Friday, October 14, 2016

Looking for Halloween Songs & Activities For Your Music Class?


Welcome to Mrs. Stucki's Music Class!
Halloween is right around the corner! I've put together a few classroom ideas and activities for you to use with your music classes. 

Halloween Activities for K-2nd Grade
1. Candy Bar Rhythms: Use rhythm sticks or drums to play the rhythm syllables of each candy bar. (place magnets on the back of the candy bars so they will stick to your white board). The older classes will also love doing this.


2. Ghostly Rhythms-Singing Game:
Create a simple S-M melody for your class to sing from any of the rhymes below. This will be the "A" section of the music. Use ghost game cards to create the "B" section and repeat rhythms 2 times. If you would like these ghostly rhythm cards for your class, click here to check them out. 
(Select 1 Rhyme below for the "A" Section)

  1. Trick or treat, trick or treat.Give me something good to eat.
  2. Pumpkin, pumpkin round and fat. Turn into a jack-o-lantern just like that.
  3. Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish.
  4. Up and down, up and down, This is the way to chocolate town.


3. Bats & Cats Movement Game:
In scattered formation, the teacher calls out different ways for the children to move at the end of each verse of the song (move like a bat, vampire, mummy, ghost, robot, etc.) Music is found in Holiday & Game Songs Music Play-1 by Denise Gagne. 


Halloween Activities for 3rd-6th Grade
1. Mystery Composer Game:
Exciting Balloon Popping Activity on your smart-board. Select a student to pop a balloon on the smart-board. When the balloon pops, read the important fact about your mystery composer. The last balloon will reveal the mystery composer. It also includes Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor music attached to the smart-board file. Just tap the spider and it will play the music. Bach's song sounds like scary Halloween music. The student's may be surprised they already know this music. If you would like this Mystery Composer Game for your class, click here to check it out.


2. Fun Halloween Songs:

  • Adams Family
  • Tons of Halloween songs from K-8 Music Magazine
  • "Do the Igor" is one of my classes favorite songs from K-8 Music Magazine. 
  • "Skin & Bones: Select 5 student volunteers to perform "Skin & Bones." Each student sings one verse and refrain as a solo. The entire class sings the final line "She opens the door and Boo!"
3. Movement: Ghost Buster Song (teach AB musical form)
"A" section of the music: the class joins hands and walks to the steady beat around the circle. "B" section of the music: the class stops walking and does a group wave. Teacher starts the wave by quickly lifting up the right hand followed by the left hand high in the air and back down to the legs. The next person in the circle will do the same thing, passing the wave motion all around the circle until the "B" section of the music is done. Repeat the "A-B sections again until the end of your song.


What other ideas do you have? Share them with us in the comment section below. Have fun teaching  Sherry Stucki :)