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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!
By Jason Litt
A brand new approach to the Recorder System! I use original and simple compositions for this one which I use this with my 3rd graders. We start off simple and get into more technical things along the way -- scaffolding made simple!. I find it's more beneficial than just teaching them 3 or 4 notes as I like to cultivate them a little more by discovering new notes, rhythms, and phrases. This includes 12 original songs for all of your students and have fingering charts and tips and hints included on every slide! After you download this Powerpoint, please email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com and I will send you mp3 accompaniment files for all of the pieces (so you don't have to play along on the piano, and you can concentrate on assessing) :)
By Jason Litt
The objective of this fun 8-bit game styled in powerpoint format is to have students name notes on the treble clef staff. Students each take turns naming notes as fast as possible, all in the spirit of a collaborative effort for their class. The slide carries the note in question, with a block [?]. When the student states the correct answer, the answer appears on the next slide, and repeat from there on out through the rest of the class. The faster they do this, the more they see the gameplay progress and go through different levels. We start out on the line notes, EGBDF, get into the FACE notes in the second world, and then do a mix of them in the 3rd world until the class reaches the end at 100000 points! Don't worry, a follow up product is coming soon, this is just Part 1 :) There's a 3 minute 8-bit mashup background track included in this download to play for the students to make it feel like a real video game. When the 3 minute track is over, the game ends and you can tally up their score and continue the next time in music class. Concerning management, it'd be up to the teacher to allow students to pass the note in question, or have a neighbor help them out. If you'd like to see a sped-up version of this game (don't worry, this will go slowly unless your kids are blazing fast at naming notes!), please view the link below http://youtu.be/xMufSSTh6FQ This lesson can span weeks and months depending on how often you play it and the level of mastery of notation with your kids. If you have any questions, please let me know. Have fun with this!
By Jason Litt
This is a competitive notation naming game in powerpoint format. The learning goal is for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to name pitches as fast as they can. 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 duration 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, especially in 5th grade. In this version, we discuss the following notes: Whole, Half, Quarter, Eighth, Sixteenth And the following rests: Whole, Half, Quarter, Eighth The beginning starts off with the 5 note durations, followed by the rest durations. After that, the notes and rests are randomized and have a blank box below them. The student who answers it first becomes the champion (and the answer is on the following slide)
By Jason Litt
Based on the new movie, Wreck it Ralph, a new Disney/Pixar Movie coming out in November about a video game character, Wreck-it Ralph, whohas been doing the same job for 30 years... Which is basically wrecking a building into pieces with his fists. Wreck-it Rhythm is a music game where you’re going to get to destroy a fictitious dilapidated 29th street beat building Ralph is fueled by Rhythm, and the class is the one to give it to him... Read a variety of rhythms on the screen below in a variety of different ways... Everyone will receive a pair of lummi sticks and when you see the rhythm, you will play that rhythm on the correct area (H, M, K) If the entire class plays the rhythm correctly, you will start destroying those bricks! (just advance the powerpoint) Gets the kids REALLY engaged! They try to get the highest score! Put some 8-bit music on with a MM = 120 or less Enjoy!
Lightning Violin - Learn How to Play Violin
By Jason Litt
This is a curriculum I use in grades 3, 4, and 5. We have a full set of violins at our school and we learn notation, rhythms, and notes through an original curriculum called "Lightning Violin". The students all learn the songs together and then an individual student plays the song by themselves for assessment. If they play it correctly, I give them a "bolt" on their chart. It gets very competitive and the students really respond well and practice as hard as they can to get their next bolt. You can make a powerpoint chart or a physical chart and draw a bolt or create one in powerpoint. Included with this are the mp3 files accompaniment files that go along with the powerpoint. Please email me after purchase and I will send you the mp3 files! jasonlitt@gmail.com Enjoy!
By Jason Litt
Five jamming Boomwhacker arrangements for your classroom! Each Boomwhacker is assigned an 8 beat rhythm, most different than others. This gives kids opportunities to reinforce their own rhythms while playing in an ensemble. If you want to explore a different method, you can split half of the class on one rhythm, and the other half on a different. You could play them in a round, canon, explore different dynamics, loop it -- the possibilities are endless! And with 5 different compositions, you'll have the freedom to explore without getting tired of the same arrangement. This can also be used with non-pitched and even pitched percussion. Included is a 5 minute African drum groove to get your kids going. Have fun -- here comes the boom!
Lightning Violin 2013 (Part 2)
By Jason Litt
Here's the follow-up to the 2012 Lightning Violin! (link below) http://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Lightning-Violin-Learn-How-to-Play-Violin-478845 This is a curriculum I use in grades 3, 4, and 5. We have a full set of violins at our school and we learn notation, rhythms, and notes through an original curriculum called "Lightning Violin". The students all learn the songs together and then an individual student plays the song by themselves for assessment. If they play it correctly, I give them a "bolt" on their chart (which I save in powerpoint). It gets very competitive and the students really respond well and practice as hard as they can to get their next bolt. This particular version focuses on learning the rhythms and notes without the aid of fingering charts or letters, which makes it a bit more challenging for students who have relied on that in the past. There are a few review slides before the songs that ensures students have everything they need to complete the program! It goes a little slower, but it's scaffolding made easy (White Belt is the easiest, Rainbow Belt the most challenging) Included with this are 9 mp3 files accompaniments (with a cool hip hop piano background!) along with the powerpoint in PDF format. Kids LOVE it! Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be happy to answer them!
