I’m a huge fan of NASCAR and have been for a few years. Since getting in to teaching I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate some Stock Car Racing madness into my music lessons. I’ve finally figured out how! Here is a great game I came up with that helps students review music notes and rests while racing to the finish line!

Materials:
Pictures of populars cars (I laminated mine and put magnets on the back to preserve them)
Checkered flag (I made one myself out of fabric and a wood dowel)
Whiteboard and marker
Soccerball with notes and rests written all over it. ($5 ball at walmart and sharpie can get you one of these)

Objective: Identify the most notes and rests as a team. Who ever has the most laps at the end of time wins.

How to do it:
-Divide the class into teams depending on how many cars you have made.
-Have each team choose a car. (I usually say you get what you get and you don’t get upset and choose quieter teams to choose first) Line up the cars on the board.
– Ask the students to sit in a circle on the floor and try not to sit with a team member.
– Pass the soccer ball around singing “The Wonderball song”. Tell students to pass the ball with two hands and at the same speed as everyone else or they will sit out.
-Who ever the ball lands on must lift their right hand and identify the note or rest hiding under that hand. If they get it correct then their car goes up a lap. If they get it incorrect their car goes down a lap. (You can decide whether or not you want teams to help eachother out. I usually do not) Keep track of laps on the board by writing tally marks under the car pictures.
-Change up the way the ball goes every so often and have them switch spots in the circle so new people can have a turn.
-Which ever team has the most laps at the end of time wins the race and waves the checkered flag!

*This is a great game and my students ask to play it all the time! Sometimes I play with them as my own team with my favorite car the #14 Office Depot/Mobile One. The students get a kick out of watching me play with them!

*Another way to incorporate racing into your lesson is to print pictures of little flags (Checkered,Green, Yellow) Tape them to popsicle sticks after and hand out instruments (I use Remo Kids Percussion) to each student in to class. Let the students know that if the green comes out then they can play PRESTO (fast), if the yellow comes out then they have to play LARGO (slow) to avoid the car crash up ahead! If the checkered comes out then that is the end of the race and playing must stop!