Medley:

I developed this rhythm play-along two years ago and later introduced a body percussion play-along activity. The combination of meters, rhythms, and tempos can present a challenge, so I recommend trying it out personally before implementing it in your class.

This particular rhythm play-along is one of my favorites as it emphasizes gratitude. Featuring a fall and thankful theme, it includes a mashup of snippets from the following songs:

• We Are Family by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, Performed by Sister Sledge;

• Vince Guaraldi Trio - Thanksgiving Theme;

• Home by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden, Performed by Phillip Phillips;

• Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant

• Count on Me by Bruno Mars.

Concepts:

The concepts performed are:

• Triple and duple meters

• Quarter rest

• Quarter notes or Crotchets

• Eighth notes or Quavers

• Half notes or Minims

• Whole notes or Semibreves

Manipulatives

The manipulatives to prepare your students for the rhythm play-along can be found at my Buy Me a Coffee channel at https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech

Teaching Tips:

When I incorporate play-alongs in music class, I start by having the students read and perform the various patterns presented in the song. Once they grasp this, they engage in body percussion to accompany the play-along.

In the following class, I utilize wheelofnames.com to randomly select a student to perform one of the song patterns. This acts as an initial performance assessment, and this time, the students use rhythm sticks for their performance.

During the third class, each student individually performs and reads the pattern, allowing me to assess their understanding of reading and executing it. We then explore non-pitched percussion instruments available in the classroom, such as drums, bells, and sand blocks, to create a balanced ensemble that performs together with the play-along activity.

After a brief hiatus from the play-along, we return to it with a body percussion play-along video. This quick, engaging activity is perfect for getting my elementary students moving or for wrapping up the class in those last few minutes. I will ask the students if they were able to identify which body movements corresponded to the note values in the rhythm play-along video.