By Jason Litt
This is a competitive pitch matching name in powerpoint format. The learning goal is for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to name pitches as fast as they can. 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, especially in 5th grade.
By Jason Litt
In 2nd Grade, we start learning about high and low notes and how they are represented in notation by being placed on the staff.
In stick it to the staff, we have students all sit on the floor with a pair of lummi sticks and sight read rhythms based on where they are put on the staff.
If they see a quarter note on the "E" line, they will click their stick above their head, if they see a quarter note on the bottom "F" line, they will hit their sticks on the ground.
This is a video game format, and includes 10 levels of sight reading rhythms (about 100 different rhythms!) starting out with basic quarter notes, adding in eighth notes, half notes, quarter rests, and rounding out with dynamics.
The class is awarded 50 points (you'll see the HI SCORE image embedded in the powerpoint) each time an example is playing correctly in unison. A fun and competitive way for your younger kids to practice sight reading rhythms!
I usually put a background track on (about 90-110bpm) so the kids can play along :)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
By Jason Litt
Getting ready to teach your kids about intervals? Try a fun new flash card game named Inspector Interval! In this powerpoint is a brief overview of intervals. Step by step instructions are given on how they are built, and more importantly, how they are identified. Throughout this powerpoint, there are over 100 random flash cards with intervals on a treble clef staff with an accompanying blank box. I usually have my students compete against each other (boys vs girls, top risers vs bottom risers, etc) to see who can name the interval the fastest. The winner stays up and competes against the next student in class and the one left standing at the end is deemed the winner! Included are two powerpoint files: Inspector Interval 2nd-7th: Only with 2nd thorugh 7th intervals Inspector Interval Unison-Octave: Full intervals (with descriptions for Unison and Octave intervals, and how to identify them) All the slides have animations attached them and should work on Microsoft Powerpoint 2007 and above. In addition, the "jazztext" font is included (with installation directions) as your system may not have the file already on it. Have a great time with this, kids get SUPER competitive! :)
By Jason Litt
A brand new follow up to the Rainbow Recorder series, the 2K15 series!
This version of Rainbow Recorder focuses on 9 original compositions that your new (and even advanced) recorder students will love. We bring it back to the beginning and learn how to connect the lines and spaces on the staff to note names and have students begin to memorize the notes, rather than the letters. We gradually scaffold into more difficult music by adding on new notes and rhythms.
Included, you will receive a 9 page PDF file (reproducable for your students or as a teacher guide) and 9 accompaniment tracks for each "belt". Your students are GUARANTEED to love these with lots of original hip hop background tracks (you would never know how cool playing a whole bunch of A's and B's are until you play along to this!) ;) Beginning at the Purple series, there is a beginning and advanced mp3 in case you have a superstar student who wants to tackle the advanced version (which is about 25 bpm faster than the regular version)
An alternate version with the note names are available, please contact me at jasonlitt@gmail.com if you'd like that as well.
As always, please feel free to let me know if you have any questions and enjoy!
By Jason Litt
If you're working on meter in your classroom, here's an engaging lesson that'll test your students' math skills! In Sign of the Times, we do a brief introduction of meter (from there on called" Time Signature"). After the introduction, we talk about how measures (musical sentences) are formed and how composers have the freedom to write different beat patterns in music. The lesson in PDF format (also included is the video along with an editable powerpoint file) continues with illustrations of 4 types of time signatures, and gets into the game format -- a measure with combinations of quarter, eighths, whole, and half notes will appear in the staff and students will have to guess the time signature. On the next slide, the answer will appear. I like to do this boys vs. girls -- they have to use their quick thinking to add up the beats! Some are easy to moderate, but as we progress it gets a little harder! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment... that's the sign of the times!
By Jason Litt
Working on aural theory with your kids? With "Rhythm Mixup" students shuffle up notecards with quarter notes, 2-beamed eighth notes, half notes, and quarter rests to reflect the musical example being played! We start off the first lesson (level 1) with a brief overview of rhythm from Quaver's Marvelous World of Music, and then head right into rhythm mixup. Students will lay out their notation cards (you can either print these out or have the students draw them on a whiteboard, etc), and then a musical example will be played. Students will have to put the notes in the order that they hear the music example -- hence, the "mixup"! Level 2, goes into quarter rests and the students will have to place it appropriately (hint: it's never at the beginning or end of the phrase!) :) Students identify rhythms upon hearing them and use their aural skills to dictate where each rhythm is placed. Make sure to play these several times, especially for the younger ones so they can check their work! Designed in Powerpoint 2007, all animations and transitions should work on machines that support it. A file is included for instructions on how to install fonts. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. Have fun!
