I got this great idea from a conference - and the kids love it!
I put 4 hula hoops on the floor in 4 different colors.
I ended up making my own hoops with plastic tubing covered by electrical tape. It was cheaper - and I could make the hoops a little smaller and easier to store.
(1) Put the 4 hoops on the floor. Turn on a steady beat (I usually choose a "rock beat" on my keyboard). I put 4 cards on the board (The colors correspond with the colors of the hoops).
When I step into the red hoop, the students pat whole notes...
So then I choose other students to be "conductors." I do this as a "warm up" for several days in a row, choosing different students different days - and I keep track who has had a turn.
There are many variations of the hoops activity. Some ideas are:
- Use the colors to signify which students on which colored risers are to play or sing.
- Students put steady beat with different body percussion. Make cards like this.
- Make cards like this to signify which types of percussion instruments are to play.
Variation:
32-beat pattern:
- Have a student put the 4 hoops in a certain order, then stand out of the way. The class performs the 32-beat pattern. They have to count in their heads to know when to switch to the action of the next hoop (every 8 beats).
Improvisation:
- Now tell the students to imagine there are 4 hoops in a row. They must improvise their own patterns and switch to a different pattern every 8 beats. Everyone will do it at the same time. This will take practice, because it can be scary for the kids to do this!
