Scratch: The Mitten & The Cold Lady

    

The challenges of distance learning have led me down a deep rabbit hole to learn how to code. I have been using Scratch to create interactive music experiences where students can play virtual instruments. If you missed my first post on Scratch, click this link. 

My latest projects involve books-There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow (Lucille Colandro) and The Mitten (Jan Brett). Both these stories are additive, starting with one character/item and adding on more and more as the story progresses. Additive stories are great to turn into sound stories adding musical sounds to represent the characters/items. This helps students focus on listening to the music and learning how to keep their instrument quiet when it is not their turn.

While teaching virtually, these lessons would be impossible without the help of virtual instruments. I used Scratch to code the games. I recorded myself reading and singing the story. This will begin when they click the play button. When they click the pictures of the items/animals, the image will change to an instrument and play that instrument sound. The images of the animals for The Mitten were taken from the free mask printables provided by the author Jan Brett.

I hope you and your students can enjoy these Scratch games. Again, you do not need a login to access Scratch. It is completely free. Simply share the link and they will have access to the game. 

The Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow

The Mitten

Click for more Scratch games created by me.

Music Educators Coding With Scratch

Coding. Did I ever think I would be teaching myself how to code? Nope. But, here I am jumping down the rabbit hole. Who knew it would be something that would expand my skills as a music educator?

I elected to be a cloud teacher for the district through December. I am the sole elementary music educator for 1400 cloud students. So, all of my teaching must be delivered asynchronously. With this large amount of students, creating instrument kits was out of the question. So, I started searching the web for interactive music instruments to include in my virtual classroom. That is when I discovered Scratch.

Scratch is a website where anyone can program interactive games, stories, and animations. This is completely free and you do not have to log on to access the games. I first found interactive instruments that were created by others.  I featured them in my Virtual Classroom. You may click the image below to visit and take a peek.

I started including these instruments in lessons. I provided a link for the students to go to the virtual xylophone and try to play a song using their number keys. That seemed to be successful, but I wanted the students to be able to see the notation of the song and also play along to a track. So, I learned how to remix a Scratch project.

Scratch is also an interactive community where you can view projects created by others and also remix them. Remixing is a process of using someone else's project as a starting point and altering things to make a new project. For my first remix, I used a xylophone created by another user and added a new background and playing track. I have embedded it below. Click the space bar to begin the audio track. You can use the numbers or the letters to play the pitches, but it is easiest to use the numbers since they are in chromatic order. Our kindergarten through 2nd grade have touch screen Chromebooks. They would be able to touch the bars to play. The touch aspect would also work well on tablets or iPads.

After I got a taste of remixing, I had to learn more. My next projects used a guitar and strumming chord patterns. I used "Monster Mash" to get students in the mood for Halloween. For those students who do not celebrate, I offered an alternative-"Don't Worry Be Happy".  I learned how to animate using motion. The bat and bird fly over the correct chords. The characters also have speech bubbles which tell the strumming patterns and the upcoming chord. Both projects are embedded below. Click the green flags to begin. You can use your letter keys to strum the chords or you could click the letters with your mouse or touch screen.

 

For the next project, I decided to combine the two options to play harmony and melody. I used the song "Skin and Bones". Students can play the Dm chord by clicking the guitar or using their space bar. The glockenspiel can be used to play the "Oo-Oo-Oo-Ooo" phrase. They can click the bars or use the number keys. Click the green flag to begin the audio track.

I'm sure I'm not done creating Scratch projects. I'll try to keep you updated. If you click the link below, you can view all the projects I have created in Scratch.

Music With Mrs. Dennis on Scratch

If you are interested in learning how to code with Scratch, you can follow these Facebook Groups.

Teaching With Scratch

Scratch For Music Educators

Nontraditional Music Instruction: Environmental Percussion

My district is starting Nontraditional Instruction starting Monday due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Teachers will be asked to report to school everyday, but students will remain home. I will be sharing any materials I create for assignments for free and will be available to answer any questions you also have.

