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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
Reviewing the four families of instruments with your kids? This may be the game format you're looking for! An authentic jeopardy game board with categories for Brass, Percussion, Woodwinds, and Strings on the title slide. Students can elect to pick $200, $400, $600, $800, or $1000 answers. After clicking on the amount, the answer will appear on the next slide. A text answer will first be visible, but if you advance the animation, the instrument will enter the slide if your kids need a hint. Students (keeping in true Jeopardy! fashion) can answer in the form of a question "What is a Bassoon?" "What is a Trumpet?" "What is the Timpani?" After the money is awarded (You can split sides of your class, boys vs girls, class vs class, however you want it!), there is a link in the bottom right hand corner to go back to the title screen and game board. After extracting the ZIP file, make sure to install the Jeopardy! font included, or else you'll see random characters all over -- not good eats! Email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com or leave a comment if you have any questions. Happy Jeopardy...ing!
By Jason Litt
Oh, the kids and this game. Well, might as well learn something? I cut out construction paper squares of the following colors: Purple, Blue, Yellow, Grey, Red, Orange, and Pink A FORTNITE character (or characters) are shown on the screen along with different rhythms in different colored boxes. Which colored box of rhythms goes with the character on the screen? Line up the syllables and find out! I mix it up by putting students into teams of 2 and letting them work through the activity or you can have them play individually by themselves. Or maybe even a race to the board to see which one is right (all you have to do is advance the slide and the answer will appear!) There are 9 different examples of rhythms. The kids will LOVE seeing Fortnite up in your room (and don't worry, this is ALL family friendly, no mentions of violence or weapons in here) :) HAVE FUN!
By Jason Litt
Tracking your students, classes, and sections of your groups have never been easier with music tracking powerpoints! Included are 10 files, all different templates of tracking such as leaderboards for classes, boys vs girls charts, a thermometer powerpoint, and various high score templates All you need to do is plug and play -- put names, classes, however you wish and save it as a different file! If you need any creative ways to track student or class progress, feel free to email or leave a comment. I truly hope this visual aid brings some flare to your classrooms!
Stick it to the Rhythm - Part II!
By Jason Litt
In Stick it to the Rhythm, we used popsicle sticks to identify quarter and eighth note notation in our classrooms. What happened if we didn't give the kids a blank slate and they had to use eyes, ears, and minds? In this follow-up, "Stick it to the Rhythm Part II", students are instructed to put a number of sticks on the floor (6 to 12 'quarter notes') and will listen to a musical example made up of quarter and eighth notes. They are then to interpret that example and use the last sticks and place them where they think they heard the eighth notes... In essence, they are taking the quarter notes at the end of the phrase and making them into eighth notes by beaming the quarter notes together -- this will really get your kids thinking! There are 10 examples (all with an 8 beat count off to establish tempo) and the examples range from easy to difficult with the mp3 embedding into the file. Have a great time and let me know what you think in the comments :) As always, any questions or concerns, you know where to find me!
By Jason Litt
Aural Dictation has never been more colorful! Students will be given 3, 4 or 5 color coded rhythm examples on the board. Students will then listen to a 4, 6, or 8 beat example of music and try to identify which color has the rhythm they just heard. As the lesson goes on, it gets progressively harder adding in more beats and more cards to the mix. I typically like to play this by cutting out red, green, yellow, purple, and blue construction paper, giving the kids a stack, and have the kids sit on the floor and hold up the answer they think is correct. Sometimes for the 6th or 7th example, I let the kids hear it twice so they can double check their answer! All slides include the embedded sound file in it (with 8 beats of prep before the rhythm example) and you get 10 examples to illustrate for your kids Have a colorful time with this one!
Identifying Musical Parameters
By Jason Litt
A great end of the year (or maybe even beginning of the year!) assessment for some of your kids in the older grades, "Identify Musical Parameters" takes you through 11 musical elements (tempo, meter, dynamics, articulation, and tonality) that you typically discuss in class with the kids!
Students will hear a musical example of a parameter and will have to decide which element of music they heard with a multiple choice answer for each example given. You can do this as a class activity, boys vs girls, in groups, or however you wish!
Advance the slide to show the answer highlighted in green. Have a great time with this and let me know how it goes in the comments! ;)
The Elements of Pop! (*Distance Learning Approved!*)
By Jason Litt
Listening to Popular music isn’t just for enjoyment. It contains critical pieces of musical composition that makes it sound the way it does!
In "The Elements of Pop", students will be given 8 short examples of pop music (about 30-45 seconds long all mp3s included and embedded into the powerpoint) and will be see a multiple choice selection of elements that described the pop music being played
It's mostly broad terminology you teach in your music class: Rhythm, Tempo, Major/Minor, Instrumentation, Vocal ranges, etc!
