End of Year after concert game

 

After the final orchestra concert there's a lot to do.  Inventory, music collection, music filing, summer rentals, instrument cleaning, locker clean-out...the list can go on and on.  It's nice to have a fun activity for students to do that can free you up to complete some end-of-year  chores.

This game is inspired by a board game called 'Loaded Answers.'  Here's how to play the orchestra version:

Make double-sided game sheet - one side for answers, the other side with questions.  Here's a LINK to my form.

Have students divide themselves into teams of 5-8 people and sit in a circle.

This game is fun, easy, and students can keep it going by themselves.  Great for end-of-year or for a sub plan!

You can make your own questions or find questions online...there are many sites that lists of questions for kids.  Here's my list:

1. If you had to play one specific piece of music every day for the rest of your life, what would you play?

2. What would immediately get you out of a bad mood?

3. What is an abnormal thing to say to your orchestra teacher?

4. Who should be locked in an instrument locker?

5. What would be the most embarrassing mistake to make at a concert?

6. If you could buy anything in the world, what would you buy?

7. What musical instrument do you feel should be banned?

8. What is your favorite orchestra memory?

9. If you had to eat just one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

10. If you could do anything right now, what would you do?

11. What do you look forward to when you wake up?

12. If your stuffed animals could talk, what would they say?

13. What bothers you?

14. What is something you want to do this summer?

15. If you were a teacher and could teach your students anything, what would you teach them?

16. What do you daydream about?

17. If you opened a store, what would you sell?

18. What is the best thing that ever happened to you?

Among Us Rehearsal Game for String Orchestra

 

All week I've been using an 'Among Us' theme in my orchestra rehearsals.  On Monday, we worked together to identify measures that sounded 'sus' (or suspicious).  I broke those measures down into small warm-ups to help students master the necessary skills to improve.  Framing our rehearsal in this way kept students motivated to do the hard work and repetitions needed to help the group sound better.  On Friday, our big reward was to play AMONG US!  At first I was worried about playing the game because I didn't want to waste rehearsal time with only 2 weeks to go before our next concert.  I didn't need to worry because this game actually helped my students a TON.  They were learning, assessing, listening, and practicing with maximum effort. 

To introduce the game,  I found some great mood music on YouTube and incorporated it onto my slide so while I went over the rules, 'Among Us' music was playing.  It made students SO excited to play and they listened extra carefully to the rules with the dramatic music in the background.  

To play the game, I used google slides to show students a sequence of notes to practice.  We practiced the sequence together until students were all playing it correctly.  Some of these were warm-ups I designed to work on specific skills while others were specific measures from our concert music.  Next, I started the mood music (just clicked on the YouTube video I put on each slide) and students bowed their heads, closed their eyes, and held their bows up in the air.  The room was completely silent and still as I stealthily walked around the room and used my bow to gently tap the horse hair on the bows of 4 students...who then became the imposters. 

Next, I asked ONLY the imposters to open their eyes and look at the screen.  There they would discover their 'secret weapon.'  Imposters had to play the exercise with the 'secret weapon' technique to try to destroy our sound.  

 

All students opened their eyes while I switch the slide back to the original warm-up/note sequence.  We played the sequence while crew members tried to find anything in the performance that seemed 'off.'  Students were allowed 4 guesses after each round.  We played 3 rounds for each slide.

Students who were called out and NOT the imposter became ghosts.  They were allowed to roam the room and point at students who were 'sus' ....to help the crewmates narrow down who to guess for the next round.

We played this game with 5 different note sequences/warm-ups.  I kept the pacing quick and we got a lot done.  Students were striving to play correctly and they listened so carefully to each other.  I could definitely hear improvement when we ran through out concert pieces after the game.

Spring fever? 5 rehearsal games to re-focus

Spring break is over.  We're in the home stretch and we're all feeling antsy.  It can be hard to maintain a focused rehearsal when everyone is trunky for summer vacation.  Here are a few games to get students moving, listening, and focusing.  My students are grades 6-7 and they love these games.  I think older and younger students would enjoy these as well!  

1.  Signs

In an ensemble, students must be aware of other players and match technique, intonation, bowing, etc.  In this game, students practice paying attention to a 'leader' and must imitate every action the leader does.  Have students sit or stand in a circle.  Choose one student as a guesser and have them stand in the corner with eyes closed or in the hall while the group chooses the leader. All students follow the actions of the leader while the guesser enters and circle and watches to guess who the leader of the group is.  The leader should keep changing up movements as the group follows.  The guesser has 3 guesses.  This game could also be done while sitting as a regular orchestra ensemble...it's more difficult, but it teaches students to find ways to 'watch' and be aware of each other.

