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The "Big Kid" Rhythm Bundle (Grades 3-6) **30% OFF!**
By Jason Litt
Included in these rhythm bundle are 25 resources that you can utilize in grades 3-6. Games, dictation, worksheets, races, and more are in this bundle as the resources discuss longer rhythmic patterns, sixteenth notes, triplets, and long durations of rests.
Definitely a semester filler in here, terrific for reinforcing your 2nd half of the year with some of your upper grades, and with 30% off when bundled together, it's a sale you can't beat!
Presto Pitches (Space Version, F-A-C-E)
By Jason Litt
This is a competitive pitch matching name in powerpoint format. The learning goal is for 2nd grade students to name pitches as fast as they can (beginner level, just the spaces!) :) We usually play this game 'around the world' style. We start off on the left side or right side of the the room and the first two people stand up and you flash a note on the screen. The student who gets the note correct gets to move onto the next child in the class while the other student sits. That student has to make their way through the entire class before being deemed champion... but they could be beat at ANY TIME! You can mix it up, left side, right side, boys/girls, etc. Kids get ultra competitive!
By Jason Litt
A fun activity to play with kids of all ages! Check out these Italian names and guess whether it’s a PASTA or a COMPOSER! See how many you get right! Some of these are quite tricky while others are pretty obvious :)
Out of the Box! (Playing accessory percussion)
By Jason Litt
Got a box full of percussion instruments? Work on rhythm reading together with the kids in creative fashions! In "Out of the Box!", 4 separate lines hold 4 different classroom instruments -- tambourines, rhythm sticks, hand drums, and maracas. These instruments are all assigned different 4 beat rhythms and focus on quarter notes, quarter rests, eighth notes, and more techniques throughout the presentation. To get everybody playing, shaking, and grooving, I place four stations throughout the room filled with the associated instrument. I then have a group of students rotate through the instruments throughout the activity so they can all get a feel of each instrument (no more "you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit...") Win-win! You can run in the way you wish! You can have the students perform an ostinato by repeating the 4 beat measure, or have them read it in a canon, or just do it all together as suggested! Or... you can have students write their own composition if you have an interactive whiteboard! How cool! Included are the powerpoint file (completely editable and expandable with images embedded in) and PDF file as a static presentation. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them. Have a great time!
By Jason Litt
A fun way to match up the solfege syllables with the hand signs! In Solfege Mix n Match, each contestant will be given the 7 plastic solfege syllables (included that you can print out and laminate), which are affixed to the board with magnetic tape. In this “boy vs. girl” competition (or team 1 vs team 2), the name of a solfege syllable will appear on the screen and contestants must drag the correct hand sign to their answer box… The first contestant to drag their answer to the answer box wins that round! Keep score, award points, or just play for fun! Included are 80+ slides for your enjoyment. Have fun!
By Jason Litt
In your primary grades, the voice can have many different timbres. It can be sung as an aria, yelled from the roofed top, whispered quietly, and spoken normally. In "The VoiceSSSS!", we concentrate on the four methods of using our voice, a key in identifying and practicing the methods: S - Spoken S - Sung S - Soft (Whisper) S - Shout Students see a display 1 through 8 to SPEAK on a steady beat (3 background tracks included, from 80 to 100+bpm). As they read these numbers on a steady beat, there will be numbers highlighted in yellow that will be a different characteristic. Some may be sung, whispered, or shouted (have fun with the shouts) :) Each slide is completely different and will challenge your kids as you count them off so they can experiment vocally For the sing, there is no definitive pitch, so I ask them to make up a middle or high pitch on the number given. You can take turns boys and girls, you can play it as a class, or however you wish Some are quite tricky -- kids may have to switch up to 4 different vocal styles by the end! If you have any questions, feel free to comment! Enjoy!
By Jason Litt
Here's a great way to group together all of your Boomwhackers for a game all the kids will enjoy! In "BOOM! - it's a Mystery!" students will read standard elementary school literature while playing it with color coded notation on their boomwhacker (this can be teacher or student led). After the song is completed, students can guess what song it was -- on the following slide the answer is revealed. You can construct this in a game format, use collaborative grouping, or any other method for your class. This can be also used for performance as well (if you're well versed in accompanying the kids, feel free to tickle the ivories!) You receive 12 songs in this pack. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com. Have a great time!