Here is the basics of how this process will work. We surveyed families to find out who has internet access and devices at home. Families without internet or devices will be given paper assignments. Those papers will be shuttled by bus drivers, who will also be delivering breakfasts and lunches to families who qualified for free and reduced lunch. Teachers will report to work as usual. We will be working on new assignments and making daily contact with families offering assistance and checking in to see what work has been completed. Special area teachers will not have to contact every family. We will be assisting homeroom teachers that have the most students.

My special area team has agreed that each day, all grade levels will be given an assignment in only one special. It will be easier for families with multiple children of varying ages to work together on the same type of assignment.

Here is a sample of the first assignment I am sending home. I am sharing this via Google and it will force you to make a copy. You will be free to edit without to suit your needs without changing the original. I will share more assignments and information as this rolls out and we are learning more about this process.

Download an Editable Google File

Mallet Wrapping Update

Four years ago, I searched YouTube for tutorials on mallet wrapping. Here is my first post on that journey.

Below is a picture of  mallets that I rewrapped four years, They are starting to fray. 

I also have several pairs that were still factory-wrapped that are in rough shape.

I spent the weekend rewrapping over 17 pairs of mallets and I have made a tutorial video for you. I hope you will be brave and attempt to save some of your old tattered mallets. If you have any questions after watching the video, I'd be glad to answer them.  Happy wrapping!

Instrument Repair: Recorder Block

In my 14 years teaching, I’ve always used Yamaha 3-piece recorder and I’ve never had a recorder sound block fall out... until now! This student tried to fix it himself and got the block misaligned and stuck. In the video below, I show how I attempted to remove the block safely so I could fix it properly.  

Have you ever had a sound block fall out of a recorder? This was my first and it certainly challenged me to think outside the box. If you do not already have an arsenal of tools in your classroom, you should consider getting a multi-tool and a quick change screwdriver like the ones I used in the video. I am often needing them to repair something quickly and I am glad I don't have to wait to borrow tools from the custodian. I bought these tools very cheap at Walmart during my first year teaching and they were a great investment. Links to similar products can be found below.

Multi-tool

This is usually found in the sporting goods section with camping or fishing gear. You can get one similar to the one I have for about $10. Here is a link to purchase.

Quick Change Screwdriver

This can be found in the hardware section. You can get one similar for around $5 or $6. Here is a link to purchase.

Instrument Family Races

Need an engaging activity to reinforce the instrument families? Need an emergency sub plan that can be used by a non-music sub? You should try this new resource--Instrument Family Races.
This resource includes 24 instrument cards, 2 game versions, and a video demo. You only need to provide 4 or 8 hula hoops.

I divide the class into 2 groups. Each team has 4 hula hoops to represent the 4 instrument families (string, woodwind, brass, percussion). The hoops will be on one side of the room. One student from each team will stand on the opposite side of the room from the hoops.

The teacher will have 2 stacks of instrument cards which are in identical orders. The teacher will draw the top card from each stack and reveal it to the players. Each player will grab their card and race to place it into the correct hula hoop family. The game will continue rotating new teammates each turn.

When all the cards have disappeared, you can play in reverse. The teacher will call out an instrument and the players will race to find the correct card and bring it back to the teacher. This will get the instrument cards back into two identical stacks ready for the next class to play the game.

This game is very engaging and can easily be managed by a non-music substitute teacher. I recently left this game with a sub along with this demo video and she had no trouble understanding the rules and procedures. Here is my demo video:

This game is available for download on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. 

Just follow this link:

Download Now

Instrument Petting Zoo

This year I decided to try an instrument petting zoo for Back-to-School night. It was a great hit and I plan to do it again for our conference night.

I borrowed some hula hoops from the gym teacher (in rainbow colors, of course) and arranged them in a circle on my carpet. I placed a variety of instruments in the hoops. The first picture below shows common instruments that I set up for the kindergarten orientation. I chose a lollipop drum, maracas, cowbell, woodblocks, guiro, and triangle. For grades 1-5, I decided to pull out instruments the students don't get to play as often. I chose a ukulele, thunder tube, tubano, Boomwhacker xylophone, suspended cymbal, and temple blocks.

