Submitted by Caryn Mears, Kennewick, Washington

Idea posted September 14, 2004

I divide the class into groups of five, which means I have six total groups/centers. Here are some of the things that I do:

  1. Boomwhacker® Center - Students will be able to play a simple song on the Boomwhackers® by working together in a small group. The students have eight Boomwhackers® and copies of different Music K-8 Boomwhacker® songs.
  2. Bop-It Center - Students will practice listening to/and replicating various rhythm patterns by using the Bop-It game.
  3. Composer Center - Students find interesting composer facts and write a paragraph about that composer. The students have a box of composer books, along with paper and pencil.
  4. Keyboard Center - Students can work on learning the keyboard notation individually.
  5. Memory/Matching Center - Students match rhythm/musical notations by using a card game.
  6. Xylophone Center - Students work on mallet technique and notation while learning a new xylophone piece.
  7. Drumming Center - Students work on rhythm patterns and drumming techniques and play a drumming piece together.
  8. Book Center - Students read stories with a musical content.

I only do these centers with fifth graders towards the end of the year. It takes three to four weeks, two times a week, to get everyone through a center, because I only have them do one center per visit.

Expectations for behavior and activities for each center are thoroughly explained the week prior to the students' actually going to the instruments or games. They must stay in their center and raise their hand if they are having a difficult time. This format gives me an opportunity to go to the group and/or work with small groups. YES, it is LOUD! But it is so fun to hear the results. The xylophone, drum, and Boomwhacker® groups usually are able to present a quick piece by the end of the center time. I only have them in their groups for 15-20 minutes. (Some groups want to end sooner as that is sometimes too long on the books, unless they have a specific task.) I do make task cards at the centers to remind them what they are suppose to do. I put all of the smaller materials and the task card in a plastic tub, and I have the tubs labeled. I assign where each center meets and have the benefit of a beautiful storage room for the drumming group to meet in!