By Jason Litt
TIME to identify rhythms! A clock will appear with rhythms attached to the times of the clock. You will play a short 4 to 6 beat musical example for the kids, and they will have to identify which rhythm (or which time on the clock!) matches the example being played. 10 examples (including sound files, a powerpoint and a PDF) outlining pairs of Eighths, Quarter notes, Half notes, and Quarter Rests are included in this engaging lesson your kids. You can play it as a class, boys vs girls, or individually -- up to you! Have fun and if you have any questions or comments, leave 'em below! :)
Pitch Perfect - Identifing Percussion Instruments
By Jason Litt
We know all percussion instruments aren't made the same. Some are struck, rung, hit, shook, or scraped. But do the students know the difference between a pitched and an unpitched instrument? After a brief video review on instruments, students will be given about 10 popsicle sticks (the ones you use for your build your quarter and eighth note patterns!) and asked to take a seat on the floor. You will play 8 examples of pitched and unpitched percussion and they will have to spell out the right answer on the floor by making a "P" for pitched or "U" for unpitched. After they lock in their answer, you may reveal it on the powerpoint (animations included) or PDF. Kids love it! Included are the following 8 mp3 examples of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments 1 percussion introduction video Fonts and installation instructions 1 Powerpoint File 1 PDF file Have fun with this! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me -- jasonlitt@gmail.com Get pitch perfect!
To Tell the Truth! (* Distance Learning Approved! *)
By Jason Litt
Can your kids tell the difference between what rhythm is shown and what rhythm is played? Test it out with To Tell the Truth!
Students will see a rhythm on the screen and then a rhythm will be played. Does the rhythm played match the rhythm on the powerpoint? Students will use popsicle sticks (or whiteboard or can do it individually at the screen) to show their answers and the answer will then appear on the screen as you advance in the powerpoint - True or **False!**8 musical examples are included with 4 beat all the way to 7 beat patterns of Quarter and 2 paired Eighth Note rhythms.
Articulation - Staccato and Legato
By Jason Litt
Teaching your kids about articulations and note lengths? This activity teaches them about the history of note lengths by using a parallel with morse code. I ask the students to draw 8 quarter notes on their whiteboards (or if you have clip boards or pieces of paper, that will suffice as well)! We then play 7 examples of notes with various articulations and the students have to write the staccatos and legatos below the notes as they hear them. The initial slide has plain quarter notes, but then after the example is played, you scroll through the animations and the articulations begin appearing as the students check their work. Kids love it! This can be used from K-5 and you may play each example as many times as you wish. For older kids, play the example on a few times for a harder challenge. Included in the .zip file are the powerpoint, the fonts for the powerpoint, and the mp3 files for the examples at the end
Rhythm Lineup 2.0, great for Aural Theory (* Distance Learning Approved! *)
By Jason Litt
Quarter and Eighth Note pairs are the foundational elements of elementary music -- let's work on our aural skills with **Rhythm Lineup 2.0!
**Students will have a baggie of cards (or alternatively they can write them down on a whiteboard or make their own cards) and hear a rhythm played. They will have to use their cards and place the cards down on the floor in the order that they are heard.
After the example is played, I usually give them another listen to 'check their work' or go back and fill in the missing gaps. Then on the next powerpoint slide, the answer appears one beat by one beat. Check your answer and celebrate if you got it correct!
Can be applied for distance learning as well! Kids can just use sticky notes and write down three eighth note pairs and 4 quarter note pairs and play along!
Included are 10 examples with brass and woodwind instruments. Have a great time!
By Jason Litt
Shaun the Sheep hits theaters this summer, and there's no better way to work on Solfege than "Sol Mi Sheep - Level One!". In Sol Mi Sheep, Shaun the Sheep, the Lambs, and the Farmer, help the kids identify where the Sol, Mi, and La lines are on the staff in a game format. Characters are placed on different solfege levels and students will sing back the solfege syllables as they see them. If the class masters the solfege example, the slide will advance and the high score will continue to elevate. Each character has an independent rhythm -- Shaun is a quarter note, the lambs are a pair of eighth notes, and the farmer is a quarter rest. The way I construct the lesson is I have all classes participate and record the highest score at the end of the lesson. I run this exercise about 2 or 3 minutes (it helps if you have a percussive background track running around 90-110 bpm) and let the students keep adding to their score. You'll notice that the more the activity progresses, the solfege examples become more lengthy and difficult. I keep track of the scores on a different powerpoint so the kids can see how they're progressing AND how they match up against other classes in their grade. Trust me, it gets pretty competitive! :) Included are instructions and the game in PDF and powerpoint format. All steps are a 2nd, so no La to Mi skips... yet ;) If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Happy Sol Mi La-ing!
