Hobbies And Interests
Dance Activity
The nature of music--its dynamics and emotion--can promote creativity in students in a structured dance activity. First, set some ground rules for your class. Explain that they will be moving to music but that they cannot talk, and they must avoid bumping into other people. Choose a wide selection of music from different genres and with various tempos and dynamics. As you play the music, offer verbal prompts for students to follow. For example, tell them to move as if they were a scuba diver, an astronaut or an eagle. Remind students that there is no "right" way to perform the movements and that it is an opportunity for each person to express their own creativity. Once the activity is done, lead the group in a discussion about how it felt to perform certain movements and how the music made them feel in general.
Bounce Activity
This activity works well for groups with limited mobility or mixed groups (such as a general classroom in which several students are in wheelchairs). Have students sit in a circle and place a large sheet in the middle. The sheet must be large enough so that each member of the group can grab onto a section of the perimeter. Introduce a small, light object to the sheet, such as a foam ball or stuffed animal. Tell the group that once the music starts, they must bounce the object on the sheet, and when the music stops, they must "catch" the object on the sheet without letting it hit the floor. Use a variety of music for this activity. Afterward, discuss how the group had to work as a team to keep the object from hitting the floor and how the nature of the music influenced the way the group worked.
Rhythm Note Activity
Use movement to help teach basic rhythm notes, including quarter notes, whole notes, half notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes and various rests. Teach specific movements for each note. For example, students might stomp a quarter note, pat eighth notes on their laps and snap sixteenth notes. Once students become familiar with the movements for each note, give them series of notes to perform. Turn the activity into a game by dividing the class into teams and have one person at a time draw a card that has a rhythm pattern to be performed. Team members can score points by correctly performing the patterns.