You can do a similar game with bowing in a rehearsal.  Choose a student to stop their bow...and every other student must stop their bow when the leader stops.  Or a leader can switch to pizzicato and the group must also switch to pizzicato...etc.  It gets students really listening and paying attention.

2. Pass the Beat Around the Room

The easiest way to explain this one is to watch THIS VIDEO.

This game is more fun than it looks.  It requires concentration and focus...so silly mistakes will be made.  Once students have the pattern, we replace the word 'beat' with a hand clap.  If a student says ' beat,' they are out.  Then we replace the word, 'room' with a foot stomp.

This game helps students maintain a steady beat and focus on what comes next.  It's a great way to get a group moving and thinking.

3. Zip, Zap, Boing

This is a quick-thinking group game that re-energizes students and activates their brains to pay attention, follow directions, and focus!  Read the ZIP, ZAP, BOING instructions HERE.   After you read the rules, watch THIS VIDEO to see how it's done.  My students loved this one!

4. Eyes

This is a fun elimination game.  It can be used to practice moving, responding to certain beats in a measure.  While stand in a circle, have all students put their head down.  You can start some music or a drum beat.  Have all students lift their heads and look at anyone else in the circle on beat 4.  If they make eye contact with another person, both people are out.  Continue until one person is left.

5. Silent Ball

I love this game because it's quick paced and SILENT!  If your class is noisy and driving you crazy...this is the game for you.  The game teaches coordination, self-control, and awareness.  Here's how to play:  1. Put all instruments away for safety.  2.  Students stand on a chair.  3.  No talking...if a student talks, they are out and must sit down.  3. Using the lightweight bouncy grocery store balls, have students gently toss a ball to each other.  Students must pay attention to where the ball is and catch it when it is thrown to them.  If they don't catch the ball, they are out and must sit down.  4. If a student does a bad (uncatchable) toss, that student is out.  5.  No throwing a people's backs.  6.  Forming alliances is allowed. 

Once students get good at tracking one ball, I start to add up to 2 more balls.  It's tricky to keep track of multiple balls in play.

Last minute April Fools Rehearsal plans

 

I haven't had to do many  'April Fools' rehearsals because this prank day often falls on Spring Break in my district.  This year is different.  April Fools Day falls on the last day of school before Spring Break begins...and it's on a Friday.  There is no chance I'll be doing a normal rehearsal.  

Last year for April Fools, I set up my orchestra backwards and taught my class in a special language I can speak called 'op' language.  It was hilarious....and I learned a ton of my teaching is non-verbal.  It was amazing how much my students were able to understand without really knowing the words I was speaking.

This year I've turned a popular game made by 'Exploding Kittens' called 'THROW THROW BURRITO EXTREME' into an orchestra rehearsal game.  I'll be using the huge inflatable burritos that come with the game, along with just a few of the cards.  Here's how I've morphed the game to be used in my class:

1. I'll divide the class into 2 teams...even instrumentation on both sides.  Each team will take turns choosing a card and both teams must compete the challenge on the card.  The team who completes the challenge the best will get a point.  (I'll be the judge - and since I'm doing this on April Fools, there are really no solid judging rules.) The team with the most points wins.

2.  Cards/Challenges:  (I'll be having students complete challenges using selections from our concert repertoire)

Floaty Goaty: Students must perform while balancing a goal on their heads. (I'm using small stuffed animal goats. You can have them balance anything - even a piece of paper.)

Barky Sharky: Students perform concert music with every note as a down bow - like a 'bark'

Licky Chicky: Students perform rhythms using party blowers.

Meow Cow: Students perform their music by singing 'meow' or 'moo'

Goth Sloth: Student must perform 1/2 speed.

Jelly Jelly: Students must try to stay together with very flowing/creative/uneven conducting

Logger Dogger: Both teams perform a section of music. The team with the fewest mistakes wins.

Burrito Duel: All students (both groups) perform a section of music.  The first group begins by playing one measure...the 2nd group plays the next measure...the first group plays the 3rd measure, etc.  The group who messes up first loses the duel.   (I'll be letting students (one from each team) throw the huge burritos at each other in the hallway at the end for a real burrito duel - this makes a funny bonus round)

This game is probably too crazy for some people out there... but my middle schoolers will love it and it's perfect for a Friday - before Spring Break - April Fools Day!

