2. Beat/Pulse
Musical Terms
This is the underlying beat of the music to help keep in time.
Rhythm
Combinations of long and short sounds and silences to
create a pattern and show movement.
Tempo
Duration
Pitch
Melody
The speed of the music.
The length of a sound or value of a note.
How high or low a sound is.
A sequence of notes played to different rhythms.
How loud or soft a sound is.
Dynamics
3. It is quite widely known that music and arts education assists children in their
development and often leads to higher test scores. Test scores aside, giving
children the opportunity to experience and participate in The Arts provides them
with a more rounded, meaningful education.
Benefits of Arts Education
• Language and communication skills
(especially in younger children)
• Cognitive development
• Rational thinking – reasoning,
interpretive skills, critical thinking
• Memory
• Confidence and self-esteem
• Listening/auditory skills
• Concentration
• Maths skills
• Creativity/self expression
• Stress relief/personal wellbeing
• Emotional development
• Social skills
• Discipline
• Teamwork skills
• Coordination/motor skills
• Divergent thinking – using both the left
and right sides of the brain
• Spatial temporal skills - visualising
various elements that should go together
4. Ages: Year 1+
Hip Hop Game Ages: Year 1+
A call and response game
Stand in a circle and respond to the
leader in rhythm as follows:
Develops:
Leader Response
*Clap* hands *Click* fingers
*Click* *Clap* hands
“Hip”
(swing hip to
side)
“Hop”
(hop on the spot)
“Bon” “Fire”
“Fire” “Exit”
“Dog” “Woof”
“Duck”
(hands above
head)
“Quack”
(wings action)
“Soldier” “Attention”
(salute)
Leader Response
“Roller”
(roll arms forward)
“Coaster”
(arms in air)
“Disco” “Fever”
(hand on hip then hand in air
disco move)
“Gingerbread” “Come in my pretties”
(witchy voices, fingers
summoning towards)
“Banana” “Split”
“Crocodile” “Snap”
(hands snap like croc jaws)
“Aussie” “Oi”
“Hi ho silver” “Sssshhh”
(fingers on lips)
“Call the cops” “Leg it”
(everyone changes place)
Memory
Concentration
Timing
Motor skills
Improvisation
Listening
5. A movement game Ages: Foundation - 2
Musical Movements Develops:
Memory
Concentration
Rhythmic skills
Inner beat/timing
Listening/aural skills
Help children to understand rhythm and
different note values by assigning movements
to each note that match the length of the
note. A great way for young children to feel
the music before learning to read, write and
play music.
Crotchet (ta) = walking
Quavers (ti-ti) = jogging on the spot
Minim (to-o) = sliding feet along the ground
for 2 beats
Rests (za) = stop/freeze
You can play music on the piano with these
different rhythms so children can hear and
feel the rhythms and move to them. When you
stop playing, ask the students to freeze.
If you don't have a piano, you can tap the
rhythms with claves or a guiro.
Notation Rhythm
Syllable
Note length Musical
name
ta 1 sound on
the beat
crotchet
ti-ti 2 even sounds
over one beat
(½ beat each)
quavers
to-o Long sound
over 2 beats
minim
za 1 beat of
silence
crotchet
rest
6. An echo clapping game Ages: Year 2+
Start with a simple poison rhythm
Poison Rhythm Develops:
Concentration
Inner beat/timing
Listening/aural skills
Spatial awareness
Motor skills
Give students a ‘poison’ rhythm
• Clap the rhythm for them a couple of times
• Say the rhythm syllables (if needed) to help them learn
• Write the rhythm on the whiteboard (if necessary) until
they understand the game
Teacher claps different rhythms and students echo clap.
If the teacher claps the poison rhythm, students do not clap it back!
Then build up to more difficult rhythms
ta ta ti - ti ta
ta ta
ti - ti
ti-ka ti-ka
7. A circle game Ages: Year 3+
Start with a simple poison rhythm
Zip Zap Zop Develops:
Memory
Concentration
Timing
Listening/aural skills
Motor skills
Quick thinking
Standing in a circle, choose a person to start. This person chooses
the direction the game will start going around the circle. He or she
points to the person next to them and says “zip”. The next person
has to continue in that direction and say “zap”. The next person has
to “zop” across the circle to another person. The “zop” must skip at
least one person and can’t go to the person next to you. The person
who receives the “zop” then starts again at “zip” and decides which
way to send it – left or right around the circle.
Then build up to more difficult rhythms
The sequence is always “zip, zap, zop”. If someone confuses the
order and says the wrong word, then they are out. If someone does
not “zop” properly across the circle and passes to the person next
to them, then they are out.
8. Ages: Year 3+
Start with a simple poison rhythm
Zip Zap Zop
Then build up to more difficult rhythms
Develops:
Memory
Concentration
Timing
Listening/aural skills
Motor skills
Quick thinking
9. A circle game – a bit like Zip Zap Zop Ages: Year 4+
Start with a simple poison rhythm
Zoof Develops:
Memory
Concentration
Timing
Listening/aural skills
Motor skills
Quick thinking
Send the “zoof” quickly around the circle by pointing with two hands
to the next person and saying “zoof”. Whoever starts decides which
way to send the “zoof” around - left or right.
When you receive the “zoof”, you have to keep going in the same
direction and “zoof” to the next person. Or, you can cross your arms
in front of you and say “block” to send it back to the person who
sent it to you. They then have to turn and send the “zoof” back in
that direction.
