7th Grade Music Composition Assessment

It's the end of the year... and we're in survival mode. Need no prep solutions to make sure your 5th graders haven't checked themselves out and need engaging games and activities for some of your other students? Check out the EOY Survival Kit, 10 hand picked and proven resources to keep your kids busy during the last few weeks of the year... and when purchased in the bundle here, you get 15% off of each one! Feel free to peruse the resources and use them as you wish either for the end of the year or even anytime of the year. Have a great time, you'll get through this! :)

In Stick it to the Rhythm, we used popsicle sticks to identify quarter and eighth note notation in our classrooms. What happened if we didn't give the kids a blank slate and they had to use eyes, ears, and minds? In this follow-up, "Stick it to the Rhythm Part II", students are instructed to put a number of sticks on the floor (6 to 12 'quarter notes') and will listen to a musical example made up of quarter and eighth notes. They are then to interpret that example and use the last sticks and place them where they think they heard the eighth notes... In essence, they are taking the quarter notes at the end of the phrase and making them into eighth notes by beaming the quarter notes together -- this will really get your kids thinking! There are 10 examples (all with an 8 beat count off to establish tempo) and the examples range from easy to difficult with the mp3 embedding into the file. Have a great time and let me know what you think in the comments :) As always, any questions or concerns, you know where to find me!

A great end of the year (or maybe even beginning of the year!) assessment for some of your kids in the older grades, "Identify Musical Parameters" takes you through 11 musical elements (tempo, meter, dynamics, articulation, and tonality) that you typically discuss in class with the kids!

Students will hear a musical example of a parameter and will have to decide which element of music they heard with a multiple choice answer for each example given. You can do this as a class activity, boys vs girls, in groups, or however you wish!

Advance the slide to show the answer highlighted in green. Have a great time with this and let me know how it goes in the comments! ;)

Listening to Popular music isn’t just for enjoyment. It contains critical pieces of musical composition that makes it sound the way it does!

In "The Elements of Pop", students will be given 8 short examples of pop music (about 30-45 seconds long all mp3s included and embedded into the powerpoint) and will be see a multiple choice selection of elements that described the pop music being played

It's mostly broad terminology you teach in your music class: Rhythm, Tempo, Major/Minor, Instrumentation, Vocal ranges, etc!

This is great assessment to do as a class, individually, or even through distance learning! Have your cake and eat it too!

Pair this with the Identify Form in Popular Music series and you got yourself engaging lesson material!

Let us know how it is goes in the comments :)

Listening to Popular music isn’t just for enjoyment. It contains critical pieces of musical composition that makes it sound the way it does!

In "The Elements of Pop", students will be given 8 short examples of pop music (about 30-45 seconds long all mp3s included and embedded into the powerpoint) and will be see a multiple choice selection of elements that described the pop music being played

It's mostly broad terminology you teach in your music class: Rhythm, Tempo, Major/Minor, Instrumentation, Vocal ranges, etc!

This is great assessment to do as a class, individually, or even through distance learning! Have your cake and eat it too!

Pair this with the Identify Form in Popular Music series and you got yourself engaging lesson material!

Let us know how it is goes in the comments :)

A great end of the year (or maybe even beginning of the year!) assessment for some of your kids in the older grades, "Identify Musical Parameters" takes you through 11 musical elements (tempo, meter, dynamics, articulation, and tonality) that you typically discuss in class with the kids!

Students will hear a musical example of a parameter and will have to decide which element of music they heard with a multiple choice answer for each example given. You can do this as a class activity, boys vs girls, in groups, or however you wish!

Advance the slide to show the answer highlighted in green. Have a great time with this and let me know how it goes in the comments! ;)

Understanding notation duration and how they fit mathematically into bars of music is one of the fundamental learning goals of upper elementary students!

With Measure Up! Students will see a measure of music… but… it is incomplete! They will then Choose the correct notation from one of the boxes to complete the measure. Students can use the powerpoint in design mode to click and drag it, draw a path for their specific box to the open box, or write it in!

Can also be used for Distance Learning as well!

15 examples with quarter notes and rests, half notes and rests, whole notes and rests, eighth notes and rests, 4 sixteenth notes and 2/4, 3/4, 5/4, 4/4, and a bonus 6/8 example at the end!

Working on terms with some of your older kids who have been in elementary music for a few years? With "Come to Terms", students will see a definition of a term on the powerpoint and will have to drag one multiple choice term of which they think matches the definition. Advance the slide to reveal the correct answer!

In the 30 slide presentation, the 15 terms identified are:

Forte

Presto

**Largo
Crescendo
Accelerando
Fermata
Legato
Tempo
Staccato
Sostenuto
Triplet
Melody
Flat
Sharp
Diminuendo
**

Chord quality galore! Help your kids understand to identify Major and Minor chords in "Major Problem, Minor Adjustment"!

Students will hear 3 to 4 chords back-to-back and have to select the chord (represented by a box from left to right) they think is "minor" or "major" as indicated by the slide

Advance the slide to discover the answer!

