Stretchy Band Songs and Activities for the End of the School Year

I have discovered a new favorite lesson activity to add to my list of things to do at the end of the school year, especially with the younger grades but honestly with the older ones too: the stretchy band! If you're looking for engaging activities to keep students from bouncing off the walls that can also be used to review musical concepts at the end of the school year, I highly recommend these.

I bought a stretchy band years ago with the intention of using it with my Kindergarten and self-contained classes, and then proceeded to leave it sitting in my classroom until this year. Every time I had the idea that maybe I would pull it out and use it, I just didn't feel confident that I had a clear idea of how to actually do it! If you're like me and haven't used a stretchy band in class before, I can assure you it is just as fun as they say it is and these activities are all beginner friendly. If you don't know what a stretchy band is, here is one you can get from Bear Paw Creek.

To get set up, I have students sit in a circle on the floor and tell everyone to keep their hands in their lap, then I get out the stretchy band and lay it out flat in a circle inside where they are sitting before having everyone grab the part in front of them with two hands and hold it down in their laps. I have 3 rules for using the stretchy band safely:

1) keep two hands on the band until I tell you to let go

2) don't jerk it around

3) stay sitting (not lying down) while holding it

1. Stretchy Band Song

For first time users I think this is the best one. The song explicitly tells you what to do with the band so you can focus on making sure students are using it correctly and not worry about remembering the words to the song or what comes next- just turn on the recording and follow along! It's also a great way for students to quickly experience the different ways you can use the band so it's a great way for them to practice using the stretchy band as well. Of course once they've learned the moves you can have everyone sing along as well. This activity is really a way to practice how to use the stretchy band and showing steady beat.

2. Put It In

This song is a good next step for younger students, and besides using the basic movements as the first song and continuing to review steady beat, it also gives students the opportunity to create and improvise by coming up with their own additional verses. I don't use a recording for this one- I sing while the students move when I first introduce it, then I teach students the song and we all sing together, stopping to choose new verses after each repetition of the chorus.

3. Show Form

Here is where I have really found the stretchy band to be versatile and effective for a broad range of ages: I've realized it's a fun and easy way to review form by doing different moves for different sections. I've done this with songs that we sang earlier in the school year, or with listening examples with older students. For example I used the stretchy band with "Shoemaker's Dance" with 1st grade to review same and different sections by having students wind, pull, and tap on their knees with the A section, and pass the band around the circle with the B section. I used it with "Sleigh Ride" with 5th grade to review Rondo form by having students move the band up, down, left, and right on the beat for the A section, move in and out on the beat for the B section, and tap on their knees with alternating hands and pull back for the whip, then pass around the circle for the C section. You can really do this with any form and it's a great way to mix it up at the end of the year.

4. Show Rhythm

The stretchy band is also a fun way to review rhythms at the end of the year too- take any song that you used to introduce or practice new rhythm elements during the year (or teach them a new one) and add a specific motion with the band that shows that rhythm that you do every time you sing it. For example I reviewed half notes with 2nd grade with "Who's That" by having them slowly lift the band up and then down with each pair of half notes, I similarly had 3rd grade students lift the band slowly up and down with the pair of whole notes at the end of "I Got a Letter", and had 4th graders tap on their knees with alternating hands to show the sixteenth notes in "Ding Dong".

There are plenty more fun ways to use the stretchy band, but those are my favorite ways to use it with different grade levels at the end of the school year! If you're finishing out the school year right now like I am I hope this helps give you some fresh ideas to close out the year. 

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International Music Festival Teacher's Guide

I've been doing a school-wide International Music Festival, where every grade level performs music and dance from a different country, for a few years now, and it is probably my favorite performance event I've ever done. It's very rewarding and a lot of fun but it also took a lot to figure out how to put together a production where every student in the school is performing for each other, including singing, instruments, props, and more! If you would like to try doing something similar in your school, here's everything you need to know about how I do mine.

In this post I'm sharing an overview of all the pieces that come together to make this production a reality. I'll be putting together more detailed posts on specific steps in the process in the future, and I'll link those in the relevant sections below as they're published, so keep an eye out for those coming soon!

