Music Teacher Coffee Talk Episode #7: Favorite Beat and Meter Songs

Hello!
Here are four songs and games referenced on the podcast Music Teacher Coffee Talk Episode 7: Favorite Beat and Meter Songs and Activities. You can listen here.














Button You Must Wander Circle Passing Game:
Students sit in a circle. One student sits in the middle of the circle with eyes closed or blindfolded.
The students pass a button around the circle while the song is sung. At the end of the song, the child holding the button keeps it hidden in a palm. After the song is done, the center child guesses which child has the button.

3 Games for Apple Tree:

Game 1:

Students sit in a circle and pass an apple around the circle, on the beat.

The student who is holding the apple on the last beat (“out”) is out.

The “out” student leaves the circle to play the beat on a small percussion instrument

or a bourdon on an Orff instrument.

The game repeats until all the students are “out”.

Game 2:

Students stand in a circle, and the teacher makes a tree with one student, (the student stands inside the circle and the teacher stands outside while they join hands in a high arch. All sing while the circle rotates counterclockwise  and the students move their feet to the beat. On the word “out,” the teacher and the student (the tree) bring their arch down, “catching” a student. The caught student now makes an arch with the teacher and the “tree” student goes to an Orff instrument to play a simple bourdon. Game and song repeat until all students are at an instrument.

Game 2 Variation:

Students stand in a circle, and the teacher makes a tree with one student, (the student stands inside the circle and the teacher stands outside while they join hands in a high arch. All sing while the circle rotates counterclockwise  and the students move their feet to the beat. On the word “out,” the teacher and the student (the tree) bring their arch down, “catching” a student. The caught student now makes an arch with the first student and the teacher pairs with another student to become a new “tree.” Game and song begin again until all students are trees.

Thank you for listening and/or reading!