Relief for common intonation ailments in beginning string orchestra

 

My beginners are learning to play in the key of G major and it can be a real struggle to get a good C natural with a high F sharp.  We are learning 'Fiddles on Fire' where there are a lot of C naturals and they have been out of tune!  I found some tiny fine-mist spray bottles at Hobby Lobby and quickly made labels to create 100% Genuine C# Repellent.  I also bought some silly string and didn't have time to make labels, but I told students the silly string was the 'heavy duty' version of intonation repellent.

Here's how it went in rehearsal....I told students I invented a new product that would cure their intonation struggles.  C# repellent - (just tap water!)  I tasked students with playing a few measures from Fiddles on Fire while making sure they played accurate C naturals in the passage.  I sprayed students who felt they needed the repellent.  My spray bottles had such a fine mist...I sprayed students if they wanted some on their left hand, or their face, or in their mouths if they wanted.  I also used it as a room mist and sprayed it around the room...just to be sure we were all clear of C sharps.  It helped students remember to watch for C naturals and listen to each other to match pitch.  My students immediately played so much better in tune!  I joked that I would have get out the 'heavy duty' intonation spray if things got really bad.  I used silly string for my heavy duty spray - and students WANTED to get sprayed.  I 'fixed' a few students and we laughed together and got back to work.  It was a fun way to keep students motivated and help clear up intonation issues in our music.  

Why we do what we do - help students CHOOSE to practice

 

I've been reading a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear and it has inspired me to help students learn how to establish correct habits in regards to practicing.  It can be difficult to add a new habit in your daily schedule.  Many young students excitedly begin the journey to learn an instrument without knowing how to create a new habit to make sure consistent practicing happens.  I've had several emails from parents this year asking me what their child should be practicing at home.  To me it was so obvious, but students needed clear, specific instructions.

Last week I gave students a worksheet to reflect on their reasons for learning to play an instrument. I wanted them to remember WHY they started.  Remembering why we do what we do can reignite passion and energy to do what it takes to succeed.  I really enjoyed reading student responses and I can now better help students reach their goals because I know what they really want to accomplish.   You can use the worksheet for free HERE.

Sample from one of my 7th grade beginning students:

At the bottom of the reflection, students brainstormed the endings for a few different scenarios.  Like what happens if they never practice at home, or if they work really hard in class.  The answers are obvious, yet we don't always make the connection that what we choose to do NOW dramatically affects who we turn out to BE.  Students then answered the last question on the page...'Do you need to make an ACTION CHANGE?'  This was my favorite question.  It is allowing students to determine if their actions are placing them on the road to fulfill their desired results/accomplishments.  Many students determined that they need to do more to meet their goals.  It was just want I needed...I wanted students to buy-in to practicing.  I needed them to decide they wanted and needed to practice.   That way practicing won't be just an assignment.  It will be a system to help them achieve their own desired success.

The next step is to help students implement a practice plan and teach them how to practice effectively.  Last week I taught students how to target small chunks and practice them 10 times perfectly.  I gave students 15 minutes during class to complete this assignment.  Many students were excited to take additional worksheets home to practice chunking/repetitions at home.

This week I am using this Rehearsal Skills Tracker in rehearsal.  I want students to fix little performance issues on their own by learning how to notice and track their habits.  Students will choose what skills they would like to focus on during rehearsal, then track how many repetitions they achieve throughout the rehearsal.  For example, perhaps a student needs to break a habit of collapsed wrist. That student would write the skill down, then every time he/she checked to make sure the wrist was correct or fixed the wrist to be correct, they would mark a circle.  It helped students consciously target playing skills to help them progress.  I made mine using templates at Canva.com.

I'm planning on created mindful practice assignments each week to help students learn HOW to focus their practice at home.  This process has helped students WANT to practice and work to progress because they remember their purpose.  

Valentines rehearsal game for string orchestra

 

UPDATE:  Google discontinued Jamboard so this game is no longer accessible.  If I have time, I'll create it again in google slides!

Are you looking for a simple, easy, fun activity you can do during your Valentines Day orchestra rehearsal?  Use this easy team tic-tac-toe game created on a jamboard!  You can customize the activity by changing the text to contain any challenge you'd like your students to complete.  You could also share the jamboard with students and let them create their own gameboards/challenges. 

