Submitted by Tami Mangusso, Aurora, Colorado

Idea posted June 2, 2003

Number of players: Unlimited
Equipment: 1 bouncing ball, Rhythm flash cards, CDs (any upbeat music like Music K-8 accompaniment CDs), Hula Hoop or tape.
How to play:

Assign everyone a number. Everyone will need to have a different number. Mark the center of the playing area with the Hula Hoop or use tape to make a box. This will be called the "Center Zone." The teacher starts the game by standing in the Center Zone with the ball. Everyone else is scattered around the Center Zone, or you can be more formal and make a circle around the Center Zone. Play the music (any style) and as the music plays, the students dance and move around the Center Zone. The teacher throws the ball into the air (not too high) and calls a number out. The student whose number is called attempts to catch the ball by the second bounce and then yells "Freeze." Everyone must stop moving and stand still (they don't have to be totally still like in the game "Freeze"). The player with the ball walks up to someone and says "Do you have rhythm?" At this point the teacher shows the student a rhythm card. The whole class then says, "Rhythm, rhythm say the rhythm." The chosen student then has to immediately say and clap the rhythm without hesitation. I have the students us the "ta" and "ti-ti" method or you could just have them clap the rhythm to make it more challenging. If the person performs the rhythm wrong, then they become the next person with the ball and you start the game again. If the person got the rhythm right, then the original person with the ball goes to another person and asks the same question.

Special Rules:

1. A student can only get the rhythm wrong 2 times during class. After that, they sit out until someone else gets out. This keeps students from purposefully trying to get the rhythm wrong in order to get the ball.

2. A student can only have the ball for three rounds. You might have a lot of good rhythm readers and no one will get it wrong.

3. You could make it more challenging by allowing the student to only see the card for a few seconds, make the pattern longer, or have the student write it on the board after the teacher performs it, etc.

Variations:

You could easily adapt this game to meet any of your music needs by using other categories, such as: theory, notation, melody, instruments, composers, etc. All you need to do is change the question being asked and the chant that students say.

My students have really liked this game and they have begged me to play it again. I have been playing it with 2nd - 5th grade.