New Year Workout for Beginners

 

Here's the thing about going back to school after Christmas break....most of the students (and even many of the teachers) are sad to be back to school!  It's an adjustment to get back into a routine....practicing....homework....sitting through classes all day long.  

I'd like my first day back with my students to set a tone.  I want them to remember how much fun we have together, how we work hard to make progress, and how music is important in our lives.  Recently I was reading some articles about the impact of music education and I found this quote so interesting:

I feel a responsibility to do all I can to help my students thrive and succeed in music.

For my video of the week, I'll be showing parts of this video about a kid trains and pushes himself to achieve his goal to run 100 miles:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfb1idsl2AE&list=PLdKxs7i55u4FZW_fqjMHDjJB9I6lNXm56&index=74

For our warm-up, I'll stick to a work-out theme to help students get back into shape for the New Year.  We will review some of the skills we were working on before break.  I want it too feel like training exercises so I'll be timing them to see if they can complete the note reading and rhythm activities quickly.   

For a limited time, you can download this activity for free!  Visit my TPT STORE for your download.

After the warm-up, we'll have fun learning/review exercises from the method book and concert music.  I'll using my new GIANT sized UNO game to keep students engaged.  The numbers on the cards determine how many reps students need to play.  I'll be carefully selecting the measures and rehearsal excerpts so students are practicing exactly what I need them to accomplish.