FREE - use this link for your copy:  VALENTINES TIC TAC TOE JAMBOARD

How to play:  Project the jamboard screen in front of the class.  Divide the class into 2 teams.  You may want to choose a team captain to speak for each team and choose the tic tac toe position for each round.  A team chooses a heart and must complete the challenge.  You can choose to have the entire team participate on each challenge (this is what I recommend), or individual students from each team.  If the team is successful, they get to claim the heart.  The teacher drags their game piece (cupid or heart breaker icon) to the completed challenge.  If the heart says DUEL - both teams race to complete the challenge and the winning team claims the heart.  To win the game, a team must claim 3 hearts in a row - across, down, or diagonal.

Embracing change - orchestra reimagined

 

I was once asked, “If you could have any super power, what would it be?”  For me the answer came easily.  I would want to have ceaseless energy and never need to sleep.  Imagine all of the things we could get done if we neve had to rest or sleep!  I’ve always been the type of person that wants to do everything.  Pre-Covid, I was as busy as I could be…teaching hundreds of students, participating in every festival, scheduling concert after concert.  Then Covid quarantines and cancellations changed everything.  Calendars became clear.  The extra time that had always eluded me was readily available.  Life slowed to a pace of reflection and growth which resulted in a shift in priorities.  It became impossible to do everything and the most important things came into focus.

As the world moves forward through a process of healing, some may feel an urgency to return to ‘normal,’ yet I know my teaching will never be the same.  As an educator, I have evolved.  

Now is the time to question what has always been and change for the better.  Here are some questions I’ve been wrestling with as I determine my best path forward for my program:

 How many traditional concerts should we have in a school year?

Are there non-traditional performance opportunities to explore?

How much tech do I want to continue to use in my program?

Am I meeting the needs of my students?

How can I take care of my needs to enjoy my job and avoid burnout?

  

1. How many traditional concerts should we have in a school year?

 I think I’m finally realizing that there is no required concert quota for a school year.  In 2020 my school was in person with masks and lots of protocols and I was not permitted to have a traditional concert.  We ended up having a total of 2 socially-distanced concerts.  I have to say I didn’t miss the cancelled concerts.  I found myself enjoying my job more.  There was no pressure to hurry up and learn some music to perform.  We had time to explore, hone, and refine our skills.  Performing is very rewarding and I will always offer positive performing experiences for my students, but I am working to simplify my performance schedule which will allow me to really focus on my needs and the needs of my students in other areas. 

2. Are there non-traditional performance opportunities to explore?

There are so many ways to perform and share with others.  I know an educator who never schedules a holiday concert in December and instead sends a ‘digital holiday card’ to parent emails with a short video performance and happy wishes for a fun and safe season.  There’s a website called upbeatmusicapp.com where students can record themselves playing their parts and the site will automatically generate a virtual performance.  Students love YouTube and it would be fun to start a class YouTube channel with practice videos and performance clips.  A class YouTube channel could be curated with mini commercials to promote the program and recruit students.  Students could collaborate with other groups or artists to create a music video. There are so many musicians willing to work creatively with students.  This year, I was lucky enough to be contacted by a viral YouTube violinist who offered the opportunity for my class to be featured in one of his videos.  This turned out to be one of the most memorable performances my class had ever done!

3. How much tech do I want to continue to use in my program?

I’ve heard of tech burn-out from many educators.  It was not a simple task to teach such a hands-on subject online.  This school year, I am not required to use online resources for my students and it feels great to be back in the classroom.  There are some tech tools I will leave in the past, while others have proven useful even in a classroom setting.  It’s nice to not have to do every little thing online, but I still have students grab chromebooks to work on note reading, practice rhythms, and create simple compositions.  

Tech tools have provided me a way to restructure rehearsal time to get more done.  For example, while some sections work on chromebooks to practice notes/theory skills, I can rehearse/help other sections.  On playing test days, students have to wait for their turn to play for me.   No time is wasted as they wait because there are many music activities students can explore online. Students have enjoyed creating their own simple compositions using looper composition sites (https://music-grid.surge.sh/#0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-3072-&120&pentatonic).  Students are learning, exploring, and expanding knowledge as we combine some rehearsals with some tech tools.  I  have learned that tech tools should not be used if it will create a ton more work for myself.  I carefully select tools that are useful, efficient, engaging, and expand learning activities in my classroom.

