We learned a game called Rhythm Train, which helped us fine tune our rhythm reading & playing. Each student had a boarding pass with 2 rhythms on it. The first was theirs, the second was another students. Players had to listen very carefully for when their rhythm was played, repeat it and 'call' the next person.
We also spent a good deal of time listening to 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' composed by Edvard Grieg. This piece is from a suite called The Peer Gynt Suite. So, first we listened to the legend of Peer Gynt(the children's version) almost to the end. After listening to the piece the kids came up with their own ending to the story. Throughout this piece the same motive is repeated many times, and so we discussed how the composer used a changing tempo and dynamics to make the piece exciting.
