Listening, Rhythms, and Solfege… Oh My!

• Alexandra Robinson
• Posted 5/25/21
• 0 comments

Music Centers

Suggested Grades: 1^st – 6^th  

Preparation Is Key 

Setting up designated areas around the classroom for each center is vital.  I recommend a maximum of 8 different centers. To begin this lesson, the teacher should describe each of the centers and map their classroom location on the whiteboard. I find it helpful to write instructions on posters explaining to the students what to do and placing them in the middle of each center. 

Before students move to the different centers in the room, the teacher will walk around the room explaining the center’s goals and activities. Next, the teacher will separate the students into groups of 3-4 and send them to the different centers.  

The suggested time for each activity is 10 minutes. I recommend ringing a bell or playing a song to alert students that it is time to clean up their station and again when it’s time to move to the next station. 

Center One: Listening Glyphs 

National Core Arts Standard: #7 Perceive and analyze artistic work. 

The goal of center one is to listen to songs and describe what they hear by coloring a listening glyph. You can make listening glyphs or purchase at several Teachers Pay Teachers stores. Each listening glyph has a task for students to complete and color different parts of a drawing that correlate with what they hear (tempo, dynamics, instruments, singing, etc.). 

Materials Needed:  

• Headsets 
• Printed listening glyphs 
• Coloring materials 
• Listening station (a way to play music and hear through headphone)  

Center Two: Composition 

National Core Arts Standard: #1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. 

Center two’s goal is composition. This station’s set-up can vary depending on the materials you have available in your classroom and the type of composition you are asking your students to create. 

One suggestion is having a heart chart printed on paper and having students write a 4-beat rhythm. Students can clap or play the rhythm on basic percussion instruments.  Another option is using manipulatives or having students create melodic phrases. 

Materials Needed:  

• Pencils 
• Paper Heart Chart  
• Basic percussion instruments 

Centers Three through Five: Rhythm Practice 

National Core Arts Standard: #7 Perceive and analyze artistic work. 

The goal of these three centers is to practice rhythms. Here are a few suggestions: 

Musical Memory Games

Students find and match rhythm cards, then clap or play the rhythm on an unpitched rhythm instrument. 

Materials Needed:  

• Rhythm Card Sets 
• Un-pitched Rhythm Instruments 

Popsicle Stick Notation 

Students create rhythms using popsicle sticks, then clap or play the rhythms on a basic percussion instrument. 

Materials Needed:  

• Popsicle Sticks 
• Un-pitched Rhythm Instruments 

Dart Rhythms 

Create a dartboard and hang it in the classroom. Students throw soft darts at the board and then clap a rhythm that correlates with the color hit on the dartboard. 

Materials Needed:  

• Dart Board 
• Rhythm Cards 
• Soft Darts 
• Un-pitched Rhythm Instruments 

BLAST! 

Before starting the game, the teacher needs to prepare by writing different rhythms on popsicle sticks and a few rhythms with the word BLAST! on them. Place all of the sticks in a cup or cylindrical container. 

The game begins. Students take turns pulling sticks out of the container.  The student who pulls out a rhythm claps or plays their stick. If they perform the rhythm correctly, the student keeps their stick; if not, it goes back in the cup.  When a student pulls out the BLAST! Stick, they must return all of their collected sticks to the container.  

Materials Needed:  

• Popsicle Sticks – with rhythms notated on them. 
• Plastic Cup or Cylindrical container (ex. baby wipes or cleaning wipes). 

Center Six: Summative Assessments 

National Core Arts Standard: #9 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. 

The goal of this center is a summative assessment of students’ rhythmic playing. The teacher has a stack of rhythm cards. The student chooses one rhythm card and claps the pattern. Repeat five times and assign a grade. 

Materials Needed:  

• Rhythm Cards 
• Grade Book 

Center Seven: Melodic Patterns 

National Core Arts Standard: #3 Refine and complete artistic work. 

This center aims to practice melodies on resonator bells or barred instruments—print different melodies on flashcards. Students use correct posture to practice the tunes.  

Materials Needed:  

• A set of Resonator Bells (hint – an entire set PROBABLY is not needed) 
• Barred Instruments 
• Mallets 
• Melody Cards (i.e., E D C D) 

Center Eight: Keyboard Skills 

National Core Arts Standard: #3 Refine and complete artistic work. 

Students practice melodies on the piano or keyboard in this center. Remind students to use proper hand positions while practicing melodies on the flashcards. For an extra challenge, use themes from different songs that students are singing in class for them to decode.  

Materials needed:  

• Keyboard – Labeled with Notes or other supports 
• Melody Cards 

I hope that you will enjoy exploring centers as much as I have in my classroom.  Not only do the students love using the centers, but I have found that centers have helped me streamline my assessment processes.

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