There are 8 questions and answers in this series

"4 beats in a measure with the quarter note getting the beat", the time old concept we ingrain in our students' mind! Assess your students by letting them identify inaccuracies in a measure of music with "Common Sense"

Students will view examples of a measure of Common Time (4/4) and find the measure that has too many or not enough beats to equal common time!

After the students select the correct measure, advance the slide to find out the answer. You can then trigger a discussion of what made it inaccurate (too many beats, not enough beats, etc)

The latter half of the lesson shows you one measure of music with a [ ? ] box. Students will have to select (from a multiple choice selection of answers) which answer would best fit in the box to complete a measure of 4/4

Getting into advanced rhythms with your kids, try to ace these rhythm examples of Off the Beat!

In this presentation, there are 30 3, 4, 5, and 6 beat rhythms to challenge your kids on the "and" counts. Have your students play this on percussion instruments (such as tubanos, StickStations, boomwhackers, rhythm sticks, or anythign that will produce music!)

The 21st example splits into an "A" section and a "B" sections where you can split your class (boys and girls, side 1 side 2, etc) to perform a 2-part rhythm. You can even experiment around with the last slides and play the on barred instruments on difference pitches (C and E for the "A" section and G and C for the "B" section) to create polyrhythmic harmony

Included are 5 percussive grooves to play as a background supplement (all at various tempi)

After you've discussed Quarter and Eighth note pairs with your kids, you naturally move onto 16th notes and discuss how the the subdivision breaks down from there.

This lesson, Sweet 16 focuses on students identifying where sixteenth notes are a musical example. Students will listen to 10 examples and write out (either with a whiteboard, printed cards, or other method) what notation they hear. In the examples, there will be quarter notes, eighth notes, and groups of 4 sixteenths.

Each example gets a bit harder! You can play the audio as many times as necessary so the kids master the skill.

Have a great time with this!

This one will get the kids on their edge of their seats!

You will need 1 thing for this particular game:

• A sticky suction cup ball (or maybe a soft squishy ball)

The students will see a rhythm at the bottom of their screen and memorize the rhythm or say it back in their head (just make sure the rhythm is not spoken out loud). They will then hear a musical example of an endless loop of rhythms separated by 4 beats each in between rhythms. (Teacher will click the speaker icon to play)

Take a listen...

....

....

One of the rhythms will be the rhythm that is on the screen. AS SOON AS THEY HEAR THAT RHYTHM, they throw their suction cup ball at the target. The first kid who gets it correct is the winner (and make sure you advance the slide to make the target turn green) :)

Obviously, we cannot play this as a class because of

1. The amount of suction cup balls tossed at the screen would be insane

2. Boys vs Girls would be a bit more competitive and only two balls would be launched at once

If you don't have a whiteboard/projection screen, you can alternatively have the students raise their hand when they hear it and choose the kid who has their hand up the fastest.

Quarter Notes, Eighth Note pairs, and Quarter Rests are covered in this lesson.

Have a great time with this fast paced game!

The follow-up to "Rhythm Wind Up and PITCH!"
______________________________________

This one will get the kids on their edge of their seats!

You will need 1 thing for this particular game:

• A sticky suction cup ball (or maybe a soft squishy ball)

The students will see a melody at the bottom of their screen and memorize the melodic direction or say it back in their head (just make sure the melodic is not sung out loud). They will then hear a musical example of an endless loop of melodic figures separated by 4 beats each in between rhythms. (Teacher will click the speaker icon to play)

Take a listen...

....

....

One of the melodic figures will be the melody that is on the screen. AS SOON AS THEY HEAR THAT MELODY, they throw their suction cup ball at the target. The first kid who gets it correct is the winner (and make sure you advance the slide to make the target turn green) :)

Obviously, we cannot play this as a class because of

1. The amount of suction cup balls tossed at the screen would be insane

2. Team A v Team B would be a bit more competitive and only two balls would be launched at once

If you don't have a whiteboard/projection screen, you can alternatively have the students raise their hand when they hear it and choose the kid who has their hand up the fastest.

Have a great time with this fast paced game!

Mastering the “Call and Response” technique just got a bit more automonous! Sit back and let the music be freely created with “Call it the Response” for Orff Instruments!

In this lesson, student swill hear a “Call” which is the first part of a musical phrase. They will then play a “response” which completes the short musical phrase. Their response may be a certain number of beats or maybe a certain rhythm (could be same or different than the call)

There are 8 different exercises for your kids to give their response on Orff Instruments (or even auxiliary percussion instruments or boomwhackers, the possibilities are endless!).

Each exercise has a percussive backing track with the "Call" built in (played by marimba and xylophone, so you as the teacher aren't responsible for making it up yourself!) and varies in tempo from 100bpm to 110bpm and covers V7, Pentatonic, IV chords, and bourdon notes.

Get creative with “Call it the Response!”

Working on ostinatos (repeated phrases) with your instrumentals (Orff, Recorder, Percussion, Body Percussion etc?).

Check out Ostinato Party where students can be assigned an A ostinato or B ostinato while working on different rhythms. You can have students switch halfway through or assign half a class one ostinato and the other half the different one.

3 Levels of Quarters and Eighths, Eighth Rests, and Sixteenth Notes!

A game that will keep your 4th and 5th graders entertained, engaged, and competitively charged, here's RHYTHM IMPOSTER inspired by "Among Us"!

In Rhythm Imposter, you will see 2 or 3 "crewmates" assigned with different instruments (either a trumpet, violin, or xylophone).

A musical example will be played where all of the crewmates will play their assigned rhythms on their instruments.

During the example, You, along with your students, will soon find out that the trumpet, violin, or xylophone did NOT play the correct rhythm!

Your task is to decide which crewmate is the IMPOSTER by selecting the one crewmate instrumentalist who didn't play their rhythm correct (or even at all!). Advance the slide and check your answer and go through the rounds!

Included in this resource are

• Mp3 examples embedded in each question (with trumpet, violin, and xylophone sounds) with a 4 beat countoff
• A printout where you can replicate and cut out cards (if you want the students to place on the floor or hold up to show which one was the imposter)
• 4 levels of rhythms with 2 and 3 imposters, along with a level where you can find the crewmate (and the rest of the instruments are imposters!

All examples have quarter, eighth note pairs, quarter rests and half notes (in Levels 3 and on)

Have a terrific time with this while your kids study polyphony!

Gone are the days of identifying and listening to soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and all of the instruments in unison! With "In Harmony", students will listen to a short piece of music and have to identify if the piece is in unison, a two-part harmony, or a three-part harmony

Each piece of music is about 12-15 seconds and covers different instrument groups (woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussion) and venues through different timbres so students are challenged to identify the harmonies (or unisons!) in each one.

Simply advance the slide after the example to see which answer was correct!

There are 15 examples in this lesson with multiple instruments featured.

Looking for a fun, exciting, challenging, and engaging way to reach students in your upper elementary or lower middle school grades? Try this all-inclusive lesson that will get your kids racing against the clock and each other with The Great Escape!

In “THE GREAT ESCAPE”, students will be given a specific amount of time to perform tasks successfully (as designed by the teacher). Each one of these tasks is a musical task and the theme for this escape room are rhythms.

There are five rooms, and in each room are several "tasks" students will have to perform (either individually, as a class, A vs B, side by side, or however you wish). As soon as the task is completed, advance the slide for the correct answer (the teacher will control the game).

After a certain number of tasks, a key will be issued to exit the room and head into another room with a different set of tasks.

The five rooms and tasks are as follows:

• Room One: The Library (Perform the Rhythm shown)
• Room Two: The Kitchen (Identify Rhythm)
• Room Three: The Den (Perform the Rhythm BACKWARDS)
• Room Four: The Boiler Room (Identify Rhythmic Value)
• Room Five: The Lobby (Perform Polyrhythms (1-4 groups of class split)
• Room Five: The Lobby (Diagonal Rhythms and Shapes)

If students complete all tasks and open the door to all five rooms they win the game!

You can play this one of four ways

• Set a timer (5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc). You can designate how long students should receive to complete the entire game
• Keep track of time to beat another class or grade level
• Keep track of time and try again during another class to name it faster
• Play it side vs side, boys vs girls, and see who can get to the end the fastest (or before time ends)

If you would like music to accompany this to make it a bit more engaging, try using this in the background:

Escape Room Background Music

Have a terrific time with this and let us know how it goes!

Looking for a fun, exciting, challenging, and engaging way to reach students in your upper elementary or lower middle school grades? Try this all-inclusive lesson that will get your kids racing against the clock and each other with The Great Escape!

In “THE GREAT ESCAPE”, students will be given a specific amount of time to perform tasks successfully (as designed by the teacher). Each one of these tasks is a musical task and the theme for this escape room are the notes of the treble clef staff.

There are five rooms, and in each room are several "tasks" students will have to perform (either individually, as a class, A vs B, side by side, or however you wish). As soon as the task is completed, advance the slide for the correct answer (the teacher will control the game).

After a certain number of tasks, a key will be issued to exit the room and head into another room with a different set of tasks.

The five rooms and tasks are as follows:

• Room One: The Office (Name one note on the staff)
• Room Two: The Laboratory (Name two notes on the staff)
• Room Three: The Library (Spell out the word)
• Room Four: The Lounge (Pick the correct note to match the letter)
• Room Five: The Foyer (Pick the correct tile to match the word)

If students complete all tasks and open the door to all five rooms they win the game!

You can play this one of four ways

• Set a timer (5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc). You can designate how long students should receive to complete the entire game
• Keep track of time to beat another class or grade level
• Keep track of time and try again during another class to name it faster
• Play it side vs side, boys vs girls, and see who can get to the end the fastest (or before time ends)

If you would like music to accompany this to make it a bit more engaging, try using this in the background:

Escape Room Background Music

Have a terrific time with this and let us know how it goes!