Five end-of-the-year activities with MFE

It's that time of year when school's wrapping up faster than a holiday gift. Elementary music teachers are running on fumes, trying to jazz up those final lessons. But fear not, MusicFirst Elementary is here to save the day! Say goodbye to last-minute planning and hello to five fun end-of-year activities for your music classes. Let the musical countdown begin!

#5 Interactive Supplementary Musical Activities

At this stage of the school year, your class might have rocked their last concert, starred in a school play, or are gearing up for end-of-year fun. Tossing in a new tune might not be the brightest idea now. Instead of hitting the musical note, why not dive into the interactive musical activities in MFE to keep the class buzzing during this wacky time when focus is as rare as a unicorn in a desert storm?

All grade levels feature several songs with interactive music-making activities embedded in them. These activities include some or all of the following:

• Play-Along Activities

• Improvisation Activities

• Composition Activities

Have your students grab pitched or non-pitched instruments from bells, to boomwhackers, to rhythm sticks, to voices, to body percussion to have them play along with the music, improvise new melodies or phrases, or compose new melodies or phrases using the built-in composition squares in kindergarten or the Music Explorer composition tools in grades 1 through 5. These interactive jam sessions will have your students skipping out of class with a smile and a tune on their lips!

#4 Quickbeats

Get the classroom grooving with a fun activity! First up, let your students craft a snazzy quickbeat using the Creative Tool. Once they've got their beat, challenge them to whip up a haiku poem - perfect for those poetry buffs. Then, watch the magic happen as they rap out their haiku to their cool new beat! For the older crew, let them shine solo, but for the young ones, gather 'round the interactive whiteboard or screen for a group beat-making session. Next up, have each kiddo introduce themselves with a tasty twist - think "My name is Sarah, and I'm all about sweets!" Let the rhythmic fun begin!

#3 Play-Along Videos in the Supplementary Tab

The Supplementary Tab has a plethora of activities that require very little prep. One example is the Resources for Classroom Instruments. Within this tab, you will find numerous play-along videos for recorder, bells, boomwhackers, and ukuleles. All of these resources gradually add notes one-at-a-time to make it intuitive for you to pick a few videos that will help your students at any age level feel successful. Start the fun by having them sneak a peek at the performance before jumping in. Then, let the show go on, mixing notes and trying out new chords a few times.

#2 A Decoding Scavenger Hunt

Play one of their favorite music games that they played earlier in the year. An example might be Pass the Pumpkin, Doggie Doggie, Obwisanasa, or one from the Kodály Supplementary Songs Tab. When finished with the game, have them decode the rhythms of the song using Rhythm Grids. This could be performed with 1:1 devices, as a group, or in a center. Once decoded, have them use the “Hear” tab to listen to see if their decoding was accurate. After finishing up, let your students pick a musical genre and show off their performance skills with that vibe.

#1 Score a Movie with YuStudio

If you have followed my channel or seen my other videos, you know that currently, YuStudio, which is included in MFE, is the only web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that can score a movie. For your older students, assign one of the short 30-second movies found in MFE and have them score a drumbeat, guitar, and bass to it and have them assign one to two sound effects to go with the movie.

For your younger students, have them draw pictures during one class of a topic you assign. Then create a video from those pictures using Canva, Clipchamp, the Photo tool on your MAC, or other creative tools. Upload the video to YuStudio and have them help you create music to those pictures. With my young students, I ask one student to choose between a drum or guitar. I then ask them to choose between two loops from one of those instruments. This guided practice helps move the activity along with everyone choosing various loops to perform with the video. 

The school year finale can seem like a slow-motion race to the end. But fear not, with MusicFirst Elementary, we can glide across that finish line effortlessly!