Secondary General Music Lesson Ideas
Minute to Win It
Materials
This game calls for 4-7 small activities that students could have a chance to accomplish within a minute. Therefore, the materials needed will differ from teacher to teacher. Below are some ideas that have been used in my secondary general music classes. Remember, each activity lasts for one minute.
Directions
1. Divide class into Teams. At a minimum, each Team should have the same number of people as you have activities
(this way, all students get to do at least one activity each).
2. Explain the different Minute to Win It games and have Teams decide which member(s) will do which game.
3. Teams may compete simultaneously on the same game, simultaneously on different games, or some combination of
the two depending on the type/number of available materials.
4. Keep score on the board so Teams can see where they stand as they progress through the games.
Game Ideas
Ping Pong Rhythm
Draw notes and rests on ping pong balls (you can also use golf balls). These note and rest values should equal 1-4 beats, and may be a single note/rest or more than one note/rest (i.e., a rhythm pattern) on each ball.
Option 1: You will need 4 trash cans, each with one number (1, 2, 3, or 4) drawn on it. Place the trash cans 10-15 feet away from the starting line. The goal of this game is to toss the ball so it goes into the trash can that has the same number of beats.
Option 2: You will need 4 cups (I use Solo cups), each with one number drawn on it, and an 4-8' table. Place the cups at the end of the table (you may need the other team members to hold them in place). The goal of this game is to bounce the ball on the table into the cup that has the same number of beats.
I give 10 pts for each correct ball to trash can/cup combo - it's really hard!
Mallet Balloon Balance
Tape a square on the floor (I use 16x16 inches). Give the student an Orff mallet and a balloon. The goal of this game is to keep the balloon off the floor without stepping outside the box. I give 1 pt for each second the student is able to do this within a minute.
Paddle Drum Volley
Tape two lines on the floor roughly 6-8 feet apart and approximately 10-12 feet long. Give two students a paddle drum each and one nerf ball (these balls come with paddle drums). Students start at one end of the line and volley the ball up and back along the line. If the ball hits the floor, the pair must start over from the beginning. Furthermore, students may not step over the line; however, they may 'reach'. I give 5 pts for each successful rotation (i.e., up and back the line).
Bean Bag Toss
Tape a grid of 9-15 spaces on the floor. Within each square of the grid place 9-15 'flashcards' with either names or pictures/icons (e.g., composer portraits, note names, dynamic markings etc.) on the floor in a grid pattern (like tic-tac-toe). Tape one line on the floor roughly 6-8 feet from the grid. A student must toss a bean bag on the correct grid space as the questions are called (these can be of any concept). Students may only get one try for each question. I give 3 pts for each correct bean bag answer. HINT: While students will want to cheer/celebrate when the bean bag lands on the correct spot, this sometimes prohibits the student who is playing the game to hear the next question called (and they have less chances within the minute). Therefore, you may want to remind students of this before the game begins.
Spelling By Note
Create a worksheet that has small sections of staff (I usually have 6-20). Randomly place either the treble or bass clef on these small staves. Above each section place a word that can be spelled by note letter names - these can be either the full word or a portion of the word. Students must 'spell' as many words as possible within a minute. I give 2 pts for each correctly spelled word.
Extra Things
There are lots of non-musical Minute to Win It ideas out there (click here for some examples). These can be interspersed with the 'musical' games if you need more options.
