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Charlie over the Ocean

by | Nov 29, 2022

21

Category

vocal

Age

12-25

Number of participants

8-12

Duration

approx. 35 min.

Working method
  • group work
Musical abilities of the trainers

1  2 3 4 5 6


Equipment
and instruments
  • music player / app
    to play the song
Competences
  • learning and memory skill
  • collaboration
  • attention
  • concentration
  • creativity
  • sense of rhythm

Charlie over the Ocean

The music game inspired by the aquatic life is suitable
and easy for those participants who are inexperienced
in music or for musicians at all levels.

AIM

The main objectives of these music activities are to introduce participants to the joy of playing and singing songs together, as well to provide some knowledge of musical experience, understanding and enjoyment.

Description

Before starting the game, the facilitator asks the young people to think of something that is in the ocean, seas. Let them use their imagination, what they want to see more closely, get to know.
The participants sing or learn the song several times so that they no longer have to concentrate on the sounds and the text during the game. When the word {blackbird} is reached in the third line of the text, everyone must replace it with the word they thought of at the beginning of the game, but it is important to keep the rhythm (e.g. speed up the syllables).

  1. Participants are standing in a circle, hands are clasped, and the instructor is on the outside.
  2. With a steady beat he/she begins walking around the outside of the circle singing the solo, echoed by the group. Don’t forget to use the words that everyone has come up with!
  3. On the last word, he/she taps the participant closest to him/her. Racing around the circle, if the chosen player tags the first participant before they reach the opening in the circle they win their place back and the song is sung again. If not, they become the new soloist.

Lyrics

Solo:
Charlie over the ocean,
Charlie over the sea,
Charlie caught a {blackbird}
Can’t catch me.

Group:
Charlie over the ocean, (echo)
Charlie over the sea, (echo)
Charlie caught a {blackbird} (echo)
Can’t catch me. (echo)

    comments for facilitators

    During the activities be care of the steady beat.
    There are countless versions of these popular songs, and they have varied in lyrics and melody over the years, so you can learn any version.

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      Follow the Sound

      by | Nov 28, 2022

      49

      Category

      vocal

      Age

      15+

      Number of participants

      8-20

      Duration

      approx. 10 min.

      Working method

      group work

      Musical abilities of the trainers

      1  2  3  4  5  6

      Equipment and instruments
      • optional: any type of instrument
      Competences
      • attention
      • cooperation
      • creativity
      • open minded
      • team cohesion

      Follow the Sound

      A playful game for following sound effects in spatial orientation.

      AIM

      The purpose of the game is to play in a fun atmosphere, to strengthen team cohesion, and to develop creativity through the use of sounds.

      Description

      1. The participants should find a pair for themselves from the group.
        2. Place the pairs facing each other along a straight line.
        3. Have the pairs agree on a unique sound effect, this will help with spatial orientation. It is important that there is no matching sound within the group.
        4. Step back to the end of the room, so that one of the couple is on one side of the room and the other is on the other.
        5. The task is for one member of the pair to approach the other with closed eyes, but not yet touch her/him. The winner is the one who can get closest to their partner in a given time period. (The duration depends on the size of the space, so it’s worth having a test game first to know the ideal duration.) The sound effect helps in orientation, the goal is to approach their partner in a straight line.
        6. After that, let’s change the pairs, and you can even choose a new sound effect.

       

      Level up!

      Play the sound effect only three times instead of continuously. It can be made even more difficult by placing the pairs randomly, not along a straight line, but this requires a space of sufficient size to avoid collisions.

      Printable version

      Spring Breeze

      by | Nov 28, 2022

      50

      Category

      vocal

      Age

      14+

      Number of participants

      10+

      Duration

      approx. 30 min.

      Working method

      group work

      Musical abilities of the trainers

      1  2  3  4 5 6

      Equipment and instruments
      • music player / app to play the song
      Competences
      • improvisation
      • creativity
      • attention
      • concentration
      • confidence
      • team cohesion
      • inner voice
      • sense of rhythm 

      Spring Breeze

      An exercise starting from a simple song, which offers a very exciting sound, but requires practice and experience to achieve

      AIM

      After learning and singing the simple song, this game gives you an opportunity with the sounds of the song, which creates a very interesting atmosphere. If you manage to sound it well, the piece is a lasting experience for everyone who participated in the
      process.