4. Am I meeting the needs of my students?

Social emotional health is a hot topic these days.  I want to create a classroom culture of support and understanding while maintaining high expectations and standards for success.  The longer I teach, the more I realize my classroom cannot be ‘one size fits all.’  One way I am working to meet the needs of my students is to allow them to have a choice in certain activities and assignments.  Instead of making students all practice the same measures for a playing test, I can let them choose their path.  Students can demonstrate learning in more than one way.  I often do playing tests in class, but I have some students with anxiety that struggle to perform in front of their peers.  By offering an alternate option to record a video online, I have gotten to know these students better.  I have a few quiet students who would never speak in class, but they are able to contribute to assignments/discussions online.  It feels good to reach more students by introducing more options/opportunities for assignments.  Another way to meet student needs is by opening doors for students to find and practice music they are interested in learning.  One day I was teaching my students how to play a movie tune by ear and they were so excited!  Many students began making requests to learn some other tunes.  By allowing students to explore and pursue their interests and ideas, they became even more excited about orchestra.  

5. How can I take care of my needs to enjoy my job and avoid burnout?

I love being an orchestra teacher, so I was surprised to find myself suffering from burn out a couple years ago. I never thought I would go through burnout because I had always been passionate about my  job.  I really struggled with these feelings for a couple of years and even casually looked for a different job.  As much as we do for our students, it is important to not neglect our own needs.  Burnout is a sign something needs to change.  There are many things to consider changing, such as personal work load, personal schedules, planned performance events, activities, or classroom routines.  I found that even changing small things helped me find peace and satisfaction in my job.  For example, I normally follow a basic rehearsal routine every day.  By switching up my routine and exploring other ideas, I felt free.  Change is key to curing burnout.  The challenge is finding out what (and how much) needs to change and fearlessly making it happen.

As we begin to re-enter our classrooms, rebuild programs, and settle back into live instruction, it is important to embrace lessons learned during the pandemic and initiate change wherever it is beneficial.  Now is the time to evolve our classrooms and music instruction to meet the needs of our students, our communities, and ourselves.  

3 rehearsal games that help students improve

 

Like many of you, I am preparing my students for a December concert.  I need students improving and learning during every rehearsal.  Sometimes I feel we repeat the same few measures over and over and some kids just take forever to get it!  This week, I started doing some rehearsal games and wowie wow...all those tricky measures magically improved.

1.  GOLF

I love this game because it's easy, requires no prep work, and it's super effective.  Choose measures you would like students to master.  Students get 3 attempts to play the measures correctly.  (We played the measures as a class...3 tries in a row).  Students get 1 point if they play correctly on their first try (Like a hole-in-one!), 2 points if it takes 2 tries, 3 points if it takes 3 tries, and 5 points if they still don't play correctly after 3 tries.  At the end of the game, students total up their points and the LOWEST score wins!

2.  THREE STRIKES

This is a  great game for getting students to focus on anything/everything you're doing in class.  Each student gets a worksheet with 3 larges boxes.  As we rehearse, I ask students to focus on one specific skill at a time.  Students who are not focusing/completing the skill get one strike.  They get a small candy/treat at the end of the class period if they don't strike out.  I sometimes let them add a box for completing especially difficult playing/technique.  Examples:  "Play the D scale. I'm going to watch to see if your bows are straight. If they're not straight, you'll get a strike!"    "Play line 73 in your method book.  If you play a wrong note, you get a strike!"   Possibilities are endless.

3. STACK THE SKILLS

To successfully perform in a concert, students have to be performing a lot of skills at once...for example maintaining proper position while playing the right notes while keeping the bow straight and making an even, clear tone.  In class, we practice stacking our skills...just like this kid stacks the dice in this video:

For this game, students choose measures to test their stacking skills.  They play (on their own) and see how many skills they can maintain while playing their music.

Christmas Activity for beginning string orchestra

 

I've been posting a lot about working on note reading fluency in my beginning strings class.  I'm happy to say that all of my efforts are paying off and students are getting better and faster at reading notes.  They were able to sight read some sheet music I passed out and I was super excited (and relieved) that we are progressing!  I've been reinforcing note reading skills with all kinds of worksheets, activities, games, and online exercises.  

A couple weeks ago, I used a 'Name That Christmas Tune' worksheet to help motivate students to de-code notes.  Students who were able to figure out the most tunes got a small prize.  Students worked so hard note reading and practicing to get all of the right notes.  After students tried to figure out the tunes on their own, we played each line as a class.  Students really enjoyed recognizing the tunes.  Once students realized they could pluck away on familiar tunes, I noticed many students were seeking out more new music they could play and I think it spurred some practice motivation (a huge bonus!).  Some students excitedly showed me more tunes they were able to figure out.  Playing familiar fun tunes is an important part of learning an instrument.  Students light up when they can play even a little bit of a favorite tune.