I invited the students to stand beside a hula hoop on the outside of the circle. When they heard the bell tree, they could play their instrument. When they heard the gong, they had to stop and place their instrument back in the hoop. When they heard a glissando on the xylophone, they would rotate to the next hoop. Placing them in hoops helped establish boundaries so the instruments were protected during transition time. Everyone that stopped by loved the petting zoo. It was a great chance for them to explore, but also practice their listening skills.

Before my next zoo exhibit, I have upgraded my visuals. I have created a slideshow to display with easy visual instructions. I hope this saves me from explaining the rules to each new visitor. I also created some paper signs to hang on the instruments to represent "play", "stop", and "walk". I have also created signs to hang around the school to invite students to visit the petting zoo.

If you are interested in displaying an instrument petting zoo, you may find my resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. There is a zipped file with the slideshow and printable signs. Enjoy!

Click To Download

Hand Drum Labels

I am very fortune to have several sets of hand drums. They come in sets with 5 different sizes that nest together. As I have acquired more drums, I realized I needed an easy system to group the drums back in their families.

I have one set of hand drums from Periopole which are color coded by size. I liked this system and thought for one moment what it would take to paint the drums. But, I opted for color-coded labels. Each size is assigned a color and number.

8" drum = #1 Purple

10" drum = #2 Blue

12" drum = #3 Green

14" drum = #4 Yellow

16" drum = #5 Red

Each family was assigned a letter which precedes the number. So, a drum labeled D3 would be a 12" drum with a green label and nest with the other D drums.

The labels are printed on standard mailing labels measuring 1" by 2 5/8". I borrowed some clear book tape from my librarian to add an extra layer of protection from peeling.

I'm very happy with this project and the kids were excited to see the fancy labels. No one has dared try to peel the tape off yet! They saw my face and knew I was serious about losing their drum if I saw them destroying my new labels! If you would like to use these labels in your classroom, I have the file uploaded to my Teachers Pay Teachers store. The link is below. Happy drumming!

Download Hand Drum Labels

DIY Double Decker Gong Stand

My school started back last week. SUMMER IS OVER!!! Boo boo. I didn't change my music room set-up much, but I would like to unveil my new double-decker gong stand! I have a small gong and a large Thundersheet (purchased many years before I was here when textbook funds still existed and could be used for musical instruments). When I found them, they had no stands. The gong didn't even have a string. I added a shoestring to the gong and used an old chart rack to hang them.  I would swap them out when I needed them, but that was a pain. I ended up leaving the Thundersheet on the chart rack and holding the gong by hand. The chart rack was also very wobbly. I attempted to stabilize the rings by slicing sections of garden hose to wrap around the top bar. This helped prevent the instruments from sliding left or right and falling to the ground. But, I still had to hold the rack or step on it to make sure it didn't fall over after a forceful hit. With this set-up, they weren't used very often.

Last spring, a teacher was trashing some pieces of PVC and I rescued them from the garbage before they were taken to the dumpster. I believe the pieces were left by a previous teacher and used as a backdrop for a photo booth. I only had to purchase 2 more T connector joints for less than $3 to create this new double decker stand to hang both the gong and Thundersheet. Now that they are readily accessible, I'm certain I will find more ways to utilize them in lessons.

The pipes were 1 inch diameter (Measuring the opening of the pipe). I'm not sure how much this project would cost if you were to purchase all the materials yourself, but I'm certain it is much cheaper than any gong stand currently on the market. If you are not inclined to attempt this yourself, I'm sure you could ask for a parent volunteer to offer their skills. If you have any more questions about this project, I'd be happy to answer them! 

Orff Organization

I have had my Orff instruments labeled for many years, but students are often confused with the names. If I ask for alto xylophones to raise their hands, alto metallophones often raise their hands as well. They see the first word "alto" is the same and don't bother reading the second word. Kids are lazy! I am tired of correcting this mistake, so I made some new labels to help prevent confusion and to integrate some color theory! (I am also responsible for teaching visual art.)

