Wanting ideas for St. Patrick's Day in the music room? In this blog post, I'm detailing five ways you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day in your elementary music lessons.
"Waves of Tory" Folk Dance
This folk dance is from the Island of Tory, off the coast of Ireland, and is super fun! The up and down arm movements in this dance represent the waves of the ocean.
I've taught it just as it is done in this video, and have also simplified it, having students do a simple “Peel the Orange” for the B section, without the “over/ under” movement.
One, Two, Three O'Leary
This Irish chant could work well for St. Patrick's Day, and for practicing quarter and eighth notes.
For the game, students each have their own ball; tennis balls could work well. Students dribble the ball on one and two, then bounce under their legs on three, and catch on “Leary.” They do the same on the next two phrases. On the last phrase, they dribble on “ten” and “leary,” then bounce under their legs and catch!
It could even work for virtual teaching, if students have a ball in their house to bounce!
Eraser staff writing
Erasers are a great way to have students write on the staff. These St. Patrick's day erasers would be perfect for having students find lines and spaces on the staff, and write melodic patterns using solfa they know. I like to have students copy patterns from the board first, then write on their own.
Here is a link to the erasers; this is a referral link.
Choice Boards
These choice boards are perfect for celebrating St. Patrick's Day, with Kindergarten through Fifth Grade! Students choose at least three activities to complete, from listening to a song, to identifying rhythm patterns, to learning basic Irish dance steps! Here is an image from the choice boards; click here to see more:
Country of the Month: Ireland
Looking for materials to study the country of Ireland during the month of March? Check out this set, which includes songs, a bulletin board, an instrument slideshow, and lesson suggestions.
I hope this is helpful to you, as you consider how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the music room. Looking for more ideas? Check out this blog post.
Happy teaching, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!
