Submitted by Andrea Cope, Texas

Idea posted February 17, 2003

  1. Read Around - Each child is handed a book from my shelf (at least vaguely music related). Every time I ring my bell, they have 30 seconds to keep or trade their book before settling back down. You could also have them bring a book.
  2. Musical Mysteries - I write the first 4 measures of 8 or 9 songs on the board, with one clue for each. Ex: It's a song you know from last year. Or, it's not in any of the books, but everyone knows this song. They have to figure them out by hearing it in their heads.
  3. You're the Teacher - Right now I'm doing 3 consecutive lessons of recorder testing. To keep them quiet and busy, they've all been appointed Music Teacher and have each been given a budget of $2,000 to spend on their classes and choir. I put out a basket of catalogs and pile of calculators. Each "teacher" has to buy a required number of xylophones, drums, CD's, videos, and books. They already "have" a stereo, sound system, and risers. After they make their required purchases, they can buy whatever they think their classes and choir need. To make sure they were involved and SILENT, I turned it into a contest. The person who comes closest to $2000 without going over will get a prize. Usually my prizes are something edible and visible, to encourage them to put their best into the next contest. You can hear a pin drop in my room right now, except for that recorder testing, of course.
  4. Tutor Testing - Every now and then I decide to forego sanity and let those who have a particular belt test those who don't. It gets fairly chaotic, but a lot of belts are earned in a single class, and they're generally pretty tough testers.