I have created labels that are color-coded. All instruments with wooden bars are assigned a warm color (red, orange, yellow, or pink). All instruments with metal bars are assigned a cool color (blues, greens, and purples). Now, when asking for certain instruments or groups, I can call out a specific color or a color family. There are large labels that I placed on the front of the instruments and smaller labels that are on the edge of the instruments near the mallet holes.

I also created a chart to show our entire instrumentarium from highest to lowest pitch. You see the soprano metallophone and soprano xylophone posters side-by-side because they have the same range of pitches. The alto and bass xylophones and metallophones are also at the same levels. (We do not yet have a bass metallophone, but I put it on the chart anyway because I have high hopes to acquire one soon!) The posters feature a picture of the instrument, the type of bars it has, and the relative pitch level.

Before we move from the carpet to the instruments, I always review our procedures to keep the students and instruments safe. I also review proper playing technique. I decided to create posters of these rules to help our visual learners. There are 6 rules: 1) Step Around, 2) Lift With 2 Hands, 3) Aim For the Center, 4) Alternate, 5) Bounce Your Mallets, 6) Wait For the Teacher.

My students recognized the new labels and posters right away and they seem to be a great reference during class. If you think these labels will help your students as well, you may find them on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Click To Download

Bargain Hunt!!!

I am slightly obsessed with a store that opened in our area just last year. It is called Bargain Hunt. If you are fortunate to have one in your area, I suggest you check it out! Bargain Hunt is a store that sells items that are over-stock, returned, slightly damaged, or close-outs. It has a large variety of merchandise and you never know what you'll find when you walk into a Bargain Hunt.

The best part about Bargain Hunt is the pricing! All items are dated on their price tag. After they have been on the shelf for 30 days, they are discounted 10%. Each additional 10 days, they are marked down another 10%. Here is an example of their discount. 

I have purchased items from Bargain Huunt that have been 80% off!

I often enter Bargain Hunt expecting to purchase toys, clothing, or household items. But, I've been pleasantly surprised to find items for my classroom! 

Last summer, I found this toy by B Toys for only $15! The retail price of this item is about $60. 

It features several instrument pieces which are color-coded and the bottoms are different shapes and work as a puzzle. You can place up to 6 instruments on the stage and experiment with mixing timbre and texture. There are also buttons which identify each instrument family with lights and also buttons to identify melody instruments or accompaniment instruments. You can also change the volume or tempo of the 15 programmed songs. I have used this toy as a center and it was a big hit! Getting this toy at such a bargain makes me love it even more!

Just yesterday, I found a 10 inch Remo Floor Tom at Bargain Hunt. It was dated April 1, so it was discounted 40% for only $13.80! 

You never know what you may find when walking into a Bargain Hunt. Check the map below to see if there is one in your area. 

Check out their website for more details! http://www.bargainhunt.com

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this review. I just REALLY love Bargain Hunt!!!

Field Day Improvisation

Today was Field Day and I forgot my whistle! I sent an email asking the staff to borrow an extra, but no one had one available. I was forced to improvise in order to save my voice.

 

 

I always despised this Basic Beat woodblock because it is ridiculously loud and ear piercing. It is terrible for indoors, but PERFECT for outdoors! I may start using it every year instead of a whistle.

Mallet Wrapping

Do you have fraying mallets and a very small budget? This was my problem. But, it is not a problem anymore! I was brave and patient and learned how to rewrap my own mallets. The photo above shows blue mallets that were very frayed. The red mallets have been rewrapped by me! With a little patience and practice, you can learn how to wrap mallets too and free up some money in your classroom budget for other resources.

Before gaining the courage to make that first cut and unwrap a mallet, I watched at least 2 hours of video tutorials. There are several different techniques and videos out there in cyberspace, but I found that Episode 198 from Drummer Talk provides the most comprehensive and clear demonstration.