This is great assessment to do as a class, individually, or even through distance learning! Have your cake and eat it too!
Pair this with the Identify Form in Popular Music series and you got yourself engaging lesson material!
Let us know how it is goes in the comments :)
The Elements of Pop! (*Distance Learning Approved!*)
By Jason Litt
Listening to Popular music isn’t just for enjoyment. It contains critical pieces of musical composition that makes it sound the way it does!
In "The Elements of Pop", students will be given 8 short examples of pop music (about 30-45 seconds long all mp3s included and embedded into the powerpoint) and will be see a multiple choice selection of elements that described the pop music being played
It's mostly broad terminology you teach in your music class: Rhythm, Tempo, Major/Minor, Instrumentation, Vocal ranges, etc!
This is great assessment to do as a class, individually, or even through distance learning! Have your cake and eat it too!
Pair this with the Identify Form in Popular Music series and you got yourself engaging lesson material!
Let us know how it is goes in the comments :)
Identifying Musical Parameters
By Jason Litt
A great end of the year (or maybe even beginning of the year!) assessment for some of your kids in the older grades, "Identify Musical Parameters" takes you through 11 musical elements (tempo, meter, dynamics, articulation, and tonality) that you typically discuss in class with the kids!
Students will hear a musical example of a parameter and will have to decide which element of music they heard with a multiple choice answer for each example given. You can do this as a class activity, boys vs girls, in groups, or however you wish!
Advance the slide to show the answer highlighted in green. Have a great time with this and let me know how it goes in the comments! ;)
Measure Up! (* Distance Learning Approved! *)
By Jason Litt
Understanding notation duration and how they fit mathematically into bars of music is one of the fundamental learning goals of upper elementary students!
With Measure Up! Students will see a measure of music… but… it is incomplete! They will then Choose the correct notation from one of the boxes to complete the measure. Students can use the powerpoint in design mode to click and drag it, draw a path for their specific box to the open box, or write it in!
Can also be used for Distance Learning as well!
15 examples with quarter notes and rests, half notes and rests, whole notes and rests, eighth notes and rests, 4 sixteenth notes and 2/4, 3/4, 5/4, 4/4, and a bonus 6/8 example at the end!
Come to Terms, Musical Terminology (* Distance Learning Approved! *)
By Jason Litt
Working on terms with some of your older kids who have been in elementary music for a few years? With "Come to Terms", students will see a definition of a term on the powerpoint and will have to drag one multiple choice term of which they think matches the definition. Advance the slide to reveal the correct answer!
In the 30 slide presentation, the 15 terms identified are:
Forte
Presto
**Largo
Crescendo
Accelerando
Fermata
Legato
Tempo
Staccato
Sostenuto
Triplet
Melody
Flat
Sharp
Diminuendo
**
Major Problem, Minor Adjustment (Identifying Major & Minor chord quality)
By Jason Litt
Chord quality galore! Help your kids understand to identify Major and Minor chords in "Major Problem, Minor Adjustment"!
Students will hear 3 to 4 chords back-to-back and have to select the chord (represented by a box from left to right) they think is "minor" or "major" as indicated by the slide
Advance the slide to discover the answer!
There are 8 questions and answers in this series
Common Sense (Identifying Errors in Common Meter)
By Jason Litt
"4 beats in a measure with the quarter note getting the beat", the time old concept we ingrain in our students' mind! Assess your students by letting them identify inaccuracies in a measure of music with "Common Sense"
Students will view examples of a measure of Common Time (4/4) and find the measure that has too many or not enough beats to equal common time!
After the students select the correct measure, advance the slide to find out the answer. You can then trigger a discussion of what made it inaccurate (too many beats, not enough beats, etc)
The latter half of the lesson shows you one measure of music with a [ ? ] box. Students will have to select (from a multiple choice selection of answers) which answer would best fit in the box to complete a measure of 4/4
Off the Beat! (Rhythm reading with offbeats)
By Jason Litt
Getting into advanced rhythms with your kids, try to ace these rhythm examples of Off the Beat!
In this presentation, there are 30 3, 4, 5, and 6 beat rhythms to challenge your kids on the "and" counts. Have your students play this on percussion instruments (such as tubanos, StickStations, boomwhackers, rhythm sticks, or anythign that will produce music!)
