A neat trend in classroom teaching is the use of centers, or stations, to help students work at their own paces, in different methods, to obtain the same goal of learning. Centers can also be a terrific learning tool in the music classroom, allowing students to learn the same information, but in different ways, and in a way that allows them to work at their own speed (within reason, of course!) Centers don't have to be anything elaborate.

I have seven centers: listening, games, recorder, creativity, reading, computer, and keyboard. Each center has a set of instructions and a question page to fill out . The kids are required to finish 2 centers a quarter (they get two rounds at computer because it's the most time consuming). Each center also has three folders:one for the master copies of the questions, one for completed papers, and one for papers that are incomplete. Each day we do centers, I tell the students which center they are assigned. If a center wasn't finished the previous session, they are allowed to go back. After that, if they still aren't finished, they must go on to a different one to keep the rotation even, and will eventually return to the center they have not completed.

In the listening center, I have a series of composer CD's that contains both dialogue about the composer and works examples. For the games center, the students play as far as they can until time is up, then answer the questions. I accept the winner as the person who makes it the farthest if they can't finish. In recorders, the students are to look up the fingerings for 3 notes they don't know, and teach themselves a song containing those notes. In creativity, the students use mallet instruments to create a song based on their phone numbers. In reading, the students read 20 pages or one chapter of a book, then answer questions. In computer, the students play Music Ace and answer questions based on the lessons and games. This center also doubles as a keyboard center, because I have a MIDI-compatible keyboard hooked up to it, and MusicAce can be configured for MIDI.

Following are contributions I received from other teachers on their centers:

Terri Lloyd : Some of the stations I used were: autoharp playing (I have big closets, so I set up a playing station in one of my closets), absolute note names (used staff cards and pennies to practice writing, then a musical story), rhythm writing (using popsicle sticks), conducting (using a listening station with 6 headphones), music symbols (I made an electonic question/answer board with different sets of question and answer cards), and 2 other stations that I can not think of right now. I have the direction sheets for each center on the other computer. At each station, I had a short quiz that each students completed during the last 5 minutes of class. This helped make the students accountable. They really did work hard. They seemed to enjoy this format and learned a lot.

Rosalie Brown: I use centers several times a year in my music room. I use them for grades 2-5. I am careful to set up the centers by preteaching examples of the activities during music lessons beforehand, and also waiting until I have set up the systems like rotation when lights go out, appropriate levels of sound, how to use instruments correctly, etc. Even though this activity is very noisy, I have found it very productive for children.

The children are divided into groups of 4 or 5. The centers are all marked and include an instruction sheet. They rotate to a new center when the lights go out. Some days that might be every 4 minutes, so they get to all six centers in their 30 minute time, other times I might go 10 minutes and use two music time periods. It would depend on the particular centers I had out that day.

An example of Center Day would be: Center 1: a tub of popsicle sticks and unpitched percussion instruments. The children make 4 beat patterns (ta, titi, rest) and play them on the instruments. Center 2: a tub of tennis balls and a list of poems and nursery rhymes. The children say the rhyme while bouncing the beat. Center 3: a tub of empty plastic tennis ball containers and lids, and a tub of "junk" (legos, buttons, stones, metal objects, etc.) The children make a shaker and as a group play rhythm patterns I have left at the center. Center 4: a listening center with headphones. The children listen to the tape I have in the machine. This music would be related in some way to a previous lesson, or current theme at school. It might include a listening map, or marker for them to create their own map. Center 5: a tub of rhythm cards I made. They play a game like WAR. The card with the longest note value wins the stack. Center 6: Note reading center: 4 or 5 keyboards with headphones and several examples of music we have already studied, or new music using treble clef. After they play the example, they can play it using the different synthesized sounds. That is one particular day; on others I have a xylophone center with a note reading or improv task; a scarf center with a particular tape to use scarves with; a center to improvise a play with hand puppets based on music in the machine; a reading center with books about music, instruments, musicians, and little storybooks we have used for lessons in class.

Andrew Farnham: I have a unique setup in my room that involves just that. Through a lot of hard work and some supportive administrators, I am fortunate enough to have 3 student computer workstations in the back of my room. Each has a Mac MIDIed to a synth/keyboard with GM, and headphones for up to 3 students at each station. Students are trained to work independantly while I teach the rest of the class apart from them. (by the way I have a Mac/MIDI setup of my own in the front of the room that I use extensively in my teaching) My 2nd graders explore "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", a hypercard/MIDI program. 3rd and 4th graders explore basic notereading programs. My 5th graders are composing soundscapes using "Musicshop" sequencer.The downside of all of this is that it takes time to train the students to be independant. Also it can takes a couple of weeks for all of the students to cycle through the computer stations. The upside of this is that the students are excited about using music technology. They experience music learning in a small group seting. It is wonderful to hear the student's compositions. They are able to create, record, and playback their own pieces. Quite impressive to see this amount of expressiveness from 10 year olds!

From Sally Oswald: I just started using centers this year and the kids seem to really enjoy them. I usually have 4-6 centers with 4-6 kids in each group. One is usually a listening center with something classical that we've been studying and perhaps paper and pencil to draw while they listen. Another is a game like music twister, several board games that I made up, bingo, etc. The third is usually an instrument center. Kids work on autoharps, recorders, guitars, Orff instruments, etc. I often give them the letter name of a song or part of a famous classical work such as Beethoven's 5th. Sometimes I have them create a composition around a simple melody such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Sometimes they have to create a piece in a certain form such as rondo. The fourth center is usually some kind of pencil paper activity relating to something we're studying in class. I hope to add a computer center and a keyboard center when I have time. I find the small groups really help me evaluate the kids better as I can see or hear them work individually. It also gives time for quiet listening to masterworks of music for which there never seems to be enough time. I find that students time on task increases greatly as it's harder to get away with being a passive observer.

From Mary Moen: Last spring I used music centers/stations for about a week with my 4th & 5th graders. They rotated in groups of 2 or 3 every 5-10 minutes, depending on time we had. Some of the stations we used were: Flash cards: Music notation, provide a stop watch so the students who already know all the cards can race against time! Xylophone playing: provide mystery songs (without the titles) that they have to play correctly to guess. Instrument worksheet: a sheet with pictures of instruments, which they have to match to names of instruments. Rhythm Train/Blocks: I designed this myself. I cut 2x2 lumber into various lengths (a whole note is 16 inches, half notes 8 inches...16th notes 1 inch, etc.) They are painted in different colors to match note names, and both the symbols and the symbol names are on them (on the top). Students put the blocks together in lengths, or pile measures on top of each other to make and read rhythm patterns.

Staff Game: Throw a bean bag onto a floor staff. Each note name has point values. We play this as a class often. At stations the teams of 2 or 3 keep track of their point total, and the top scorers school-wide received a piece of candy. Piano: Students were asked questions such as "How many C's are on the piano" etc. and they had to write their answer. A piano "key" is provided for those who don't have the piano background. Another variation: Team a "piano player" with a "non piano player" and have the "player" teach the "non" a simple song to play by rote. Water Jars: Provide water glasses/jars and a pitcher of water, and have students experiment with the sounds they can make. Depending on the glasses, they can make a pentatone, or a major scale. Bingo: Music symbol bingo, groups of 3 work best. Store bought or homemade.

Centers sound like a headache, but aren't really that difficult when thought out and established. Your kids will really appreciate them!

If you have any contributions to this topic or other elementary music topics, please send them in!