St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and you may be feeling the way I am right now – a little bit crazy and a lot ready for a break. Here are three, simple St. Patrick’s Day music ideas to keep your sanity and your students engaged.
1. Disappearing Leprechaun Game
This is one of my essential flashcard games. It really encourages students to listen and involves the whole class as everyone is expected to clap back
Materials:
– Rhythm Flashcards (any rhythm cards will do but here is a St. Patrick’s Day flashcard set if you want to stick with the theme)
1. First, choose 6-10 flashcards and place them on the chalkboard or in a pocket chart.
2. Clap one of the rhythm cards and have the students clap back. Don’t go in order!
3. Select one student to come up and choose what they think is the magical card you just clapped. They will then make that card disappear (by turning it over).
4. If they were correct, repeat steps 1-3 with a different card. If they were incorrect send them back and make the card reappear.
5. Once all the cards have “disappeared” see who can clap all the rhythm flashcards in order.
6. You can also adapt this for instrumental classes by choosing a pitch and playing each card instead.
2. Hide the Shamrock - A St. Patrick's Day Music Hunt
Are your students ready to go on a St. Patrick’s Day music hunt? This activity is brilliant because it requires your students to listen carefully and follow directions.
Materials:
– 4 rhythm instruments (egg, wood block, tambourine, triangle)
– Shamrock or other St. Patrick’s Day symbol you can hide
1. Show students the 4 rhythm instruments. Each instrument will represent a movement (egg = left, castanet = right, tambourine = forward, sticks = backward).
2. As a class, practice moving around the room to the sounds.
3. Choose four students to play the instruments, one to be the “shamrock hunter” and one to be the “leprechaun.”
4. The hunter should go outside the classroom (or near the door and close his or her eyes depending on your class and school rules). Have one student place the shamrock somewhere in the room.
5. The students without roles will sit on the ground and be rocks in the field.
6. The leprechaun conductor tells what instrument to play (by silently pointing at one of the four students with the rhythm instruments) in order for the shamrock hunter to move around the room and find the shamrock (while their eyes are closed!!!)
7. If the shamrock hunter bumps into a rock, the game is over and new players are chosen. If they find the shamrock you can play again.
3. St. Patrick's Day Music Composition
Combining rhythm recognition and composition is what this St. Patrick’s Day music lesson is all about.
Materials:
– Pot of Gold (I used a Halloween cauldron)
– St. Patrick’s day symbols with rhythms (you can just print out some images and work with the students to come up with the rhythms to match the words or click here for a set of printable cards).
1. Put the rhythm cards in the “pot of gold” and select a student to come up and draw a card
2. As a class, clap and say the word. For example, lep-re-chaun. Then say the matching rhythm – ti-ti ta. Place that card on the chalkboard/pocket chart.
3. Have another student select a card. Repeat with that word. Say they drew pot of gold. That would be ta ta ta.
4. Once you have 4 cards selected and placed on the board, work together to decide on a time signature to use. If they choose 4/4 see where you might need to add some rests to make sure there are four beats in each bar.
5. Now play it! You can use rhythm instruments or select a single pitch to use with your recorder/band students.
6. Once you’ve done it as a class, send the students to create their own compositions with a group.
Freebie alert! Click here for a free version of my St. Patrick’s Day rhythm flashcards that contains six quarter note and eighth note flashcards. Do you need some more music game ideas? This post has some great ones.
I wish you all the luck and success with your St. Patrick’s Day music lessons this year!
