In this section, we’re including some fun games that can be done with no touching or singing in spaced/distanced classes.
Sevens
Can you keep a steady beat?
Categories
Name Game. (Get to know you game for younger students)
Heads or Tails
Scooby Finds the Beat
Bim Bam
Cup Game
1. 2 3 4. 5 6 7
1st time: pat pat pat pat pat pat pat 2x
2nd time: pat clap pat clap pat clap pat 2x
3rd time: pat clap snap pat clap snap clap. 2x
4th time: pat cross pat clap snap clap pat 2x
3rd time: pat clap snap pat clap snap clap. 2x
2nd time: pat clap pat clap pat clap pat 2x
1st time: pat pat pat pat pat pat pat 2x
When you get good, sing a nursery rhythm doing the pattern.
Artie Almeida does an activity with this on drums
Sevens Tutorial with Jazzy Ash.
This is a very well done tutorial of the sevens game.
Play Sevens with Viennese Musical Clock
Stephanie Menefee made this video to share with her students and all of our Musicplay students and teachers.
Watch for one place where pattern changes ---- and have fun!
Can you keep a steady beat?
Have your students make a circle a safe distance apart.
Each student will in turn say one beat of the words, "Can you keep a steady beat?"
The 8th student will tap shoulders indicating a rest.
student 1: Can
student 2: you
student 3: keep
student 4: a
student 5: stea -
student 6: dy
student 7: beat
student 8: tap shoulders
All stand and start the pattern.
If any students misses saying the word on their beat, they go out and sit down.
Continue until there is one left.
Challenge 1: replace a word with body percussion. For example, stamp on the word "keep" instead of saying it.
Go faster.
Change direction.
Categories is in Musicplay 4, and can be used (when singing is allowed) for teaching so-mi.
The leader sings or says the song, accompanying it with this ostinato: pat pat clap clap (younger version) or pat pat snap snap (upper elementary)
The leader chooses a category: colors, sports, cars, chocolate bars, cities, countries, composers, instruments, names of songs, etc.
Each student in turn says one thing from that category.
No repeats are allowed. If there's a repeat it's an "out" and the game starts over with a new category.
Listen to the song "Categories"
The note highlights show how the notes go higher and lower.
When you get to the solfa part, hand sign the so and mi and "think" the sound in your head.
Watch the demo of how "Categories" is played
Concentration Circle Game
In this game, seat your students in a circle, safely distranced.
Decide on a direction - clockwise(to leaders left) or counter-clockwise. (to leaders right.)
Everyone pats the beat: pat pat palm-up palm-up
Leader goes pat-pat then says their name (with palm-up palm-up)
All go pat - pat, then the student to the rightsays their name (with palm-up palm-up)
Continue without pausing (we hope!) until you get back to the leader.
Variations - say your favorite color
- say your favorite sport
- say your favorite Halloween treat
In this game, the teacher rolls a dice.
The dice has 2-3 quarter notes, 2-3 pairs of 8th notes, and 1 rest.
Players have to predict or guess what the dice will roll.
If they think it will be a quarter note (ta) they put their hands on their head.
If they think it will be a pair of 8th notes (ti-ti) they put their hands on their bottoms.
The teacher rolls the dice. Those students who guessed correctly stay in the game.
Those who were wrong, sit down.
If you roll a rest, everyone is back in the game.
If you keep track of the notes you've rolled, you could create and perform the rhythm.
Scooby Finds the Beat
In this game, choose one student to be "Scooby." This student hides their eyes.
Choose another student to be the beat leader. The beat leader can keep a beat by clapping, patting, tapping or stamping - or any movement they choose. The beat leader will change the way they keep the beat without "Scooby" figuring out who is leading.
Give "Scooby" a minute to watch all the students keeping the beat, then guess who was the leader.
Give "Scooby" three guesses.
Choose a new "Scooby" and a new leader.
Bim Bam clap game
In normal times, this would be a clap game with a partner.
To adapt for distanced classrooms, the teacher is the partner with everyone.
You do the pattern, but do it alone - not with a partner.
Read the words. The way the game will be played is:
Bim - clap own hands
Bam - clap partners hands ( so just motion hands ahead)
Biribiri - pat 4x on thights
Watch the kids demo of "Bim Bam"
When you play in a distanced or spaced classroom, the teacher will be the partner of everyone in the room.
(The students will do the clap pattern, but won't do it with a partner)
Cup Game with Backporch Blues
The music for this game is in two sections: A and B.
A section: Teach this pattern on the cups
clap clap ti-ti ta, clap pickup pass.
(except in distanced classes, we're not passing, so clap-pickup-set down)
The music is in a swing style, so swing the 8th notes.
Do the whole song with that pattern.
Then, invite students to create new cup patterns, and try out their cup patterns on the B section.
Try your new patterns with the music
You can do cup games with any piece of music that's in 4/4 meter with regular phrases.
Try some of the cup games in Listen 3-4-5!
