Youth lead each other as they create their own sounds in a fun and quick energizer.
This can also be considered a music experience as youth practice conducting, tempo and volume.
Step 1
- Say, “Have you ever seen a conductor direct a group of musicians? Their job is to stand in front of the group and give them hand signals to indicate when the group should get louder, softer, faster or slower. We’re going to learn a few hand signals so we can conduct sounds we make by patting on our hands on our laps.”
- Say, “This is the motion we’ll use as we pretend to be musicians.”
- Model by starting with both hands open, palms up, arms outstretched. Bring your hands from below chest level to chest level.
- Ask youth to try the motion that they’ll use as they play the part of musicians.
- Say, “I’m going to demonstrate the motion to have musicians play faster.”
- Model by making your hands into fists and circling them around each other quickly.
- Ask youth to try the motion with you.
- Say, “This is the motion to have musicians play slower.”
- Model by making your hands into fists and circling them in the opposite direction around each other slowly.
- Ask youth to try the motion with you.
- Say, “This is the motion to have musicians play louder.”
- Model by starting with both hands open, palms up and arms outstretched. Bring your hands from chest level and slowly raise them higher.
- Ask youth to try the motion with you.
- Say, “This is the motion to have musicians play softer.”
- Model by starting with both hands open, palms down and arms outstretched. Bring your hands from chest level and slowly lower.
- Ask youth to try the motion with you.
- Say, “This is the motion to have musicians stop.”
- Model by making a closing motion with your hands, starting with them close together and moving them both out to your side.
- Ask youth to try the motion with you.
Step 2
- Say, “Now that we have the basic conductor motions, would anyone like to be the conductor?”
- Inform volunteers that they can use any of the conductor motions they just learned to direct the group’s movements.
- Participate along with youth by patting your hands on your legs/knees/table and following the directions of the conductor in whatever order they choose (e.g., faster, slower, louder, softer, stop).
- Invite as many youth to be the conductor as time allows.
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