Adding Orff instruments to the African-American singing game Pizza Pizza Daddy-O gives you a perfect arrangement for concerts as well as extended lessons to explore and practice mi, so, la, and syncopation in the classroom.
Integrating culturally responsive elements into these lessons is seamless, as students can incorporate dances that hold personal meaning to them into the song lyrics.
Pizza Pizza Daddy-O is such a classic, fun game and kids love to play it year after year. This resource extends learning with an easy Orff arrangement that can become a concert showpiece!
Rhythmic building bricks are often used in the Orff process and let students take simple rhythms and then create more complex ideas. Let’s look at the basics of how to use them for teachers new to the process and some special extensions for those who’ve used them before.
The Origin of Rhythmic Building Brick
Rhythmic building bricks were designed by Carl Orff’s contemporary, Gunild Keetman, and explained in detail in her wonderful book, “Elementaria.” They are simple note patterns that can be combined into more complex patterns.
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What Are Rhythmic Building Bricks?
Rhythmic building bricks, sometimes called rhythm blocks, are 2-beat patterns using only quarter notes, quarter rests, and paired eighth notes.
Students brainstorm and find words that have the same number of syllables as the simple patterns so 1, 2, 3, or 4 sounds.
Then they string 4 or 8 bricks together to create a more complex pattern.
Teachers often use themes to support cohesiveness to the complex patterns that are created.
Older students can explore bricks in compound meter using 1 (dotted quarter), 2 (quarter eighth), and 3-note (3 eighth notes) combos. Valentine’s Day and February is the perfect time to try this variation.
How Are Rhythmic Building Bricks Used
Halloween/October is the perfect time to use rhythm bricks. Here’s what one class created.
The top of the board shows their brainstorming. The bottom shows the bricks they put together to create a more complex pattern.
In the above 8-brick pattern, students used repetition to create their “beat.”
Haunted House (3), Halloween (3), Jack-o-lantern (4), Boo (1). Black Friday (3), Frankenstein (3), candy (2), Boo (1).
Specific Learning Goals
Repetition: It’s a perfect time to teach them about repetition and that it might not sound the best to use “one of each pattern.”
Exploration: When working with a partner or in groups, learning to try different combinations is optimal. The idea of “one and done” is a big NO.
Form: What you create from the new patterns makes a perfect “B” section for a song or poem.
The Halloween beat above would be the perfect B section to an A of Pass the Pumpkin for a final ABA form.
If working in multiple groups, it becomes a great way to teach rondo form. ABACADA where “A” is Pass the Pumpkin and B, C, and D are the 8 measure beats created by different groups.
Tone Color: Taking the patterns and transferring to instruments is a great way to let students learn about tone color. What instrument(s) will sound best with your pattern and the overall theme?
Extensions
Centers
Using whole-class instructions is a great way to learn about and work with bricks. You can extend and expand the learning in other ways.
Individual/Partner/Small Groups: Students can explore in these groupings in a regular class setup or in centers.
Your music center setup will be a BREEZE with this easy-to-use and effective “Create a Songtale” rhythm resource using quarter notes and rests and eighth note pairs in a rhythmic building brick format.
Making Bricks
Make blocks for centers using building blocks or foam cubes. On the building blocks, use stickers or a permanent marker. I sprayed a coat of polyurethane on my blocks and it really helped keep the notes from rubbing off.
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I got the Mega Bloks below from my local Goodwill. Prextex Blocks are currently the closest I can find to them.
Written Activities
A fun writing rhythm activity using building bricks where students create a rhythm menu and take-out orders!
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Discover simple, effective ways to teach movement in elementary music and help your students build creativity, confidence, and musicality.
Movement in elementary music can be more than a stress reliever, a brain break, a way to experience another culture, or other very worthy objectives. It can also be a way to empower ALL kids through positive interaction with the teacher.
I was scrolling social media and saw this quote.
“Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, truest version of themselves. When one feels seen and appreciated in their own essence, one is instantly empowered.”
Wes Angelozzi
How do you teach movement in elementary music classes?
Observe your students and give positive and instructional feedback, which will lead to student empowerment and creativity.
Deep and meaningful connections with your students happen when you let them know what you notice!
Movement Lesson Observation Application
Here’s an example of how I’d apply these observation techniques for movement in elementary music.
The lesson is for kinders and first graders to move (step, skip, float) to changing music examples.
A spring classic for the elementary classroom is Vivaldi’s Spring from The Seasons. Are you looking for this classic taught with ACTIVE music-making?
This resource with lots of movement teaches students to play and sing (new Spring lyrics) the main theme to Vivaldi’s Spring Concerto with Orff barred instrument ostinati, AND a recreation of the thunderstorm using instruments.
PLAYING this famous theme, not just LISTENING to it
The “B section” thunderstorm is SO fun
Learning with speech and movement
Differentiated with the use of colors, images, and stepwise learning
An ARTS Integration activity-draw a picture! (see art activity below)
Teacher helpers with
higher-order questions
“I Can” statements
a pre-filled checklist that can go into your evaluation folder
Resource Reviews
Visualizing Vivaldi: A Spring Listening & Art Activity
Now it’s time to draw the imagery the music creates! This is one of my favorite lessons because it extends and complements playing and learning the music, plus it becomes a magnificent bulletin board, “Vivaldi’s Spring: When Music Paints a Picture.”
Connecting Music and Imagination
After reading and discussing the poetic inspiration behind Vivaldi’s Spring—a happy spring day with birds, brooks, and a sudden thunderstorm—we listened to the piece and brought the imagery to life through student drawings.
