children's choir games

40 Call & Response Songs and Games for Elementary Music

40 Call & Response Songs and Games for Elementary Music

Call and response is a form of musical dialogue: Someone sings or plays a musical phrase, and someone else (or a group of people) responds, either echoing the phrase back or providing a musical answer.

Call and response stems from a variety of musical traditions, including African, Cuban, folk, and early church music (think cantor and congregation). (source)

Call and response can be a useful teaching tool, as it gives young children an opportunity to listen, imitate, explore the voice, and gain confidence in their singing.

Top 10 Posts of 2016

Top 10 Posts of 2016

I love this time of the year. 

This week in between Christmas and New Year’s is always a time of rest and reflection for me - both personally and professionally. I look back on my goals for the year and evaluate what worked and what didn’t work. I also spend some time reviewing this year’s blog content and growth and learning more about what really resonated with you. Finally, I look forward to the New Year by setting new personal and business goals and thinking about new blog content ideas and outlining a preliminary editorial calendar.

It’s always fun for me to look back at the most popular posts of the year. Here are this year's top 10: 

7 Fun Games for Children's Choir

7 Fun Games for Children's Choir

It's a rainy evening and the 1st graders in your children's choir are extra wiggly. You need a quick change-of-pace to keep their attention and get through rehearsal. 

Been there? I think we all have. 

There are lots of games you could play, but I like choosing games and activities that keep the focus on music (and maybe get the children up and moving for a few minutes). Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite (musical) games and activities for children's choir.

Enjoy!