Steady beat activities are an excellent tool for your student to experience beat and sharpen their listening skills.
Keep the Beat
Directions: Choose a favorite tune, a new classical song, anything with a steady beat. Then play the song and have your student copy different ways to keep the beat while they listen. For example, I often have students keep the beat on their shoulders, then maybe their heads, then nose, etc. . . I also will use favorite dance moves like the floss, the hype, they monkey, the disco point, etc . . .Or sometimes I will pantomime actions that fit with the topic of the songs. You can be as creative as you like! Here are a few of our favorite songs to keep the beat to in class:
The Imperial March - John Williams
This is a HIT with the little ones. They especially love it if you pretend to fight with a light saber to the beat. I also love to have them march in place to this piece, as well as salute to the beat.
Freeze Dance
These two videos are great ways for students to move to a steady beat while listening for cues when to freeze.
This one is a classic, and your student definitely knows it! Don't worry, it is easy to follow along to for first-timers as well!
This freeze dance is an expanded version of the previous one with more creative movement directions. The steady beat is easy to find and the directions are simple and fun!
Sylvia Pizzicato by Musication
This video is a cute tune that uses a bee landing on a flower to cue the students. You can be as creative as you want with this activity, as you can decide what you want your student to perform when the bee lands on the flowers. For example, this is how we do it in the music room:
When the bee lands on the blue flowers I have them stomp their feet each time.When the bee lands on the orange flowers, I have the students pat their legs each time. When the bee lands on the daisies, I have the students clap each time. When the bee goes wayyyy up to the sunflowers, I have the students raise their arms in the air and do a "tall clap" each time the bee lands on the sunflower.
That is only one example of what you can have your students do on each of the flowers. You can be as creative as you want, and as a bonus, you can have your student create as well!