I suggest you watch this entire video BEFORE attempting to wrap your own mallets. These are the supplies Dave Kropf suggests before beginning your project:

1. Scissors
2. Darning Needles (Size 18)
3. Yarn (Size 3)

As you wrap and cross the yarn over the top of the mallet, it should be placed off-center. This creates a nice crown which will be stitched to keep the yarn in place. When first attempting to wrap, I found it easiest to keep the yarn off-center on mallets that have more of a flattened core on top. If you have one, begin with this style core rather than a spherical core.

After wrapping about 4 mallets, I found a groove and my wrapping and rotating technique became more automatic. During several evenings, I would sit on the couch and wrap mallets while watching television. Below, you can see many of the mallets I have rewrapped. The mallets with the white shafts were crowned with the technique Dave uses in the video because that is how they were crowned from the factory. Most of the mallets with black shafts were crowned with a back-stitch because I tried to imitate how they came from the factory.

I encourage you to find some confidence and attempt to learn something new! After wrapping several pairs, I looked back at the first pair I wrapped and decided to cut them off and rewrap them again! My technique had improved so quickly, that I was not happy with my first pair anymore. I even got a little wild and crazy and made RAINBOW MALLETS!!! These are a great incentive. I reward a student who is doing a great job and allow them to play with the rainbow mallets like a ROCK STAR!

Go forth! Be brave! Happy wrapping!

Update: This post has been featured on the March 2016 Music Education Blog Carnival. Check out the rest of the carnival by clicking this link.

Glockenspiel Storage

I use baskets to store my glockenspiels and the basket becomes a table to raise the instruments to a more comfortable playing position. At first, it was difficult to find a cheap basket that would be flat when flipped upside down. I found these baskets at the Dollar General for about $2 each and have used them for over 7 years.

I recently acquired some extra glockenspiels from another school, so I needed to purchase some new baskets. I could not find baskets identical to the these, so I needed to replace the entire set.  I found these baskets at the Dollar Tree for only $1 each! I also took this opportunity to color code my altos and sopranos.

They are not as deep as my original red baskets, but they are wider and will provide more surface area when flipped upside down. 

I used to store my accidental bars in Ziploc bags in the baskets. But, they would often need replacing because they would get ripped easily. I recently found these plastic snap cases on clearance at Walgreens. The index card cases were only 67 cents each and are the perfect size for the soprano glockenspiel bars. The pencil cases were only 32 cents each and are the perfect size for the alto glockenspiel bars.

I love my new baskets and storage cases. Now, I'm on a hunt for the perfect shelf to store all these glockenspiels. My glocks runneth over!



Classroom Management During Game Songs

Do you ever have discipline problems with game songs? Children quickly lose patience while waiting for everyone to have a turn. It is especially difficult in elimination games when kids get eliminated early and have a longer time to wait. Over the years, I've developed some tricks to help these activities go much more smoothly.

First of all, I think it is important for your students to understand that sometimes we don't all get a turn. Class time is short and sometimes we must move on to another activity. Children need to learn how to deal with disappointment. But, most of the time, I try to allow everyone to have a turn without the activity taking up too much lesson time or encountering too many discipline problems. Here are some tips avoid chaos while still allowing everyone to have a turn.

 

How Will I Know When Everyone Has Had a Turn?

In most games, I rely on the students' honesty. They know they cannot have a second turn being "It". If they get tapped as "It" and have already had a turn, they just shake their head "no" so the tagger can move on to someone else. If the taggers are having a hard time remembering who has had a turn, the students who still need a turn raise their hand.

It is easier to tell who still needs a turn in an elimination game. In games like "Bounce High, Bounce Low" students do not have to leave the circle to be eliminated. Those who have had a turn simply sit in their place; those who have not had a turn remain standing. In passing games, like "Acka Backa", students must be removed from the circle as they are eliminated. This can create some discipline issues if you do not have a plan for those students. I will give you some ideas for those situations below.

How Do I Make The Game Go Faster?