      Description

      1. The first step is to learn the song „Tavaszi szél” so that everyone knows the notes with confidence. This can be done by the leader learning it in advance and the participants learning it from her/him, or by learning the song together with the
      recordings.
      2. If singing the song at a tempo is already going well, then you can play together by singing it slower and faster.
      3. After that, we first divide the participants into two or three groups, and the groups enter the song at different times, essentially like a canon. (This step can even be skipped, but we have found that it is worthwhile to try together before the improvisation so that the song does not play at the same time.)
      4. After that, there is only one more step: everyone starts singing the song at different times and at different tempos, but it is important that they start from the same pitch!

      When the notes of the song are played together, the notes of the pentatonic scale are heard, which gives it such a special atmosphere.

      LYRICS

      Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt virágom, virágom.
      Minden madár társat választ virágom, virágom.
      Hát én immár kit válasszak virágom, virágom.
      Te engemet, én tégedet virágom, virágom.

      Translation:
      Spring wind floods waternmy darling, my darling
      Every bird chooses a partner my darling, my darling
      Well, who should I choose my darling, my darling?
      You choose Me, I choose You my darling, my darling

      Useful links

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCB66y5haBU&t=19s 
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smSxWPqzc3o 

      Printable version

      Two Guitarists, One Singer, One Team

      by | Nov 28, 2022

      54

      Category

      instrumental

      Age

      8+

      Number of participants

      multiples of 3

      Duration

      approx. 30 min.

      Working method
      • group work
      Musical abilities of the trainers

      1  2 3 4 56

      Equipment and instruments
      • 3 guitars
      Competences
      • improvisation
      • creativity
      • expression
      • confidence
      • attention
      • perception
      • cooperation
      • team cohesion

      Two Guitarists, One Singer, One Team

      In this activity, we are going to use a guitar by two people to accompany a singer participant.
      The idea is to follow the development of the guitar sharing and in this case train the chords making as well. In addition, the singer will improvise some melodies with the help of the accompaniment.

      AIM

      The aim is to follow the activities of the shared guitar, but in this case, we are also going to be part of a singer. Therefore, the idea is to mix instruments in a way that they can manage more or less the pairs playing style. In this case, we are going to work on
      chords. The left-hand player would have the most demanding part of doing the chords. The other hand is less demanding but not simple. They will do a constant rhythm. The other person is going to improvise singing following the chords.
      So with this activity we are going to train guitar in a more complex way and a more attractive one: Accompanying a singer’s improvisation.
      Also about the vocal part of the activity, we can say that is an opportunity to explore their improvising skills for the singer participants and of course an expression chance.

      Description

      1. First of all we will do a guitar and singing warming up.
      2. After the warming up the facilitator will give the participants the scores of the chords and the rhythms, and will leave some time to practise them and the singer to acquire the harmonics.
      3. The activity will continue with the performing part, they will do the accompanied improvisation. They will change roles on the guitar and the improvisator would have two chances to perform.

      Chords progressions:
      C-A-C-A-F-G7-C
      Am-F-Dm-E7-Am
      others

      Rhythms:
      Regular first
      Subdivided after
      Mixed
      Improvised

      Printable version

      Sound Reproduction

      by | Nov 28, 2022

      59

      Category

      vocal

      Age

      8+

      Number of participants

      10+

      Duration

      approx. 30 min.

      Working method

      group work

      Musical abilities of the trainers

      1  2  3  4 5 6

      EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTS
      • music player / app to play the sound
        effects
      • any sound generating device

      Competences
      • improvisation
      • creativity
      • expression
      • confidence
      • attention
      • perception
      • cooperation
      • team cohesion

      Sound Reproduction

      The world around us is full of different sound effects, which we not only have to recognize, but sometimes also have to imitate, which in certain cases results in extremely humorous situations. The game is based on the systematic application and development of voice support.

      AIM

      In addition to observation and imitation, and the creative use of different sound production methods, it also serves to develop mutual attention, comparison, and self-evaluation.

      Description

      The members of the group sit in a circle and the animator distributes the piece of paper to everyone, and they each write a sound effect that comes to their mind (you can write more). This can be any effect, whether natural or artificial or human voice, except singing or other musical sounds.

      Then, as in the „Activity” game, the participants draw a card and what they read there must be imitated with their own voice, which the others must recognize. It can be played as a team competition, but it can also be played as a scoring competition.
      The game can be varied by asking for sound effects thematically: e.g. animal sounds, machine sounds, etc.

      At the end of the game, they can listen to a piece of symphonic
      music together, which is about voice imitation: e.g. Beethoven: VI.
      Symphony – bird sounds; Rossini: Cat Duet, Honegger: Pacific 231;
      The Typewriter

      Useful links

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV-N3Luf9mE 
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Zf8NmbsKg 
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfysyex_DAk 
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW8dGwa2zRw 

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