Lynn Kleiner

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Post Holiday Concert Lesson Plan for Elementary Music

  • Posted by Lynn Kleiner December 3, 2015 - Filed in Activities - #Jingle Bells  #Sleighride  #passing game  #holiday music lesson plan  - 6,783 views

    Music Classes after the Holiday Performance call for something a little special!  Here's a favorite I've enjoyed for many, many years.  Get your set of jingle bells (enough for one for each student and the teacher) and add a few surprises (I use things like a single jingle bell, a little santa, a cotton snowball, a plastic gingerbreak man, etc.)

    Passing Game Preparation for Sleigh Ride Jingle Bell Activity

    For the recording and more activities for this piece and other orchestral hits for preschool and elementary music, see Kids Can Listen, Kids Can Move . For a video of the activity at my teacher training click here!


    Students sit in a circle, legs crossed with knees close to each other. Teacher is also seated in the circle with a bag of jingle bells.

    • “Super glue” your left hand to your left knee, palm up as if you are going to hold a ball.
    • Practice, as if holding an object in your right hand, saying “Me” as you touch your right hand to your “glued” left hand. Say “You” when you touch your right side neighbor’s hand (neighbor’s left hand). Move the right hand from your own hand to your neighbor seated at the right by continuing to say “Me, You, Me, You.”
    • Once everyone is successfully doing this to a pulse, the teacher passes ONE jingle bell to make sure they can keep the beat steady and the object travels counter clockwise, to the right, from student to student. Have the basket of jingle bells near by so its easy to gradually add more bells, making sure everyone is able to handle passing more objects “safely.”

    As you add more jingle bells, make sure they keep the beat – if they are having trouble, continue with the game but the teacher puts the bell back in the container each time the teacher has a bell.  Eventually, you will regain control because there will be no more bells to pass!  Try again! Once you are confident they can pass well enough to each have one, use the recording of Sleigh Ride from Kids Can Listen, Kids Can Move . If you do not have this book (comes with the CD), you MUST get it!

    Students who deliberately "have passing issues," are asked to observe from the side.

    For more holiday lessons and passing games, check out Music Box Downloads, Forum and Blog.  Just use the Search feature and if you can't find what you need, click Forum, ASK LYNN QUESTIONS!

    Here's a pic of some of my festive passing surprises - these come out only after we've been passing the jingle bells so its a funny surprise.

     

     

2 comments
  • Kimberly Northup and Lydia Lawrence like this
  • Lydia Lawrence
    Lydia Lawrence Lynn, what grade levels would you use this with?
    December 7, 2015
  • Lynn Kleiner
    Lynn Kleiner It depends on how long they have had music. Children who have been in my program for years are successful much younger, grade 2 and 3. In my new schools, I do this with grade 4-6. The key is to start out slow with just one item being passed and work yo...  more
    December 7, 2015