99 More Musical Games

Si n gi n g G a m e s
24. Director Needed
Divide the class into two teams, and provide each team with the name of a simple song (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, etc.).
The members of the first team begin singing at the same time, but each person begins at a different place in the song. The
object of the game is for the other team to guess the song through all of the confusion. After the song has been guessed,
the second team takes their turn singing.

25. Secret Objects

Invite all teams to select an object in the classroom and write a brief song about it. (The song could be as simple as new
lyrics to a familiar melody.) Each team performs their song, and the remaining teams must identify the secret item. This
game could also be played with teams singing songs about their classmates!

26. Whistle a Tune

After dividing the class into teams, encourage each team to select a song that everyone knows (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean are good examples). Have each team take turns whistling their selected song to the
rest of the class, which must guess the name of the whistled song.

27. Beat-Boxing
Vocal percussion can be a lot of fun, but its not easy! Invite the students to compete in a vocal percussion, or beat-boxing,
competition. The students can create their own rhythms or can recreate a familiar tune. The most convincing
percussionist is the winner!

28. Inspiration for a Song

Divide the class into small groups of 45 students. Provide each group with a set of four random objects, such as office
supplies, cleaning supplies (brooms, sponges, etc.; obviously not chemicals), kitchen utensils, etc. Challenge each group
to come up with a short song that includes all of the items they have been given. After a certain amount of time, have each
group perform their song for the class.

29. Singing Bee

This variation of a spelling bee gives students a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of music concepts. Have the class
stand in a straight line. The first player in line is given a concept to perform, such as a decrescendo or staccato. The student
must then sing an example of the concept. If the student is incorrect, he or she must sit down, and a concept is given to
the next student in line. This continues until one student remains.

30. Partner Up
Write the names of enough common songs (Mary had a Little Lamb, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean) on slips of paper so
that 1/2 of the students in the class have a unique song. Make a second set identical to the first. Put the slips in a bag or box
and have each student draw a song. All students begin singing their song at the same time, and each person must find
their song mate. If there is an odd number of students in the class, be sure to make three copies of one song.

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Composers, Compositions, and Music Genre Games

C o mp o s e r s , C o mp o s i t i o n s ,
a n d M u s ic G e n r e G a m e s
45. Musical Style Exhibits
Collect the following objects, place a label on each with its number, and distribute them around the room. Have the
students observe the objects in the room and write down the musical style that each symbol represents.
1. Jar of salsa/picante sauce (salsa)

8. Miniature fan (cool)

2. Large stone (rock)

9. Blades of grass colored blue (bluegrass)

3. Several blue items (blues)

10. Theater program (musicals)

4. Polka-dotted fabric (polka)

11. String with a weight on one end, swinging back

and forth (swing)

5. March calendar page (march)

6. World map with a country circled (country)

12. Toy rabbit (hip-hop)

7. Latin text (Latin)

46. Thats Debatable

713

Pretend that the class is creating a TV show for the music classroom, and they need to decide on theme music. Select a
recording from tracks 713 on the CD and play it for the class. Divide the class into two teams. Assign one team to argue
in favor of using the recording (the pro side) and the other team to argue against the using recording (the con side).
Give the teams time to discuss their arguments with their teammates, reminding them theyll be expected to use their
music vocabulary.
Then set up the classroom with one team on one side of the room and the other team on the opposite side. Let the teams
debate the issue in an orderly way, making sure students raise their hands and only one person speaks at a time. The
students should use as many music terms in their arguments as possible. The most convincing team is the winner!

47. Musical Stylings

56

Play the various examples of musical styles on CD tracks 56. Have each student or team write down as many
instruments as possible that are commonly played within each particular style. For extra points, have the students include
any performers and composers within the same style.

48. Modern Music

Have each team of students develop a new genre of music. They can create a name for the genre, describe the sound of
the style, and even list the instruments commonly played. The students may even choose to talk about the origins of the
genre and why it was formed. After every team has presented their new type of music, have the class vote on the style that
they would most prefer to hear.

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Composers, Compositions, and Music Genre Games

54. Music Compositions Rebus

In the blank, write the name of the composition that is represented by the symbols.

1.

2. The

3.

4.

5.

6.

_____________________________

_____________________________

sw +
+ -s + -p
-s +e
+
-h
+
-en
-d
+
+
+
+
-g

The

8.

9.

10.

The

_____________________________

_____________________________

7.

