Games for the Elementary Music Classroom

Games for the Elementary Music Classroom
Book Resources:
 Double Agents: Music Games Disguising Core Content (published by: Heritage Music Press)
 A Galaxy of Games for the Music Class (by: Margaret Athey and Gwen Hatchkiss)
 Music Puzzlers (has different levels based on grade level) published by: Hayes School Publishing Co.
Web Resources:
 http://www.toolsforeducators.com/music.php (free online music worksheet and game maker)
 Classicsforkids.com (site over composers with some games to go along with what they have learned)
 SFSkids.org (this site has interactive areas and games about the orchestra)
 Musictechteacher.com (site with lots of games/quiz games over just about anything music)
 http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/art_and_music_games.html


Games:
 Sound Cups (grades K, 1st, and maybe 2nd )
 I use Sound Cup with my younger classes when we are talking about sounds and how everything has a different sound. Sound Cups test their listening to see if they can find the matching sound cup to the one
they have. I have them in two groups in a straight line facing the other group. They take turns one at a
time moving from group to group down the line to find their match. If they find their match and it is
correct, then their team gets a point. If they do not have it correct, then the cup is returned to the player and the next person goes.
 To make sound cups, all you need are the 30 small bathroom mouthwash cups, tape (masking or duct tape works best), two different colored magic markers, and 15 different things to put in the sound cups twice (ex. Paperclips, pennies, etc.). Make sure that you pick things that are not too close in sound so that the students can match them up.
 Put one of the sound items in one mouthwash cup and place a second on top. Tape the two cups
together so they cannot be opened. Write a number on the top of the cup.
 Take the same sound as in the first cup and place it in another mouthwash cup. Place the second on
top and tape the two together. With the other color magic marker, give this cup a different number
so that they will not be a match in numbers.
 I like to write down what number goes with each number from the other color so that when we play I can keep track of the cups that are matches easily.

 Quarter, Quarter, Half (grades K and 1st)
 This is a modified Duck, Duck, Goose game that I use to help with Quarter and Half Note name recognition along with the number of beats they get. With the K and 1st grade we gave the Quarter Note and Half Note nicknames to help them remember the names easier and so they could write the name too. We call Quarter Note Mr. Q and Half Note we call Mr. H. We look at them as brothers with Mr. Q being the youngest and Mr. H being the oldest.
 With the game, it is just like Duck, Duck, Goose, except instead of saying Duck and Goose we say Q and H.
 Q is for Duck and H is for Goose. When the H is picked and they do not catch the Q, then before they can start taping heads, they have to tell us what number the H is. If they get it wrong, you can make them go into the pot or give them another try. It is up to you how you want to do that.
 If the H does catch the Q, then the Q has to tell us what number they get or they have to go into the
pot
 Rhythm Matching (grades K-5)
 I have a different version of this game depending on the grade level that I am using it for.
 For the Kindergarten and 1st grade we use the rhythm matching cards for note and number of beats
recognition for the Quarter Note, Quarter Rest, and Half Note. They have two versions that I have
a use. The first one they match the symbols to its name and the second is where they match the
symbol to the number of counts.
 For 2nd and 3rd grade we use the Quarter Note, Quarter Rest, Half Note, Half Rest, Eighth Note, and a Pair of Eighth Notes. With their versions, they have one where they match the symbol to the number of beats and the second version is they have to count the rhythm for their partner to claim the match.
 4th and 5th grade are similar to the 2nd and 3rd grades except they use Whole Note and Rest, Half Note and Rest, Quarter Note and Rest, Eighth Note and Rest, and a Pair of Eighth Notes in their games.