How to Use Rhythmic Building Bricks in Elementary Music

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.

Simple building bricks using 1, 2, 3, and 4 sounds that can be combined to form more complex patterns.

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.

Halloween-themed rhythmic building brick ideas.

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.

Music centers that use rhythmic building bricks with a hiking and animal theme.

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.

Mega Bloks that have been turned into rhythmic building bricks.
Foam cubes that have been turned into rhythmic building bricks.

Written Activities

A rhythm writing activity creating a restaurant menu using rhythmic building bricks made from food.

A fun writing rhythm activity using building bricks where students create a rhythm menu and take-out orders! 

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Pass the Pumpkin


Get your students playing barred instruments with this Orff arrangement (and other ideas) for the Halloween song, Pass the Pumpkin. Halloween is the perfect backdrop for engaging learning activities in music class.

This is a great beat-passing game! Whoever has the pumpkin on the last beat of the song is OUT! Continue playing until there is a final winner. As students get out, they can go get sticks and play to the beat as the game progresses.

Learn more about how to teach beat passing games.

A spooky picture to go along with the classic Halloween song Pass the Pumpkin.
Continue reading “Pass the Pumpkin”

Halloween Minor Madness with Pumpkin Eyes, BOO, and More!

An image of the eyes, nose, and mouth of a backlit Halloween pumpkin.
Image by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay 

Find Halloween music activities that engage and delight with movement, Orff arrangements, minor scales, improvisation, and more!

Ghost of Tom

The Orff arrangement for this Halloween classic, Have You Seen the Ghost of Tom? (aka Ghost of John) is simple enough to be learned quickly to give plenty of time to learn movement to go with the round that can be sung in 2 or 4 parts.

Image of an Orff arrangement for the song The Ghost of Tom a round in a minor scale.

With its quarter, eighth, and half-note patterns pitched in delightful D minor, kids will love the spooky mood it sets.

The Halloween Canon

Rewriting lyrics can be so rewarding and engaging for our students.

I took The Fruit Canon, arranged by choir teacher Kole Butler (Instagram and TikTok), and changed the fruit to Halloween words. With the little sound effects, I think your kids will LOVE it. 

Group project-Have students get in groups of 6 and pick words that fit a NEW theme then perform their new song in canon. YES!

Fun, collaborative, assessable, and engaging!

Click on the notation image to make a copy.

An image of a song titled Fruit Canon that shows a three part canon for voices.

Miss White Had a Fright

Halloween music activities that use poems are perfect resources for exploring, creating, and improvising. First, experience the poem through beat and rhythm.

An image of a TPT Orff arrangement resource for Miss White Had a Fright.

Then, explore the poem by learning a melody on barred instruments, improvising on recorders, and/or creating a melody using Boomwhackers. Examine what you’ve learned by identifying the rhythms of the poem. In both PowerPoint and Google Slides versions.

On a Cold October Night-VOCAL Exploration Lesson

A lesson plan for a FABULOUS good time exploring the sounds “on a cold October night.”

Skin and Bones

This multi-lesson resource for the classic Halloween song, “There Was An Old Woman All Skin and Bones” will guide you as you take your younger students (PreK, K, 1, 2) from singing to movement to playing instruments. 

An image of an Orff arrangement resource for the Halloween song Skin and Bones for Prek, kindergarten, first, and second grades that teaches about melodic direction.

B.O.O.

An image of a TPT Orff arrangement resource for Boo, a Halloween song.

In both PowerPoint and Google Slides versions, this 25-slide presentation includes mp3s of the song arrangement with a Kodaly process, Orff approach, and movement, game, and a melodic assessment.

Pumpkin Eyes

Take the classic canon, “Ah Poor Bird”, add new lyrics, and you have the perfect Halloween/October song!   

An image of notation and teaching instructions for Pumpkin Eyes (Ah, Poor Bird).

Continue reading “Halloween Minor Madness with Pumpkin Eyes, BOO, and More!”