It is getting so close to the end of the year. Most of our big projects and units of learning are pretty much wrapping up at this point. But now what to do? Throw in a movie? Maybe. But here is another activity that I enjoy doing with my students that allows us to have fun while still learning, right up until the last day of class. I call it – Music Olympics.
What are the Music Olympics
As the name implies, the activities are made to mirror Olympic events, but with a musical twist. I set my students up in teams of 4-5 students. They compete in the different events, accruing points and seeing which team wins in the end. I use these Olympic events to review critical info that we have learned throughout the year.
Olympic Events
Rhythm Racer
I say rhythms using rhythm syllables. Students write the rhythm down on a piece of paper and pass it on to a messenger, who races it to the teacher. To avoid crazy stampedes, you can add fun challenges, like requiring the messenger to walk toe to heel (tight-rope style) when making their way to the teacher to deliver the answer.
You can also add challenges such as clapping the rhythm instead of saying the rhythm syllables.
Recorder Translator
I sing pitches using solfege. Students have to “translate” it onto to the recorder. Once a student has had their chance, they go to the end of the line and the next person on their team gets a turn. See how many they can get correct in 3 minutes (or whatever amount of time you want to do).
Football Frenzy
This is actually an activity from a SmartBoard resource called Music Madness by Artie Almeida. It has many great activities. This one is a review of the instruments of the orchestra and the families they belong to. There is a football player. When you tap him, he kicks the ball in the air and a picture of an instrument appears on the ball. Students have 10 seconds to tap the football helmet with the correct family that match the instrument. Example: if there is a picture of a flute on the football, they would tap the woodwind helmet.
Pros: Kids love SmartBoards. This definitely engages them. It also has a great review of the characteristics of each family at the start of the game.
Cons: The Florida standards call for five different instrument families (brass, woodwinds, percussion, strings and keyboard). In this game, the keyboard family is not included. but it’s okay. The only keyboard instrument in the game is the piano and we use it as a discussion about why it used to be considered a percussion instrument and why it is now considered a keyboard instrument.
Vocabulary Toss
On a board or SmartBoard, have two (or three if your board is big enough) vocabulary words written. Under each word, have a bucket. Have kids line up on the opposite side of the room. You will say a definition and the student must toss a beanbag into the correct bucket to get the point. If you want to be nice, you can get them a point for saying the correct answer and a bonus point for getting the beanbag into the correct bucket.
These are some of the more popular olympic events that I have used over the years. Feel free to create your own events for other topics you may have covered in class that you want to review. The possibilities are endless!
Let the games begin!
Check out some more of my blog posts below:
5 Responses