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

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99 More Musical Games

M e l o d y a n d R h y t hm G a m e s
57. The Right Combination
Divide the students into teams of 34. Have each team generate as many note combinations as they can that equal four
beats (in time). These note combinations can be as simple or complicated as the students want, for example:

or

After the students have had 10 minutes to generate and write down their notes, have them compare their combinations
with those of the other teams. Give the teams a chance to check the note math of their opponents.

58. SPLAT!
Write the numbers 19 on a different index cards, and tape each card to the board or to a blank wall in a random fashion.
Make sure the cards are at least a few inches apart. Also create a place on the board to keep score for each team.
Divide the class into teams of 45, and provide each team with a fly swatter. Tape a line on the floor for each team to
gather around, but make sure these lines are equally close to the cards. Have each team select a person to hold the fly
swatter first.
Encourage all students in the class to help maintain a steady beat by marching in place. Clap a rhythm with no more than
9 beats so that all teams can hear it. Each team decides how many beats were in the given rhythm, and the team member
holding the fly swatter runs to the cards and SPLATs the correct number with the fly swatter. The first team to SPLAT!
the correct answer gets a point. Continue to play the game with more difficult rhythms.

59. Sea of Discord

Clear the center of the classroom, and mark a path down the center with two lines of tape about 5' to 6' apart. This path
represents the Sea of Discord. Create two sets of cards bearing the notes (drawn on a staff) of 23 different scales. Scatter
one set of the cards on one side of the Sea of Discord and the other set on the other side of the area. All of the cards
should be facing upwards.
Divide the students into two teams, and station both teams on the same side of the Sea of Discord and in front of a
scattered card set. Example:

Team 1

Team 2

The object of the game is for each team to safely cross the Sea of Discord by jumping to a safe note card. Announce the
safe cards before the start of the game in a way that the teams must figure out for themselves which specific cards are safe.
For example, announce that all notes with a sharp sign are safe, or say that all notes in the C-major scale are safe.

24

Stress to the teams that they need to work together to get all of the team members to cross the Sea of Discord safely and
as quickly as possible. If everyone tries to cross at the same time, many students will not have a card on which to jump. If
a student jumps to a card that is not safe, he or she must go back and try again. The first team to completely cross the Sea
of Discord is the winner!

Melody and Rhythm Games

60. Board Races

1526

Divide the class into teams, and provide the first person on each team with a piece of chalk or a dry erase marker. Divide
the board into as many sections as there are teams. Have each team generate a team name and write it across the top of its
team section on the board. Mark the floor with a piece of tape indicating where the first person in each teams line should
be standing, several feet away from the board.
Play the first rhythm on CD track 15; then say go. The first person from each team runs to the board and writes the rhythm
in his or her teams section. Whoever finishes drawing the correct rhythm first wins a point for the team. (Points should be
kept in tally marks next to the teams name.) Continue in this manner, playing some or all of the rhythms from tracks 1526.
The team with the most points after all of the rhythms are played wins.

61. The Rhythm of Speech

1526

Select and play one of the rhythm patterns from tracks 1526 on the accompanying CD. Challenge each student or team
to create a sentence or phrase that can be spoken or sung to the rhythm. For example:

Bob

said

Hel-lo!

My

pic-co-lo

rust-ed.

You may also want to choose a specific theme for the sentences, such as events in the music classroom or songs on the
radio. Encourage the students to be as creative and as humorous as possible!

62. Rest!
Have all students stand together in a circle. Announce the name of a scale, and select one student to begin. The first
student says the name of the first note in the scale (make sure all accidentals are included!). The second person in the
circle then gives the name of the second note in the scale. If any student names an incorrect note, he or she must sit down.
Each student takes a turn naming a note until the scale is complete. The student who names the last note in the scale
turns to the next person in the circle and says rest! The student that is told to rest must then also sit down. Announce
the next scale and continue in the same way. The last student standing is the winner!

63. Sharps and Flats

Give an index card or sticky note with a sharp sign to one student, and one with a flat sign to another. Give the remaining
students each a card with one letter from A to G. Announce the name of a common scale. The students holding the sharp
and flat cards must tag the students carrying letters that are sharp or flat in the announced scale. When a student is
(correctly) tagged, they must stand to the side. If the sharp or flat student incorrectly tags a letter, the round has ended.
When all of the sharps and flats have been correctly tagged, a new scale is announced and the game begins again.

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