The 21st example splits into an "A" section and a "B" sections where you can split your class (boys and girls, side 1 side 2, etc) to perform a 2-part rhythm. You can even experiment around with the last slides and play the on barred instruments on difference pitches (C and E for the "A" section and G and C for the "B" section) to create polyrhythmic harmony
Included are 5 percussive grooves to play as a background supplement (all at various tempi)
Sweet 16 (Identifying 16th notes)
By Jason Litt
After you've discussed Quarter and Eighth note pairs with your kids, you naturally move onto 16th notes and discuss how the the subdivision breaks down from there.
This lesson, Sweet 16 focuses on students identifying where sixteenth notes are a musical example. Students will listen to 10 examples and write out (either with a whiteboard, printed cards, or other method) what notation they hear. In the examples, there will be quarter notes, eighth notes, and groups of 4 sixteenths.
Each example gets a bit harder! You can play the audio as many times as necessary so the kids master the skill.
Have a great time with this!
By Jason Litt
This one will get the kids on their edge of their seats!
You will need 1 thing for this particular game:
The students will see a rhythm at the bottom of their screen and memorize the rhythm or say it back in their head (just make sure the rhythm is not spoken out loud). They will then hear a musical example of an endless loop of rhythms separated by 4 beats each in between rhythms. (Teacher will click the speaker icon to play)
Take a listen...
....
....
One of the rhythms will be the rhythm that is on the screen. AS SOON AS THEY HEAR THAT RHYTHM, they throw their suction cup ball at the target. The first kid who gets it correct is the winner (and make sure you advance the slide to make the target turn green) :)
Obviously, we cannot play this as a class because of
The amount of suction cup balls tossed at the screen would be insane
Boys vs Girls would be a bit more competitive and only two balls would be launched at once
If you don't have a whiteboard/projection screen, you can alternatively have the students raise their hand when they hear it and choose the kid who has their hand up the fastest.
Quarter Notes, Eighth Note pairs, and Quarter Rests are covered in this lesson.
Have a great time with this fast paced game!
By Jason Litt
Reviewing the Percussion chapter with your kids and have discussed unpitched instruments? Pitched instruments and the accessory effects and how to play?
Try this interactive powerpoint that's full of fun with Percussion Jeopardy!
All new categories, all new answers! An authentic jeopardy game board with categories for:
Pitched Percussion
Unpitched Percussion
Percussion FX
Percussion Techniques (How to Play)
Students can elect to pick $200, $400, $600, $800, or $1000 answers. After clicking on the amount, the answer will appear on the next slide. Students (keeping in true Jeopardy! fashion) can answer in the form of a question
"What are Timpani Drums?"
"What are mallets?"
"What is a Piano"
After the money is awarded (You can split sides of your class, boys vs girls, class vs class, however you want it!), there is a link in the bottom right hand corner to go back to the title screen and game board.
After extracting the ZIP file, make sure to install the Jeopardy! font included, or else you'll see random characters all over -- not good eats!
Email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com or leave a comment if you have any questions. Happy Jeopardy...ing!
By Jason Litt
The follow-up to "Rhythm Wind Up and PITCH!"
______________________________________
This one will get the kids on their edge of their seats!
You will need 1 thing for this particular game:
The students will see a melody at the bottom of their screen and memorize the melodic direction or say it back in their head (just make sure the melodic is not sung out loud). They will then hear a musical example of an endless loop of melodic figures separated by 4 beats each in between rhythms. (Teacher will click the speaker icon to play)
Take a listen...
....
....
One of the melodic figures will be the melody that is on the screen. AS SOON AS THEY HEAR THAT MELODY, they throw their suction cup ball at the target. The first kid who gets it correct is the winner (and make sure you advance the slide to make the target turn green) :)
Obviously, we cannot play this as a class because of
The amount of suction cup balls tossed at the screen would be insane
Team A v Team B would be a bit more competitive and only two balls would be launched at once
If you don't have a whiteboard/projection screen, you can alternatively have the students raise their hand when they hear it and choose the kid who has their hand up the fastest.
Have a great time with this fast paced game!
Brass with Class! (Identifying order of Brass instruments)
By Jason Litt
Focusing on the timbres of the Trumpet, Trombone, Horn, and Tuba? Try "Brass with Class" on and let your kids zero in on differentiation between each... and more!
In "Brass with Class!" will hear the brass instruments in all sorts of orders (immediately following each other's segment) and their goal is to put them in order they hear them. Students will get a brief review in the beginning by playing the examples of a Trumpet, Trombone, Horn, or Tuba.
After reviewing the timbres, go onto the game where the options will be shown at the top and blank spots at the bottom for the instruments to go. Students can either have printed cards with the instruments, write it in on the whiteboard, call it out, or however you wish! I like to do the printed cards on the floor so the students can line them up and I can assess from the top.
Included are
Have some class -- Brass with Class!