Catch Wind of it! - Identifying Woodwind Instruments
By Jason Litt
Learning about Woodwinds but don't have a lot of music examples to test the kids? Here's your answer! After a short introduction video about woodwinds, students will learn about the 5 main woodwind instruments, flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, and the bassoon. After they hear the timbre of each instruments, they will have to identify each instrument after hearing it played. You can do this a few ways! You can print a blank template from the powerpoint, laminate it, distribute to students, and have them mark as they go along and erase after they answer is revealed Alternatively, you can run the entire powerpoint (or PDF) and have them guess after the example is played. When their answer is ready, you will advance in the slide and the answer will be revealed! Included in the ZIP folder: All 15 mp3 files with woodwind examples are included (with 4 introduction examples) Font and instructions (there are very important so you don't have crazy characters all over!) Woodwind introduction video If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! jasonlitt@gmail.com
By Jason Litt
A brand new follow up to the Rainbow Recorder series This version of Rainbow Recorder focuses on 9 original compositions that your new (and even advanced) recorder students will love. We bring it back to the beginning and learn how to connect the lines and spaces on the staff to note names and have students begin to memorize the notes, rather than the letters. We gradually scaffold into more difficult music by adding on new notes and rhythms. Included, you will receive a 9 page PDF file (reproducable for your students or as a teacher guide) and 9 accompaniment tracks for each "belt". Your students are GUARANTEED to love these with lots of original rock and hip hop background tracks (you would never know how cool playing a whole bunch of A's and B's are until you play along to this!) ;) An alternate version with the note names are available, please contact me at jasonlitt@gmail.com if you'd like that as an alternate. As always, please feel free to let me know if you have any questions and enjoy!
By Jason Litt
Ready to talk about Forte and Piano in any of your grades? Drum it up, Dynamically will get your kids reading dynamics like a pro!
First, we start off with an introduction to Forte and Piano with a clip from Music K8's animated series (included), and then get into the game:
Students are issued hand drums (or djembes, tubanos, orff instruments, rhythm sticks, whatever you wish!) and dynamics are shown on the screen. Sometimes just 4 dynamics, sometimes 6, and even up to 8. The teacher points to the dynamic (optional) as the kids play along on their instruments while the background music (included) helps them keep on beat! After the students master the dynamics, the teacher advances the slide and dynamic shifts get a little harder each time.
Halfway through the presentation are rests (indicated by blank white boxes) to get the kids to count the notes of silence in between.
Have a ball with this and let me know if you have any questions!
Three tracks at various tempi are included (slow for the little kids, and medium and fast for the bigger kids)
By Jason Litt
Working on melodic direction in your unit? Reinforce it with "Connect the Dots!", a mix and match game that challenges your students to put the melodies in the correct order as you hear them. After starting off with a brief introduction to writing a melody from Quaver Music (video included), you begin the lesson and discuss melodic motion -- melodies can go up, down, or stay the same. For the activity, there will be 10 musical examples (provided and labeled) which you will play for your students. Each example has 3 or 4 melody tiles which are out of order. After listening to the example, your students have to put the tiles in order to reflect what they hear on the example. The first slide of the series will have blank grey boxes, and the following slide will have the answer for the students to check. For my 3rd graders, I usually play them a few times, but for my 5th graders they get it right on the spot! There a few ways to have the students answer -- they can come to the whiteboard and us a dry erase to indicate, they can put labeled cards on the floor, or they can use personal whiteboards to draw on. Or you can have it boys vs. girls, and make it a timed race! Included are a powerpoint file (with special fonts and instructions for installation) and a standalone PDF in case you prefer that way. Have a great time with this, and feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or concerns!
By Jason Litt
The following up to the best-selling "Here comes the Boom!", is our new-look, updated format "Here comes the Boom AGAIN!" Each box contains a number of beats and the corresponding boomwhacker tubes that go along with beats (color-coded for your kids to view)! To the teacher’s discretion, students can play quarter notes, half notes, eighth note patterns, or simply create their own rhythms and improvise within the specific beat period. Teachers can also assign rhythms (quarter and eighth note patterns). After the measures are completed, move to the next box (from left to right, up to down) The best part about “Here Comes the Boom AGAIN” is the rocking background tracks! Custom songs the kids can rock out to (with moderate tempi, all under 120bpm), all following the chord progressions map on each song. You receive 5 custom songs in the package and each song has a faster counterpart (just in case you have advanced kids with lots of rhythm). All songs repeat once. In addition, you will receive the master PDF file along with directions a master chord progression chart (just in case you want to play along) If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com. Happy boomwhacking! Graphics by Jena Hudson: http://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Jena-Hudson-At-Sew-Much-Music/
By Jason Litt
If you're working on reading rhythms with your little ones, you may love this! This powerpoint pairs up barnyard animals with quarter and eighth note rhythms. Have them decipher it with syllables and attempt to align them with the rhythm, and then they students are left to decide which rhythm corresponds to the animal in question. You can play this as a class or print out as an activity. There are 13 beautifully crafted examples your kids will love!