Melodic Bingo Copy Game - Sing Finger and Play with Recorders!

Melodic Bingo Copy is a great game for orienting students with notes on the staff and also a great transition into reading notes for beginning Recorder students! The beginning recorder repertoire in my class is in G pentatonic, so the fact that Melodic Bingo Side 1 uses notes G through D on the treble staff is a perfect opportunity for my beginning readers. 

After many singing games with Do Re Mi cards, and playing songs by rote, students are ready to read and play music on the staff.  I have taken the game Melodic Bingo Copy and added a Sing, Finger and Play Variation. This is usually the first time they are assigning a letter name to DO. I have found that it is helpful if students have done beginning Grand Staff Games prior to playing this game:  Hello Grand Staff, GGG and FFF, Clefs, Fine with G and F.

Students are in groups of 2 and 3 per Melodic Bingo Card. In these small groups they choose one measure to copy onto their treble staff.  When they have an exact copy of the measure, they raise their hand to show me they are finished. Together we sing the notes using solfege and hand signs. Next we rest recorders up on chins so we can finger and sing the letter names that correspond with the recorders. Finally we play the measure on recorder and poof!!! they are reading notes G through D :)  This is also a great opportunity to assess recorder fingering, air, and tonguing with beginning students in small groups. 

Students love doing all the measures on the Melodic Bingo Cards and quickly become successful and happy readers.  

Enjoy!***

You will notice that on the new Melodic Bingo Cards, the notes in the top left corner are color coded to match the Do Re Mi Cards.  Michiko now suggests color coding the magic notes this way while playing Sight-Singing and Dictation Games.  My students adjusted to this new element very quickly and happily.  Visual learners really benefit from this new aspect and the kids love having a purpose for each magic note color.***