We Sing, You Play, They Move: Active Music Making in Large Elementary Classes

Brackney will share activities using teacher choice of Orff instruments, Boomwhackers, hand chimes, and unpitched percussion combined with singing, recorder, and movement in kid-tested activities for 2nd-5th grade. She will use them to teach music reading, chords, simple composition, ostinato and accompaniment. The session will provide fresh ideas for students to make their own music and accompany their own singing, with modifications for special learners added.

For those with large classes, these activities show ways to keep everyone involved simultaneously, i.e. we play, you sing, they move, and we are ALL making music, even when there are only enough instruments for a few. Most of these activities could also translate to a performance without requiring students to have individual scores.