Title – Hot/Cold Style Game to teach Dynamics

By – Becky Wilsford

Primary Subject – Music

Grade Level – K-4

Introductory Note:

I use this game as a follow-up activity to previous lessons on dynamics. The kids beg to play it for weeks afterwards.

Procedure:

• Use an item from the classroom that’s portable and fairly easy to spot when hidden (we use … ahem … a stuffed animal chicken).

• Pick one child to be the “Hider” and another to be the “Seeker”. I usually sit the kids in rows and pick them in the order they are sitting. (That way they don’t constantly ask if they can be the next one chosen.)

• The chosen Seeker stands right outside the classroom (where they can’t see OR HEAR what’s going on in the classroom) while the Hider, in plain view of the class, hides the
  
  [insert classroom item you've chosen to hide]
  
  . Make sure everyone knows where the object is hidden before the Seeker re-enters the room.

• Once the Seeker is back in the classroom, have him/her stand in the doorway until you give them the “go” sign. Have the class start singing a simple song (i.e. Twinkle, Twinkle). They sing softly (piano) if the Seeker is far away from the item, and then get louder (forte) when the Seeker is close to the item. Just like the Hot/Cold game.

• 
  You can use this game to explain crescendos and diminuendos, piano and forte, pianissimo and fortissimo, etc.
  

Concluding Note:

Kinder love this game, but they have a HARD time keeping a secret, so we do a lot of prepping on how to not let the cat out of the bag!

E-Mail

Becky Wilsford

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