around in a circle with their balls. When the teacher claps his/her hands, children freeze and wait for instructions. Teacher says one of the following commands:
 | crotchets: children hold ball above their head to form crotchets. |
| quavers: children hold ball up and put hand on hip. |
| semibreves: children sit on the floor, put their balls in their laps, lean over them and hold their ankles to form themselves into a ball/semibreve shape |
| bar line (two names): the children named form the bar line and the others run through in single file with their ball. |
Derivation 1: For larger groups
Teacher calls out:
| 2/4 -and children form into groups of two and make themselves into crotchets. |
| 3/4 - and children form into groups of three as crotchets. |
| 4/4 - and children form into groups of four as crotchets. |
Derivation 2: Teacher calls out:
| 2/4 quavers- and children form into groups of 4 in quaver pairs. | ||||
| Children who can't find a group sit on the floor in a ball shape to make a semibreve, but continue in the
next turn.
3/4 quavers - and children form into groups of 6 with three pairs of
quavers. | 4/4 quavers - and children form into groups of 8 with four pairs of
quavers.
|
|
Derivation 3: For older students
Teacher calls out:
| 3/8 -and students form into groups of three quavers. |
| 6/8 -and students form into two groups of three quavers. |
| 9/8 -and students form into three groups of three quavers. |
| 3/4 - students form into groups of three as crotchets or combinations of quavers and crotchets to make a bar of 3/4. |
| 4/4- students form into groups of four as crotchets or combinations of quavers and crotchets to make a bar of 4/4. |
Group of 4-8 children stand in a line behind/beside teacher. First child runs out in front of group and calls out the first letter name of a scale that the group is learning eg "C" and stands facing the group. The next child runs out and calls out the next note in the scale "D" and stands next to the first child, to the right. Child number three runs out and calls out "E" and stands to the right of number 2. Child number four runs out and calls out "F".
If there are 8 children to a group you can keep going in this manner.
If there are four:
Child number one now must run around behind the line to stand next to the last
child and calls out the next scale note: "G". The next child (formally number 2)
does the same and calls out "A". Continue through the scale moving up the room
till the scale is learned.
This game can also be played with a group. If there are less than 8 children
then the first child runs behind the others to become the next in line:
Children stand in a line facing the teacher. Teacher tosses a ball (which is the
'semibreve') to the first child who catches it and says the first note in the
scale. Child then tosses the ball back to teacher and so on down the line.
Derivation 1: This game involves a bit of memory as the first child says the first note name in the scale and the second child says the first two. The third child must say the first three and so on up the scale.
Web site copyright BR Fletcher & R
Williams 2005.
Email: Rosie Williams