Throwback Thursday Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Composing Activities

Click here to find the prereading bundle in the store.

Click here to find the on-the-staff bundle in the store.

Every year I plan to remind teachers about these Mother’s Day composing activities on my website, but I always wait until it’s too late. This year I remembered in time for students to compose an ending and even memorize it before Mother’s Day. Even if students have learned to read notes on the staff, they enjoy these simple composing activities. They can be found on the composing page, along with ones with other holidays, and one for “anytime.”

There is an  “on the staff” version for older students. Notice there are skipping notes and hands together. Students can write a melody divided between the hands, or write a melody in one hand and an accompaniment in the other. Clever students can write words to their melody. By having the rhythm already written for them, it makes it easy to compose a melody.  On the pre-reading version, students can write finger numbers.

Of course, students also love to make up their own pieces and play them for you. I encourage my beginners to memorize these “compositions” because the music is usually beyond their abilities to write the notes!