You cannot “block” a “block”. If you get stuck in between two
people who are saying “block”, then you have to “shazam” out. You
do this by pointing your hands at someone across the circle,
stamping your foot and saying “shazam”. You cannot “shazam” the
people next to you, and you cannot block a “shazam”. Make sure
your eye contact and body language show who you are sending
your “shazam” to. The person who receives a “shazam” can decide
which way to “zoof” next – left or right.
10. Ages: Year 4+
Start with a simple poison rhythm
Zoof Develops:
Memory
Concentration
Timing
Listening/aural skills
Motor skills
Quick thinking
Then build up to more difficult rhythms
11. A circle game Ages: Year 4+
Alphabet About Me Develops:
Language skills
Concentration
Inner beat/timing
Listening/aural skills
Cognitive skills
This is a quick thinking game!
Sitting in a circle, students need to keep the beat on their legs at
a steady tempo (speed) - not too fast or it will be very difficult.
The first person in the circle starts with the letter A. The next
person says B, and then C, and so forth. Each person needs to
think of words beginning with his or her letter to fit the lyrics:
EXAMPLE:
My name is Anna.
My friend’s name is Aaron.
We sell accordions
and we live in Alaska.
My name is…
My friend’s name is…
We sell…
and we live in…
12. A circle counting game Ages: Year 6+
Matthew, Mark, Luke & John Develops:
Concentration
Inner beat/timing
Listening/aural skills
Cognitive skills
Memory
Counting
Sit on chairs in a circle. The first four students are given the
names Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Number the remaining
students starting at one, until all students have been given either
a name or a number. Then create a steady beat – all students
keep the beat by tapping their toes and feet. The teacher can
click sticks to help as well, if needed.
“Matthew” starts the game and says “Matthew to two” (for
example). Then the person who is number two may say “two to
John”, then John may say “John to twelve”, then twelve may say
“twelve to one” etc. If someone gets out of time and does not
keep the rhythm of speaking and misses a beat, then they are out
and have to move places to sit at the end chair in the circle (the
highest number). When this happens everyone stands and moves
up a number. The names and numbers stay with the chairs so if
you move to a different chair, you change to that number or
name. The beat can be sped up to make it more difficult.
A tricky game to remember what number you are and work out
the number you are when you move! The bigger the group, the
harder it is!
13. A call and response rhythm and counting game Ages: Year 4+
Give Me One Develops:
Concentration
Inner beat/timing
Listening/aural skills
Cognitive skills
Memory
Counting
The teacher calls the number to signify how many taps/claps.
There is a pattern, but students need to always be counting.
You can keep going with "give me five" and so on to see if the class can understand the pattern.
Give me 1 = pat knees once, *clap*
Give me 2 = pat knees twice, *clap*, pat knees twice
Give me 3 = pat knees three times, *clap*, pat knees three times, *clap*, pat knees three times
Give me 4 = pat knees four times, *clap*, pat knees four times, *clap*, pat knees four times, *clap*,
pat knees four times
14. Attention Grabbers Develops:
Concentration
Focus
Listening
Memory
Shark
Teacher says “shark!”
Students respond “do do, do do, do do” (the theme in ‘Jaws’) with actions.
On the first “do, do”, students place one hand above their heads, like a shark fin.
On the second “do, do”, students add the other hand above their heads.
On the third “do, do”, students cross their arms, ready to listen.
Snake
Teacher says “snake!”
Students make a hissing sound and wiggle arms in front of them like a snake.
Then students cross their arms, ready to listen.
1, 2, 3, 4
Assign four different places in the classroom a number. For example, whiteboard = 1,
window = 2, clock = 3, door = 4.
When the teacher says a number, the class stops and looks at the corresponding place.
Mix it up to get the class focused and end on 1 (or where the teacher is).
Fun ways to get the focus of the class back to the teacher.
Ages: Prep +
15. Useful Twinkl Music Resources
Music Elements Flashcards
Music Note Values Display Posters
Rhythm Notation Tree Chart
Tempo Display Poster
Dynamics Display Poster
Music Classroom Setup Pack
16. Useful Twinkl Music Activities
Music Challenge Cards
Rhythm and Pulse Lesson
Body Percussion PowerPoint
17. Useful Twinkl Drama Activities
Mime Challenge Cards
Say it Another Way Drama
Activity
Character Walk Drama Game
One-Line Improvisation Drama
Game
Human Object
18. Further Reading: Music Pedagogy
Dalcroze Eurythmics
• Approach to music education by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze.
• "Eurhythmics" literally means “good rhythm”.
• Bases hearing and feeling as primary sources for learning.
• Believes that sensory experience is extremely important and assists in the development of
attentiveness and concentration.
• Dalcroze classes engage the whole body in the physical exploration of musical rhythm,
melody, harmony and form, through movement and gestures.
Sources:
http://www.dalcroze.org.au/
http://www.dalcroze.com
19. Further Reading: Music Pedagogy
Kodály Eurythmics
• The Kodály philosophy is a system of music education that has evolved from the
inspiration and creativity of the composer Zoltán Kodály.
• He believed the voice is the centre of everything musical, so singing plays a big role in his
system.
• Children hear first, then sing, then understand, then read and write, and then create.
• The method uses hand signs, solfege, folk songs and dance.
Sources:
KMEIA - http://www.kodaly.org.au/
20. Further Reading: Music Pedagogy
The Orff Approach
• Strong belief that a person needs to experience first and then intellectualise.
• Philosophy encourages children to experience music at their own level of understanding
and learning in their natural environment of play.
• Builds understanding of concepts through experience with speech/chants, movement,
singing, drama, and by playing pitched and unpitched instruments.
• “Tell me, I forget… Show me, I remember… Involve me, I understand."
Sources:
Music Australia
