If any of you are teaching at camps this summer, try some of these craft projects that tie into music education. I actually used some of them in my 10th Grade Music Appreciation classes, so they translate well into the classroom!
MUSIC MOBILES
Remember mobiles? Those art projects you hang from the ceiling? I made very simple ones with my students out of paper plates and magazine pictures.
SUPPLIES: paper plates, paper clips, thin string, hole puncher, magazines, glue, scissors
Divide the students into small groups to share supplies. Each group needs glue, scissors, and a stack of magazines. Each student needs a paper plate. Have a theme decided that goes with your lesson. Mine was “Musical Styles”. Each student picked a style of music to make a collage of, and then they cut out pictures to represent that style. One example is finding a picture of a motorcycle jacket for Rock and Roll, or a ballerina for Classical music. One clever student even found a picture of grass and colored it blue for, you guessed it, Bluegrass. Encourage them to find as many pictures as possible and to “write” the name of their genre with cut out letters.
When they are done, you have to punch a hole at the top and have them thread a piece of string. Tie the top end of the string to a paper clip. If you have the typical classroom ceiling (square styrofoam- type tiles that can easily be pushed up) you can lift the tiles and stick the paper clip up there in between the tiles. If you’ve never seen this done, or you don’t have these tiles, you can also use a pushpin to attach them straight to the ceiling.
These are a ton of fun and they will make your room much more festive!
MUSIC PLACEMATS (Great for little kids)
These are super simple if you have access to a laminating machine. Kids can take them home and show them off to their parents.
SUPPLIES: Laminating machine, placemat size construction paper, crayons, markers.
The kids will be using their imaginations to draw their placemats, so it’s best to give them a theme. I like “musical symbols”. With this theme, they have to pick 1 or more symbols to draw and label on the placemate. Have them get creative and decorate the border. Let them go crazy, but make it clear that they need to follow the theme of the project!
You have to laminate them after they are done and pass them back after they have cooled.
PERCUSSION PROJECTS
Here’s a simple craft idea: Have students bring containers and lids from home such as coffee cans, yogurt containers, jars, etc. Let students decorate with paint if it’s available. If not, you can have them decoupage with construction paper. When the containers are all decorated and dry, fill each one with dry beans and dry rice, cover the lid, and presto: you have a shaker. I like to have the kids use their new instruments for the future lessons with rhythm. They can make up rhythms, do call and response, or sight-read rhythms.
Hope these projects get your creativity going!
About the Author
When I was just a college Junior, I started teaching private guitar lessons in order to support myself. I was in a rock band, writing songs and performing on a regular basis, and I certainly did not plan on becoming a teacher. My plan was to graduate, get a job in social work, and just continue writing songs. Teaching surprised me. I ended up falling in love with the act of guiding a student from point a to point b. To watch someone go from knowing nothing about a subject, to simply performing in a recital, is such an awesome thing. I ended up scrapping that social work idea. I was doing more good as a teacher, minus the intense stress that most social workers go home with. I currently have a busy program that teaches private guitar, piano, and voice lessons in Los Angeles homes. I am also the creator of the music and service blog 38 Ways to Change the World Through Music.