Each student received half of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper to work on. We listened to Spring several times as students pencil sketched their ideas.
Next came the coloring stage with crayons. I encouraged students to *color thoroughly, leaving no white spaces.
They could only use white if they asked permission and explained why it needed to be white. We looked at lots of images of clouds and skies to determine that there really isn’t that much white around.
To finish, students **outlined their drawings with black felt-tip markers or Sharpies to make their images pop and stand out visually. This outlining step gave the artwork a polished, vivid quality and tied it together beautifully.
*This was to discourage getting done quickly and scribbling. It works. **I learned this from a brilliant elementary art teacher. It makes a world of difference in the final product.
Sharing Our Work
Once the drawings were complete, we got in a circle with our finished artwork. We slowly walked around the circle to view all the creations. This reflective, gallery-style walk encouraged conversation, observation, and appreciation of how music can “look” different to each of us.
A Bulletin Board That Pops
I collected the drawings and created a classroom display, Vivaldi’s Spring: “When Music Paints a Picture.” Other fun option might be “What Vivaldi’s Spring Looks Like” or “If You Could See the Music…”. I also included the relevant national standards:
MU:Re8.1.3a Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).
MU:Cn11.0.3a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
This visual display not only celebrated student creativity but also reinforced listening skills and expressive interpretation. These are core elements of any well-rounded music program.
Whether the Weather-perfect for spring (although my poor dog hates thunderstorms!) with this classic rhyme with multi-lesson resource using barred instruments.
🌼 For more ideas, use the search bar at the top right of every page! Or the dropdown category search below it.
Originally published January 7, 2023 Latest Update April 2, 2026
Looking for the best parachute activities for elementary music? This big list guide covers everything from songs, games, and activities to exploring form, melodic direction, rhythm, beat, and vocal exploration.
These activities provide a fun application for music elements as well as physical activity for fitness, a brain break, and a social-emotional learning (SEL) outlet.
Table of Contents
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Breaking down a classroom activity by procedures will make your lesson more effective. When activities fail, many times it’s because a classroom routine or process is missing. I spent twice as much planning time on HOW to teach than WHAT to teach.
You need to have several “tricks” to pull out of your back pocket when kids need to have a brain break, to expend some energy, to divert attention from something else going on in the room (a potential meltdown for ex.), to prepare them for a high-concentration activity, or when you the teacher need to have a mental break yourself.
And so, the Jumping Game was born!
Stand in a circle
Play a song with a good beat (see Spotify playlist below)
T stands on the outside of the circle and taps a child on the shoulder.
That child goes into the middle and begins to jump
Prepare kids for the jumping game by talking about how they can be creative by using feet together, feet apart, 1 and 2-foot jumping/hopping, use of arms, bending knees, turning as you jump, etc.
Everyone in the circle imitates the leader in the middle
T occasionally comments about some of the fine points of the jumper. “Ooh, did you see how they alternated bending their elbows as they jumped?”
Tap the next child in the circle after about 10 seconds, continuing to make your way around the circle.
In a class of 25, this gave the class about 4 minutes of jumping.
Here are some favorite lesson plans and activities for the music classroom to teach The Nutcracker Ballet plus some NEW resources to spark life into our teaching of this perennial classic.
The Playlist
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For Older Students: PLAY the Chinese Tea Dance on Barred Instruments
With its call and response form, this is the perfect barred instrument activity for December!
PLUS, movement ideas using partners and the whole class with and without props!
These items from Oriental Trading Company can be used for Nutcracker Ballet-themed concert and classroom decor, student crafts, and movement activities.
Nutcracker Plates, Cups, and Napkins
Nutcracker Large Backdrop for Stage & Classroom
Nutcracker Felt Craft Kits
Nutcracker Candy Stripe Tablecloth Roll
Books
These are two of my favorite books to use in the classroom. Both are so engaging, one with the pop-up feature (on the left) and musical selections (on the right). I even bought a second copy of the pop up book because I used the original one for so many years.
At this school, students were asked to bring in a family Nutcracker and were put into this fun Nutcracker Museum display! (Remember to have the student’s name and room clearly labeled.)
Add this to your end-of-year evaluation Danielson (or similar) Domain 1b: Teacher-designed opportunities for families to share their heritages.
Nutcracker Play Along Videos
March of the Toy Soldiers-Barred & Sticks (Gr. 2-5)
Lesson Ideas
March of the Soldiers Movement Activity
Motion Terms March-in place or around room Flick-hands/fingers flick similar to flicking water on someone Wind Up Toy-arms bent (mechanical looking) and move from waist up/down like a wind up toy Scurry-fingers are like a little mouse scurrying down arm
A: March slow 8, then right hand flicks 4 times quickly from high to low, repeat on Lt side high to low, then both arms flick 7 at same time from low to high with a clap on beat 8 (repeat) B: March slow 4, wind down toy DOWN for fast 4 then UP for fast 4 (repeat) (kind of like the robot dance 🤣) A: C: Rt fingers scurry down left arm, repeat on other arm (repeat) A: B: A:
Here’s a video of the movements that I made for a newsletter subscriber while I was on vacation in Moab, Utah!
Pull out this versatile echo song for primary students that’s about appreciation, thanksgiving, and thankfulness in November or for other celebrations throughout the year. A simple Orff arrangement, one-chord C ukulele part, scarf activities, and movement will make this a great concert piece or SEL activity in the classroom.
Give Thanks is available as a single resource or part of this Thanksgiving Bundle!
