October Music Lesson Resource
Happy Halloween!
October’s resource of the month incorporates some of the mystery of the season with riddles, along with, of course, a pumpkin!
Table of Contents:
What’s Included
Set Up
How to Play
Expansion Idea
What theory concept does this support?
Link to PDF
What’s Included:
Blank jack-o-lantern with music riddles
Blank jack-o-lantern without music riddles
Jack-o-lantern face cutouts
Set Up:
Cut out the jack-o-lantern face cutouts
Laminate cutouts and pumpkin
Use a dry erase marker to write note names on the back of cutouts
How To Play:
The objective of this game is to make a jack-o-lantern face by solving the riddles on the pumpkin. Each riddle is asking the student to name the mystery note. For example, the riddle:
“On the keyboard I sit
in between two black keys
If you start on G,
step down three.”
The answer to this riddle would be “D.”
On the back of each laminated face cutout, use a dry erase marker to write in the answers. Of course, most kiddos will be able to make a jack-o-lantern face just based on the shapes. To encourage solving the riddles, write extra note names on the backs of extra face cutouts, so they not only have to find the facial feature shape, but the answer to the riddle as well. For example, none of the riddles’ answers are B, so you could write that on some extra pieces for your students to sort through. This gets your students to work through each riddle, and there’s the added mystery of what kind of face the jack-o-lantern will be!
There is an extra blank pumpkin for you to write your own riddles on for easy re-use!
Expansion Idea:
For a more challenging version, try flipping the game. Have your student solve each riddle on their own without telling you the answer. Once they solve it, they are the ones to write the notes on the backs of each feature cutout, writing the correct answer on the facial features they want you to use.
What theory concepts does this support?
Knowledge of notes’ locations on the staff in relation to other notes
Knowledge of notes’ locations on the piano in relation to other notes
Link to PDF:
Mikaila Vieyra, LPMT, MT-BC