1. Program

The basic idea of the program is for each grade to share a couple of songs/ dances from a specific country/ people group. This idea came up initially because I have always done an in-depth unit in the spring on a specific culture's music in each grade- I choose the country of focus and the specific literature they learn based on the music curriculum goals. This blog post explains how I design those units, along with the specific lesson plans I use for each grade. Although I don't completely change the program each year, I do try to make sure I don't do the exact same program 2 years in a row- usually there are a few songs that stay the same and the rest of them are either a different culture altogether or different songs from the same culture.

2. Planning the logistics

The biggest puzzle for me was figuring out the logistics of how to manage all the instruments and equipment and set up the performance to flow smoothly between grade levels. I've found having everyone sit in the gym in a round, going in grade level order around the perimeter of the gym with everyone facing in, works best. Each grade sits in the formation of their first song to watch the grades before them so when it's their turn they are ready to go, and I leave the middle of the gym open for some songs/ dances that need more room.

To make that setup work, I try not to have any grades sharing instruments/ supplies. I write down the number of students in each grade and how many of each prop/ instrument I will need for their performances to make sure I have enough and figure out what instruments to use for the different grade levels' song arrangements. Some years I've borrowed instruments from my colleagues to make sure I have enough, and some years I've changed the instrumentation of a song (like using rhythm sticks instead of tone blocks, or using a different type of drum) so that there are enough to go around. 

3. Teaching

In the 4-6 week units leading up to the International Music Festival, students learn about a much bigger picture of the music and the culture itself (see this blog post for more details). But in terms of the actual performance literature, I always make sure I've figured out the logistics and supplies mentioned in the previous point before I start teaching, and plan instrumental arrangements and physical setup based on those logistics.

With entire grade levels performing, I usually try to have a few students from each class playing each instrument. I try to make my arrangements based on how many of each instrument I have, adding or changing parts to fit the number of students in that grade. If I don't have enough for the whole grade to play together, I'll have each class take turns playing, but I try to make it flow together in one cohesive performance by having students hand over to the other class one instrument at a time while the other instruments are playing etc. Whatever we're doing to put the classes together, I make sure to practice it that way in their music classes so they know what to do.

I also think through the physical setup based on the space they have in the gym, and have them practice performing in that setup, whether that's who is in which row, or who is partnered with who. I have found I can do things to save space (which is always at a premium with our average size gym) like having students perform a circle game or dance in concentric circles, so I always make sure to practice everything that way in class as well.

The other element I make sure to rehearse in class is the transition between songs and how to get ready to begin and end their performance. Depending on the grade level they are usually using different instruments/ props/ formations for their 2 songs, so it's important to talk through and practice actually moving between the 2 formations, switching props, etc, including where they will get everything from during the performance and where they'll put everything after they're done.

4. Setup

The most labor-intensive part of putting on the festival is physically setting up the space. I preset all the props and instruments in the gym the night before and morning of the festival so that when each grade walks in, they can go to their area, get their supplies/ instruments, and be ready to go. Obviously every year is a little different depending on what students are performing, but here's a view of what my setup looked like this year as an example:

5. Communication

Because of space I didn't invite families to come to the festival until last year, but it has been awesome to be able to invite families the last couple of years. We set up chairs all around the perimeter of the gym, up against the wall, and families sit in any of those seats so they're behind the students (I try to point out to them that they should probably sit on opposite side from their child so they can see their performance from the front). 

The biggest factor in making sure everything goes smoothly during the festival is letting all the staff know in advance what the setup will look like and what supplies/ formation each grade level will have. I set up a google doc with a map of where each class sits and a brief description of what they will be doing and what instruments/ equipment they need and when ("2nd grade will be sitting in 2 rows, each student facing 1 partner, with a pair of sticks in front of each student and a poi rope behind each student. Please help collect the sticks back in the box when students stand up and move to the center with their poi."). I include specific, concrete things staff can do or keep an eye out for so they know how to help. In our school all non-homeroom teaching staff are assigned to a homeroom to sit with and help with at all assemblies, so they stay with the same class for the festival as well. I try to make sure it's nothing staff need to feel like they're having to prepare for, but feel like they know how to help guide students correctly so it's not chaotic when there's only one of me to help get them set up in the beginning.

I hope this helps you think through your own production and maybe consider doing an International Music Festival yourself! I know other music teachers have done similar events, and I'd love to hear what you do and how you organize yours in the comments as well. I will be sharing more details in future posts but if you have any questions please leave those in the comments as well!

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