I have had many different jobs, and one of the most rewarding lasted only a summer.
I was the music counseler at a summer camp for disabled youth, "Shufat" that took place in Jerusalem a while ago.
This blog post is for my friend Gayle who will be teaching Preschool Music at a Chabad School! Good Luck!!
These are the games that I played with the kids:
1. Low and High notes. Teaches the kids the difference between a low not and a high note.
First I played low notes, the kids need to "dance" low on the ground.
Then I played high notes, the kids need to jump up as high as they can.
Then I played middle notes, the kids dance in the middle.
Then I played a song and they had to dance according to the notes of the song.
2. Freeze frame.
I would play a song and then stop in the middle. The kids would dance to the song and when I stopped playing they would freeze in the funny position they were in.
3. Make shakers
I gathered medicine bottles and small boxes. We then took material and glue, and small rocks. We filled the bottles about half full of rocks, then glued the tops on, and covered the sides with either paper or cloth. The kids then had their own shakers.
We used the shakers to keep beat.
4. Using the shakers that we made, I taught the kids how to keep the beat and count to 4. (the most usual time signature). I would then play a song and they would keep time with the shakers.
5. Make up hand movements to songs. Then teach the hand movements and as I played the song, the kids would do the hand movements.
6. Teach the children to sing a scale. In Israel we use Do Re Me, but in America we use A B C
Play a scale on the instrument, or a xylophone and have the children sing the notes in order.
You can make large cards with the note names and then hold them up in order, and then after a while, change the order and the kids will sing the notes according to the cards.
All of these music games can be used with any children's songs.
Have Fun with Music!
Rachael Alice Orbach
for private music lessons in Jerusalem contact:
