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The Egg Shaker Game

Teach participants to keep the beat while showing off their best dance moves – Submitted by Anne Joseph www.newcitykids.org/jerseycity
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This game works for all music classes when you need to take a break on playing instruments. Use it as an icebreaker or to teach rhythm & tempo. 

1. Everyone stands in a circle, each with an egg shaker (you can also buy easter eggs and fill them with beads).
2. Everyone begins to shake a certain rhythm (quarter notes)
3. One person takes a step up and dances with their egg shaker for 2 counts of 4. (doesn’t matter the dance move, they just have to keep shaking the egg). Then that person takes a step back and continues the group shake beat. If there’s a student that doesn’t want to dance, they can pass to the next person.
4. This happens around the circle until it reaches the first person.
5. Then the game ends.
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It’s a super simple game, that not only touches on rhythm & tempo, but also works on confidence, shows inclusion, makes students think on their toes, and is engaging for the whole class!

Round Robin Elimination

Don’t drop the beat or you’re out! – Submitted by Daniel DRoyul Cody – www.newcitykids.org/paterson

This is a bass guitar game we play (but you can use it with any instrument): 
  1. Make a circle with enough space for the basses and amps
  2. Pick a scale or song that you are going to play
  3. Start with one person playing the 1st note of the song/scale
  4. The next person will play the 1st and 2nd note of the song/Scale
  5. The next person will play the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of the song/scale and so on and so on

If at any point the next person can’t play the succession of notes correctly, they are out. Similar to musical chairs, the number dwindles down, until one person is crowned the winner. They win whatever prize you have chosen for that game.

“Music Workout” Circuit

Rotate participants through different instrument stations until they try them all – Submitted by Anders Paul Olson www.bgcb.org
If you want to orientate new musicians to your program, check out this “music workout” circuit. Just place numbers at instrument stations, and have students in small groups or individually rotate set to a time interval!
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Youth Development Toolbox App

Throw music out the window and run an icebreaker instead – this App has lots of ideas – Submitted by Nick Tetrault www.westendhouse.org
I think it’s easy in music programs to jump right into music-related activities and not take important steps to get a group of kids comfortable with each other and the space.  For the first 10-15 minutes of my programs, I throw music out the window and I run a community builder or icebreaker.  It makes the remaining 45 minutes of programming so much more productive. This app (youth development toolbox) was put out by BGCA but anyone can use it for quick games, icebreakers, and community builders.