2nd Grade Bounces through Music!

Music uses combinations of comparatives/opposites to create interest.  One of the opposites 2nd grade has been exploring is strong vs. weak beats.  Strong beats are something you have to feel, so we have been practicing locating strong beats with our bodies, instruments and tennis balls.  Yes, tennis balls! 

Students practice feeling the beat by bouncing their tennis ball on the strong beat and catching it on the weak beat.  Some of us are still chasing the runaway ball across the carpet but most of us are really feeling the strong beats! 

One of our first attempts to bounce the tennis balls.  So far so good!

 If a ball bounced away from any student, he or she raised a hand and a classmate would roll the ball back to the hand that was up.  It worked fantastically well! 

Here we are trying strong beats with the tambourines.  While students were not playing the tambourines, they were clapping along to show the strong beats.