5 Fun Group Piano Games to Try This Summer
Cue the smell of sunscreen and after-sun lotion--it's almost summer time! Get excited with your students for summer by trying out these 5 *NO PRINTOUT* summer group piano games!
Beachball Beats
Materials Needed:
Sharpie
Inflatable Beachball (I get mine from Dollar Tree!)
Instructions: In Sharpie, draw a note pattern in each divided colored section of the beachball. Standing in a circle, students will gently toss the ball to another student. The recipient student will then clap the rhythm section that is facing them. Students continue passing the ball between one another without letting it touch the ground, or they are out!
Adaptability Option: For intermediate & advanced students, students must not only clap the rhythm section that is facing them, but all of the rhythms selected prior (similar to Rhythm Train)!
Splash Bomb Ball Toss
Materials:
4 Sand Pails/Buckets
Splash Bomb Balls
Scotch Tape
Sharpie
Note-Reading Notecards (optional)
Instructions: Place a small piece of tape on each sand bucket, then with the Sharpie, notate 2 music alphabet letters on the tape (if done correctly, G will be the only letter on the 4th sand bucket). The teacher plays a piano key picked at random, and the student tosses the splash bomb ball into the sand bucket with the correct letter! Group students take turns answering & tossing the ball.
Adaptability Option: For intermediate students, place playing piano key’s with note-reading notecards. For advanced students, utilize the ledger line notecards in the deck.
Twister
Materials:
Sharpie
Instructions: With sharpie, write a music alphabet letter in each colored circle of the Twister sheet. Teacher holds up the notecard or plays a key on the piano, then spins the Twister dial. One student places hand or foot on the colored circle with the correct letter, then the next student in the group takes a turn. If I'm lucky and have good weather, I'll take the game outside and use the flashcards!
Adaptability Option: For intermediate & advanced students, utilize the ledger line notecards in the deck!
Earn Your Shot
Materials:
Any sporting equipment you already own!
Instructions: I've done this with basketball, but you could replace it with most sports! The teacher holds up a notecard, & students must answer the notecard correctly before they try to make a basket (or take a shot at the soccer goal, putt-putt the golf ball into the cup, etc) for a point. If they answer the notecard incorrectly, they forfeit their shot and the point & it goes to the next player!
Adaptability Option: For intermediate & advanced students, select a sport that is more challenging.
Music Theory Sand Art
Materials:
Sand or Baking Flour
Shallow Pan (i.e. cooking sheet)
Instructions: When Theory assignments start to feel mundane, fill a shallow pan with some sand (I have a sandbox, but you can use baking flour). Open up to the next assignment that students have in their Theory book. Instead of the students notating their answers in the book, pair students up & have them take turns drawing their answers with their fingers in the shallow pan filled with sand or flour. I promise it's not as messy as you think! Just remember if you're using baking flour, do NOT to use this same flour for your actual cooking...we don’t know where those little fingers have been!
Adaptability Option: For intermediate & advanced students, use a larger pan such as a cookie sheet. Instead of pairing up, invite the entire group to take turns drawing parts of the Circle of 5th’s!
Want MORE easy group piano games?
If you & your students enjoyed these activities, try 8 more fun summer group piano games in my FREE fun-size version of The No Printout Playbook: Summer Camp Edition!
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