Have a Ball at Group Lessons!
Would you Rather? A Great Ice Breaker
Sometimes, getting to know your students when they're sitting on the bench beside you is hard. They may feel shy about sharing their thoughts, likes, dislikes, etc.
In private or group lessons, begin with an icebreaker like "Would You Rather." All those inhibitions get tossed aside- yes, pun intended!
Start a backing track or favorite pop tune and ask students to toss the ball on the beat. Then stop the music. Whoever is holding the ball has to answer the question under his/her right hand thumb.
"Would you rather eat dinner in a castle or breakfast in a hot air balloon?"
”Would you rather eat three live worms or a tunafish and peanut butter sandwich?"
It’s hard to stop once we start the game.
The video below shows it in action. Click here if you can't see it.
Bonus? This is a spectacular activity for helping students feel a steady beat and recognize the pull of the downbeat.
What questions to include on your "Would You Rather" beachball
Here's a start. Begin each statement with the words Would you rather...
Run a mile or swim a mile?
Go to a movie theatre or watch Netflix?
Stay up late or wake up early?
Have a robot or a monkey in the house?
Sleep on a hard pillow or a soft pillow?
Eat pepperoni pizza or sausage pizza?
Eat breakfast in a hot air balloon or dinner in a castle?
Eat a hamburger or a hotdog?
Paint a picture or take a picture?
Do word finds or crossword puzzles?
Do math homework or science homework?
Have ten brothers or ten sisters?
Go to school on Saturdays or go to the dentist every week?
Ride a bike or a skateboard?
Color a picture or draw a portrait?
Drive a self-driving car or a spaceship?
Become a famous singer or a famous actor?
Shop at the mall or play at the park?
Snowboard or ice skate?
Have a fish or a bird?
Eat mac 'n cheese or spaghetti?
Play at the beach or in the snow?
Live on the beach or on a mountain top?
Have a cat or a dog?
Live without music or without TV and movies?
Talk on the phone or go out for ice cream?
Be a super hero or a villain in a movie?
Wear running shoes or flip flops?
Eat a bug or get stung by a bee?
Cook dinner or clean up?
Take a walk or a bike ride?
Go out for Mexican or Italian?
Read the book or watch the movie?
Eat 3 live worms or a peanut butter and tuna sandwich?
Take a vacation or $1,000 in cash?
Eat chocolate chips or gummy bears?
Take a road trip or a stay-cation?
Ride in a plane or a train?
For more "Would You Rather" questions, checkout my Pinterest board.
Let the game lead to a future composition project
Starting a composition and naming it can be tough. The "Would You Rather" game got creative juices flowing.
After a student answered the question, most everyone else chimed in with their answer, and we discussed why they chose what they did. They were eager to start making connections between what they liked and their composing.
REMINDER: Stock up on beach balls. Remember to look for them on sale at the end of summer!
Use chance
Create a Wheel in Decide Now
Need a fresh way to determine who performs first in A group PERFORMANCE class?
I hold group lessons once a quarter. During Off Bench time weeks before the group lesson, students review the sound and look of intervals. At the group lesson, each pianist has to spin to see who will play first. I created three wheels in the Decide Now app with level-appropriate intervals.
Wheel #1: Intervals Repeat-5
Wheel #2: Intervals Prime-8
Wheel #3: Major 2nd, 3rd, Perfect 4th, 5th, Major 6th, 7th, Perfect 8va.
After the pianist spun, he/she was asked to play the interval on the piano, and the audience had to guess the interval.
The student who landed on the smallest interval performed first, and others followed according to the size of their interval.
Need to build up knowledge of key signatures?
In preparation for upcoming theory tests at the local Federation Festival, students identified specific key signatures within the Challenge Mode of an app called Tenuto. They took turns naming the key as the key signatures flashed before them. After each drill, they were challenged to reach a new high score.
Note: you don't need to hook your iPad to an HDTV to play this game. I like to reflect on my iPad during group lessons to show videos or to explain theory concepts as it’s easier for everyone to see.
NEED a game that reinforces rhythmic understanding?
Make sure to get Rhythm on a Roll.
This game was developed in a rush for a previous group lesson because I sensed that students needed more review on durations and subdivisions.
I brought it out for this group lesson, and everyone was excited to play it again! That was good news because some can moan about doing anything more than once.
TIP: We played this as students performed for each other. It works well because the audience is quiet, listening and thinking simultaneously, keeping them from getting restless.
