Ever since we sent out our Mother’s Day Composing Activity in May we’ve received request after request after request for a matching Father’s Day resource. Not being ones to disappoint (and because Dad’s are just the best) we got right on it!
Today we’re sharing our printable composing activity that your students can complete in lessons and then bring home for their Dads as a gift on Father’s Day!
A Father’s Day Composing Project For Elementary Level Students
Our Father’s Day Composing Activity can be found here. Print it out and then follow along with the instructions below to create a heartfelt gift for the Dads in your studio community.
- Print a copy of the resource for each of your students.
- Follow the instructions on the Page 1…
- In Step 1, have your student choose a sentence that she likes the best. Speak and clap the sentence to find the underlying rhythm. Keep it in 4/4 time for simplicity and have your student write the rhythm into the corresponding box in Step 2.
- In Step 3, using the C 5-Finger Scale, have your student experiment with different combinations of notes to match the rhythm selected in Step 2. Choose her favorite melody from her experiments.
- Next, combine your student’s melody from Step 3 with her rhythm from Step 2 and write the resulting motive in the box in Step 4.
- Have your student write her motive into each blank measure on Page Two (indicated by the colored boxes).
- To complete the “B Section” of her masterpiece, have your student choose any notes in the C Five-Finger Scale to match the rhythm indicated above each measure, and then write her selected notes on the staff.
- Finally, instruct your student to add dynamics and articulation to her piece.
- Have your student… practice, practice practice!
- And then… send the Father’s Day Masterpiece home!
Composing From The Heart…
Some students are brimming with ideas for composing… they’re unstoppable when you give them the chance to be creative. Others are more reserved and appreciate a sense of structure when exploring creativity.
With our composing activities you can satisfy both kinds of students while giving them the beginning tools for learning to compose. Adding an element of “heart” in creating a composition for someone they love encourages even your most reluctant composers to give it a try and to experience the pride that comes from sharing creativity with others.
Are your students loving these opportunities for composing in their lessons?
Why not grab 12 more lessons worth of composing and have a ton of fun this spring and summer with our composing resource “The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff”. This raved-about resource teaches not only motive creation but also sequencing, repetition and retrograde techniques to add some real pizazz to composing instruction!
Marie Hershey says
THANKS! I can’t wait to start today’s students on this project. They loved the Mother’s Day one.
The fathers will be so proud! You have such great ideas and are so creative!! My students also love writing songs for Muttzart and practicing Tedd’s Tales.
Andrea says
Hi Marie – you’re welcome! Glad you are enjoying The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff and TEDDtales as well 🙂
Alex Mowatt says
I thank you for this Composition idea. Unfortunately I no longer personally have a father to compose for, but do have a nine year old granddaughter who does. Her mum is a Grade Eight standard pianist and Grade Five Flutist. perhaps she will make better use of it than I. I consider myself a pure amateur that plays guitar(s) and harmonica(s) purely for personal pleasure – with no aspirations to perform for others being sixty seven years old, I feel I have let that ship sail, before getting any way accomplished at it.
Frances H. says
Thank you for creating this resource! Several of my pre-teen students really enjoy writing and performing music that they wrote. I am so glad that you shared this worksheet!!
Roni says
I just heard one of my pupils embellish her Father’s Day tune: she added chords in the LH, then changed the middle section into a “spooky” song by accompanying it with various LH flat notes, then back to the last line in a the major. A wonderful composition project. thank you.
Daniel Light says
Thought you might like to see one of the Father’s Day compositions I heard yesterday. These worksheets are always good prompts to get young students started composing.
http://lightpianostudio.com/2017/06/22/budding-composers/
Lisa says
Thank you so much! Putting this to use this week!
Andrea says
Wonderful! Enjoy 🙂