Submitted by Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana
Idea posted March 15, 2005
Here's an activity for those last couple weeks of the school year, when the kids are totally turned off but you still want to do something worthwhile. I did this activity with upper grades.
I got out my electronic keyboard, which wasn't any great shakes but did have a decent assortment of auto-chords and auto-rhythms. I got the keyboard going, using a G-flat major auto-chord with a medium tempo swing auto-rhythm. (Once it was going, it just kept on by itself.) Then I had the kids line up in front of it, and I stood behind it. On the upper (treble) end of the keyboard, I played an eight-beat (two measure) one-finger improvised melody, on BLACK KEYS ONLY. The students were to respond with their own one finger answer. For the most part, each question and answer was just seven quarter notes, ending with a rest. The electronic accompaniment was what made the kids think they were really doing SOMETHING COOL! As long as the kids stayed on black keys and the upper end of the keyboard, it was virtually foolproof. They loved it, since it was upbeat and sort of jazzy. To keep it moving smoothly, there were no breaks between my question, their answer, next question, next answer, next student, and so on. When their turn ended, they had to step quickly out of line so the next one would be up and ready for their turn. NO TALKING IN LINE was permitted. Their penalty was they were motioned out of line and back to their seats, and they really wanted to play on this one!