Centers: Sound Stories

At this center, I provide a basket of books that are conducive to adding instruments. Students choose a story and pick instruments to help tell the story. If they have a completed project, they can perform it for the class. I provide a sheet for them to keep track of their ideas if they want to use it.

Click on the links below to download materials:
Sound Stories Poster
Sound Stories Worksheet

Center: Rhythms of the Heart

This is one of my kindergarten centers. At this center, students create 4-beat rhythm patterns using sticks (for Ta's & Ti-Ti's) and pipe cleaners (for rest). I have strips of poster board with 4 hearts outlined on each - this is where they create their patterns. Once they have laid out the sticks and pipe cleaners on their heart beat sheet, they copy the rhythm pattern onto their worksheet (to help them practice writing music notes). They can also play their patterns on a non-pitched percussion instrument.

Click on the links below to download materials:
Rhythms of the Heart Poster
Rhythms of the Heart Worksheet

Centers: Meter Race

 At this station, students play against each other in a race to complete 4 measures of rhythm. Players alternate rolling the music dice, and add the rhythm on the dice to a measure on their own paper. They can only add the rhythm in a place where it will fit (ie. if they roll a half note, but only have one beat left in measure one, they can put it in measure two). If they roll a rhythm that they can't use (ie. if they roll a dotted half note but don't have a measure that has three free beats left) they lose that turn.

I put the music dice into little clear containers from the dollar store to keep the dice from getting lost in the room - students are to keep the die in the containers and simply shake them to roll.

Click on the links below to download materials:
Meter Race Poster
Meter Race Worksheet


To download the Smartboard file that can be used as a demonstration for this center, click here.

Centers: Lego Music

At the Lego Music center, students create rhythm patterns with pre-marked Lego pieces.

To download a Smartboard file that can be used to prepare students for this center, click here.

I bought flat sheets of Lego base sheets at Wal-Mart, and cut them into strips. I took the (2-bump) Lego pieces and wrote numbers on them (1 to 4) to represent the beats. I put them on the base strip and added 4 bar lines.

I drew on each of the Lego pieces as follows:

 Once students have created their 4-bar rhythm pattern, they copy it onto their Lego worksheet.
Click here to download the worksheet.

Students can then practice playing their rhythm on an instrument.

Centers: Graphic Notation Station

At the Graphic Notation Station, students choose instruments and playing methods to represent the graphic notation (made by myself). Once they have done a couple of pre-made graphic scores, they can use the paper provided to create their own graphic notation score.

Click on the links below to download materials:
Graphic Notation Station Poster
Graphic Notation Station Worksheet