Crescendo Music Education

Single Note Flashcards

Teaching Ideas 

Here is a list of teaching ideas from the Crescendo Music Education competition. Thank to all those who entered - and I hope this sharing helps to invigorate your music programs! (And the winner of 12 months membership was Sam Vimes - Congratulations!)

Debbie O’Shea - Quick Quiz. Teacher shows 5 cards quite quickly and students write the letter names. They keep score and try to beat their PB (Personal Best). You could do a quick Quiz once a week, once a month...You might create a team competition. 

Bronwyn Trezise The kids love Round the World. You can have a champion chart on the door.  I would play musical baseball. Two teams of kids and set the field like baseball. Pitcher holds up the flash card. Batter has to name the note. If correct they use the same pitched boomwhacker to hit a nurf ball and then play as normal. If they get it wrong they are out. I have played this as an end of term game with classes and they love it!! They constantly ask to play. 

Leonore Hammond I would toss it at that child who isn't paying attention and say "Ha! You didn't C that coming did you?!" 

Janice A Liddy We do flash card Friday's at my Friday school. They are supposed to be math but I try to do music ones and these would be a HUGE HELP! My 4th graders are obsessed with playing capture!

Laurie Gliem Pairs of cards could be mixed and laid face down to play a memory game.

Sandy Thiedeman Children to make pairs and create an 8 note composition. Students to play or sing it to the class.

Kaethe Grabenhofer Give pairs of children a set and have them spell words.

Fiona Coleman Round the world. First to answer note correctly out of two moves to next person. Person who moves the further seat is the winner. Kids love it as they get excited about how fast they can answer and goal set for how far they move from the last time they played. Also good for learning to read the notes better and quicker in random order.

Suzanne Bauer Use as a group activity led by band student(s) where they can teach/test each other on note names of treble clef, usually it's a group activity when I have 4 tasks out.

Liz Kutschke These cards look fantastic! I think maybe I'd use them in a center, where students can quiz each other, but everyone else's ideas sound great, too! :) 

Debbie Roe Play 'Around the World'. (it's like playing 'Around the World' in Math). Two students are standing or sitting side by side. Teacher holds up a flash card. The first student to say the correct letter moves over to the next student. Card is shown. First student to win THAT round continues over to the next. I usually play it until everyone has had a turn OR until one person goes all the way around the room. The students LOVE doing this!

Morgan Lentino These would be a station for my 4th graders- music memory!

Sam Vimes Use them as the starting point for reviewing and reinforcing tone sets and tone relationships. Put one card up and tell the students which tone it is, then tell them which other tone they need to find e.g. "this is mi, show me so." Students write it down (show-me boards), then add the other tone required. Younger students would work within s/m/l, eg start with so and add mi or la... with older students you could extend to "this is do, find low so and low la", or "this is low la, find mi and so" etc. You could turn this into a team game as well... have a giant stave on the floor. Students have to place dots on the appropriate lines/spaces. Award a point to the first correct team. Ooh! Ooh! And then I'd also use them for intervals. P4, P5, octave, m3 below etc. 

Gemma Bonnitcha I would use the note cards to play a game of musical chairs. All children sit in a circle, 8 chairs are placed in the centre with a note card on each.2 opponents are chosen. I call out a note and the first person to find the chair with the note on it is the winner and a new opponent is chosen.