By Jason Litt
Learning the values of quarter and eighth notes are a good solid foundation to start off, but when it gets to rests, understanding a beat of silence is a little different! In "Give it a Rest!" students are introduced to the quarter rest, which is a note, but a note of silence. They watch "Give it a Rest!" from Music K-8 and then are given an activity -- try to decipher where the rest occurs in a musical example. The students will be told how many beats are in the example and then a four beat percussive introduction is played. Students will be asked to dictate the quarter notes AND quarter rests in the musical example. The teacher can play this again for reinforcement (but for kids in upper grades, playing it only ONCE can be a challenge!). There are 12 examples, each one getting a little more difficult than the last! You can run this activity in many ways: - Student can write on whiteboards with dry erase markers - Pairs of students can team up in a race to spell it out - Use as a whiteboard/smartboard/IWB activity - Print out cards of quarter notes and rests and have them line it up on the floor - Any other way you find creative! Enjoy this with your class and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
By Jason Litt
With Halloween (or in general... anytime is good) around the corner, Candy Rhythms are a tried and true way to engage students to introduce them to aligning syllables. Mix it up a little with Candy Rhythm Matchup!
In this lesson, students will see a rhythm on the board that matches the name of some of their favorite candies. They will then have a choice between 2 or 3 different candy brands and will have to choose the best match for the rhythm shown
The answer is outlined in green on the following slide. You will get 10 rhythmic examples in this mini-lesson
Have a great time (and avoid those cavities)...
Triplets Rhythm Lesson Using Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?
By Creating Musical Literature
Use this lesson based off of Eric Carle's book to teach triplets to your students. Use the chant every time that the book asks the question of whether or not a certain animal has a mother. Students can keep a steady beat, play the rhythm or do both, depending on the grade level. Can also be used to reinforce rhythm vs. steady beat. Additional worksheet provides practice in writing triplets. Adaptable for grades PreK-3rd grade. Perfect for a Mother's Day themed lesson!
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By Jason Litt
Get your kids reading notation with this rockin' assortment of body percussion! Each line is denoted with with claps (A part), snaps (B part), pats (C part), or stomps (D part) and the notation is displayed in color coded boxes. Students play these body percussions back after the teacher counts them in. In the package is a powerpoint file and PDF, and contains 20 different slides of 4 beat and 8 beat passages with quarter, eighth note, and rest patterns. Ideas include splitting the class into 4 parts, having the students switch body percussion, or even having students use an IWB to drag the body percussion signs around. The uses are endless. Put some rhythmic music on in the background to get things rollin'. Have a great time with this and if you have any question please feel free to leave a comment!
Turn up the Aux! (Identifying Auxiliary Percussion Instruments)
By Jason Litt
Percussion instruments are anything that you either hit, shake, or scrape, but that's not limited to just drums, rhythm sticks, and Orff instruments! Want to see how well your kids can identify which instruments are which? Try "Turning up the Aux!" where a musical example will be played of an auxiliary percussion instrument. Students will see three different instruments and will have to select one of the instruments they think matches the musical example. On the following slide will be the answer! In this 10 question game, you can play this any way you want -- boys vs girls, team vs team, individually, or have students write answers down on whiteboards or even come up to the board to interact with the powerpoint. Have a great time with this and leave a comment below if you have any questions!
It's just Formality! - Identifying Form in Music
By Jason Litt
Introducing your students to musical form? It's just Formality may be the answer! After a short introduction and review about musical form (with a video illustrating musical examples), 8 form examples are played Students are to identify the form by using the letters "A", "B", and "C". Some are easy, but some can get really challenging! They'll see a blank slate on the screen with the number of letters in the form. All form examples are a maximum of 3 measures (so you can even teach this to your little ones!) Students can write it on whiteboards, use cut out cards, use an interactive SMARTboard/Brightlink pen, collaborative grouping -- it's up to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the Q&A section or email me: jasonlitt@gmail.com Have fun!
Leaf it to the Rhythm - Autumn-Themed Rhythmic Identification!
By Jason Litt
Getting ready for fall and working with your younger kids to identify rhythms can be easy with "Leaf it to the Rhythm"!
In this lesson with 12 rhythmic examples, students will see an item that you would typically see in the fall (i.e. - Migrating Birds, Columbus Day, Rake, Jack o Lantern, etc) along with 3 rhythms below.
Which rhythm best fits the item? Have the students choose the rhythm that best matches (you can either do this as teams, have the students select it at the whiteboard/projection screen, or even race to hit it first!), advanced the slide, and then find out the correct answered illuminated in green!
Examples have series of quarter rests, quarter notes, eighth note pairs, and triplets. Terrific for reinforcing rhythms in the younger grades but can definitely work to pass some time in the older grades as well!