Make Smaller Groups

Depending on the game and your space, it may be possible to create two small groups that play the game simultaneously. This will speed up the game and allow everyone to have a turn. For a chasing game, like "Charlie Over the Ocean" or "Cut the Cake", make sure the running paths would not collide with each other. 

Make More "Its"

Sometimes it is possible to increase the number of people that are "it". I do this often in games like "Bluebird, Bluebird, Through My Window". I have up to four or five students weaving in and out at once and tapping a new friend on the shoulder to trade places. If it is a passing game, you could have more than one item passed around the circle simultaneously. Either of these modifications would make the game go much quicker.

 

How Do I Keep Students From Getting Bored?

Instrumental Accompaniments

With fourth or fifth grade, sometimes I allow students to move to the xylophones to accompany our game after they have had a turn. I can trust that they would be using the instruments appropriately and wouldn't need too much supervision or conducting. If it is a simple accompaniment, like a broken Bordun, the students would not need any preparation except some verbal instructions. For more complicated parts, I have the entire class learn the parts on the barred instruments before returning to the carpet to begin the game or dance. 

Younger grades would need more supervision at the instruments, So, instead of using all my barred instruments, sometimes I use only one or two bass bars or just 2-4 barred instruments. I can supervise the small group much more easily. I've also had a small group reading notation on the board performing sol-mi songs on Boomwhackers. You could also have them perform a short rhythmic ostinato with unpitched percussion. This is a great opportunity for a performance assessment! After their turn playing they may return to the group but cannot be chosen as "it" anymore. If it is an elimination game, they sit to the side of the carpet and wait. 

Body Percussion
During elimination games, sometimes I have students create new body percussion patterns. Second and third grade love this the most! I have one student stand in front of the eliminated group. They create a four-beat body percussion ostinato and the rest of the students copy them.  

Interesting Props
A Slinky can be used to keep a steady beat.  Hold one end in each hand to make it look like rainbow. Transfer the weight back and forth to the beat. You can also open and close the Slinky with vertical, horizontal, or diagonal motions. An Original Slinky made of metal also creates a very pleasant sound!  I really want to get a class set of Slinkies, but they can be costly. Cheaper plastic springs just don't have the same weight or feel and wouldn't make as pleasant of a sound. I've even found the miniature ones by Slinky brand in the Target dollar section, but they just don't have enough weight to move to a slower tempo. Even if you only have a few Slinkies, students can take turns using them to keep a steady beat. 

Beanbags can also be transferred from hand to hand to make steady beat.  My beanbags are homemade. My mother helped me make them during my first year teaching. We used plastic pellets made for adding weight to stuffed animals. The make a pleasant sound, although it is much quieter than a Slinky. (The quietness may actually be a good thing!) I asked students to hold their hands with palms up and to flatten the beanbag like a pancake. They then flip the pancake from one hand to another trying to match the steady beat.  My daughter and I are demonstrating this activity in the short video below.

Both my second graders and kindergarteners used the beanbags this week to keep a steady beat when they were eliminate from a game. They all enjoyed using these props. We practiced the pancake flipping as a class and then I collected the bean bags in the bucket before the game started. As they got eliminated, they would get a beanbag from the bucket and sit on the edge of the carpet away from the game circle. Some students wanted to throw the bean bags, but I warned them that they would lose their bean bag if they were not using it properly. If you don't have a set of beanbags, I bet your gym teacher may have some you can borrow!

In my Level III Orff course, another teacher brought in tennis balls. She had made a small slit in the balls, filled them with a small amount of BB pellets, and used hot glue to seal the hole back. We used the balls similarly to the beanbag and passed it from hand to hand, around our backs, and under our legs. We also tossed them gently in the air and would catch them to the steady beat. This would be a great activity to challenge older students. The teacher said she had a connections with a local gym and got all her tennis balls donated! You never know what you may be able to get until you ask!