Access my FREE Name that Tune worksheet here!

We have our 2nd concert of the school year coming up in a couple weeks.  It's tricky filling up an entire concert with just beginning orchestra.  We're working super hard...but we can't perform more than 5-10 minutes worth of music.  I'm going to add a little time to our concert by have students demonstrate some skills while having some parents come try some of our skills as well.  For example, have a parent volunteer try some of our bow exercises or try to bow on only one string at a time.  Another way to add a little time is to use the 'Name That Tune' worksheet to play that game at our concert!  It's an easy and quick extra piece.  I'll ask the audience to raise their hands to guess what each song is...and I'll have fun prizes.

Two favorite web tools for beginning string orchestra

 

I have been using a couple of website in my classroom that have saved me so much time!  I'm loving all of the possibilities these free websites have to offer.  Check them out!

1.  www.rhythmrandomizer.com

This website is super time saving!  I want my beginners to practice counting rhythms, but it takes a lot of time to make/draw my own different rhythms every day.  This website does all the work for me!  For daily rhythm drills, I just go to this website, select my parameters (note values, time signatures, etc.) and rhythms are automatically generated.   Rhythms are projected on a screen in front of the room.  Students then count/clap rhythms, take turns playing rhythms 'solo' as a game, pluck rhythms on open strings, pluck a rhythm on each note of the D scale, etc.  We started with very basic rhythms - only quarter notes, half notes, and quarter notes (with rests).  Students were saying 1, 2, 3, 4 while performing the rhythms.  I just switched them to counting with subdivision (1+2+3+4+) to help them transition into reading and counting eighth notes.  Next week I'll change the parameters to add eighth notes.  Students are quickly and easily getting lots of practice with rhythm thanks to this website. 

2. https://pickerwheel.com/

I've been having so much fun with this website.  It's super easy/quick to use and is a great way to gamify your lesson.  There are quite a few games you can do with your students using the picker wheel.  Here are a couple games I've done which were super effective to help my students learn their music:

1. Note Recognition Game

My students are playing their first 'real' concert piece.  They are still pretty new at reading notes and they need lots of repetition.  For this game, I created some short music snippets from our concert piece (First Christmas March) using an add-on in Google Slides called Flat for docs. 

I then put the names of the notes on the picker wheel.  

To play the game, I passed out 1-2 music excerpts to all my students.  I spun the wheel to select a series of notes.  Students then raced to be the first one to stand up if the notes on the wheel matched their excerpt.  It required students to read the notes on their excerpt over and over while waiting to see if theirs would be next.  Candy isn't necessary, but I gave students 2 Tootsie Fruities before the game.  I told them if their excerpt came up and they didn't stand, they would have to give a candy back to me...or if they stood up and their excerpt didn't match the wheel, they would have to give me a candy.  I gave students a candy if they were first to stand.  That added a little extra incentive and competitive aspect which was really fun.  I just did one round...but I could have had students trade excerpts to keep things going and have them practice reading more notes.

2. Intonation match challenge

Now that my students are getting faster at note reading, I wanted to help them listen better and play better in tune.  I used the same picker wheel (since these are the passages that need tuning) from the last game.  After a lesson about ear training, intonation, and matching pitch, I spun the wheel to select a series of notes from our concert piece.  I played the notes, and students had to echo the notes back to me with great intonation.  They had to listen to try to match my playing.  After a few spins, I let students be the model and I was pleasantly surprised to find almost all of the students volunteering to play alone and model great intonation for the whole class...after which the class would echo and try to emulate each other.  I complimented each student who volunteered and I felt it created a lot of trust in my classroom.  This simple activity dramatically improved the quality of intonation.  

D scale focus activity

 

I use the D scale for warm up time A LOT.  It's not the same every day because there are many ways to change rhythms and bowings to make it different.  The D scale is pretty easy for my beginners because the notes move step by step on each string.  It's much more difficult for students to skip notes and still land accurately in tune.  I created a simple PowerPoint for students to practice the D scale in a new way.  In 'Present' mode, I click on a box and make the note disappear and become a rest.  As notes disappear, students have to maintain a steady beat and keep track of the notes/rests.  This activity also helps students practice skips using the notes of the D scale.   If you find students are 'tuning out' during scales, this activity will help them pay attention!  Students also love choosing which notes disappear - which gets them involved in the process.

I just uploaded to my TPT store for FREE!  It's totally editable and customizable so you can copy the slides and create any scale you're working on.