Variations

Repeating anything the same way over and over would make anyone bored. So, why not change it up? Vary the tempo or change up the voice. With kindergarten, we reinforced the types of voices while practicing a steady beat. The class stood in a circle and passed a ball while saying the "Acka Backa Soda Cracker" poem. As a student got eliminated, they would go to a music stand and draw a voice card (either speaking, whisper, calling, or singing). We would use that voice to perform the poem the next round. After they drew a card, they got a beanbag to do pancake flips. This activity was very successful with minimal behavior disruptions. The students loved changing their voices, drawing a card, and mixing up the cards for the next student.  My free printable voice cards are featured in a previous blog post. 

Coda

 Children learn best when they're engaged in play. Game songs are a great way to get all children actively making music whether by singing or playing an instrument. I hope some of these tips help reduce your frustration and eliminate some discipline issues which may occur during games. Now that you have some tricks and strategies for these activities, what are your favorite game songs? Comment below, or add a link to share your favorite game songs with others!

Join the Link-Up Party! Add a link to your favorite game song activity or game song resource book!

  

An InLinkz Link-up

Shake It Off!

I love Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show! Occasionally, Jimmy and the show's band, The Roots, perform popular songs with one of their musical guest using elementary classroom instruments. If you are not familiar with these videos, just search "Jimmy Fallon classroom instruments" on YouTube or follow this link. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jimmy+fallon+classroom+instruments

Inspired by Jimmy Fallon, I would like to share some awesomeness from a colleague and good college friend, Jamie Albritton. He and his staff stayed afterschool yesterday and learned an Orff arrangement for Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off". I have already begged Jamie for the notated parts and will share them with you if I am granted permission. In the meantime, enjoy their performance!

Post by Jamie Albritton.

Guess Who: Music Instruments

I have planned lots of new music centers for this year and my students have really enjoyed them. I will be blogging more about the centers soon. This first post will be about a modified version of the classic Guess Who.

I scavenged yard sales, consignment shops, and Goodwill all summer on the look out for games that could be modified for music centers. I found two of these electronic Guess Who games for dirt cheap. This version is technically called Guess Who Extra and features 3 rows with 8 windows in each row. One was at Goodwill for $1.50. The other was at a children's consignment shop for $2.50. Over the summer, I saw a pin on Pinterest where someone modified Guess Who to reinforce US presidents and other historical figures. When I saw these versions, I immediately thought of a musical adaptation. This would be a great way to compare and contrast music instruments.

Object

Guess your opponent's mystery instrument before they guess yours.

How To Play

1) Each player slides the plastic window over to secretly select a musical instrument.

2) Players open all the doors to reveal the instruments.

3) Players take turns asking "yes" and "no" questions to help them narrow down the choices of instruments.

 4) Players only have one chance to guess the specific name of the instrument. If they guess wrong, their opponent wins.

I also included an Instrument Fact Sheet to assist students when asking and answering questions.

Before beginning the center rotations, I demonstrate each game. I shared many examples of questions with the students and they took turns asking questions to discover a mystery instrument I selected.

Some example questions included:

Does your instrument belong to the percussion family? (string? woodwind? brass?)

Is your instrument made of wood? (metal? plastic?)

Does your instrument make a pitch?

Do you play your instrument with both hands?

Do you use your mouth to play your instrument?

Could your instrument fit into a backpack?

Does your instrument have a reed?

I also created a game board using the classic version of Guess Who which features 4 rows with 6 windows in each row. This version was manufactured in 2009 or later.  

Both versions of the game are included in one PDF file and are available for download in my TeachersPayTeachers Store. I suggest printing in color on cardstock and laminating for extra protection.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-Who-Music-Instruments-1648985

 Do you have another idea for a Guess Who game? I have blank templates available so that you do not have to do all the precise measuring. All you have to do is fill in the boxes with text and pics. Both templates are available to download and edit using Microsoft Publisher.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-Who-Extra-Template-1649018

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-Who-6-x-4-Template-1649040

I know your students will have fun using Guess Who to learn about instruments and other content. Keep your eyes open at second-hand stores and you can snag the games for super cheap. You may even get some donations by sending out a request to parents. Good luck on your hunt!