Music and Drama activities??? please???

[shandaddict]

This is my third summer as a Music and Drama specialist. But this year, for some reason, i am having a difficult time coming up with new and interesting activities for, specifically the teenagers and the 5 and 6 year olds. Does anyone have any ideas (music and drama related, please)???
:confused:

[shermanator]

you could put on a song and have on person start a dance move then move around the circle and have the next person add a move.

[campnerd99]

Choose any song you want to and re-write it so it parodies your camp.
e.g. A few years ago we re-wrote 'The Middle' by Jimmy Eat World and changed the chourus to "It just takes some spray, little bit of bug spray and a long sleeved shirt. So the killer bugs won't hurt, wont' hurt" The verses were about camp insiders and camp life in general.

[shandaddict]

thanks guys, these sound great so far, keep 'em comin'!!!

[ArtisticEric]

I once played an acting game where there were 2 chairs and you had to improv being people having conversations on a bus and if you couldn't keep it going you had to give someone else a chance. Their was another one where you had a patner and you had to mirror what they did and you took turns being the person who was the gesturer an the mirror.

[shandaddict]

Thanks ArtisitcEric, i have used the mirror game before and will continue, but i will definately add the bus one to my list!

[Dave]

This game is good for younger kids. We learned a bunch of songs throughout the summer at music. Toward the end of the summer, one activity we did at summer went like this: she (the music specialist) set up a spiral of colored sheets of paper. The kids started at the beginning and worked their way toward the center of the spiral. How they did this was by rolling a colored dice. Whatever color it landed on was the color they moved to. On the other side of the sheet of paper was a song title. They had to sing a few lines from the song. If they got it right (or close enough) they could stay where they were, but if they got it wrong they had to move back to where they were previous turn. The first kid to get to the center got a small prize, like a sticker or something.

It's best to do with only a couple kids at a time unless you have a huge sprial because it could get crowded. So we divided the bunk into three teams (we had 12 kids in the bunk at the time) and they took turns that way. It worked out really well and the kids seemed to really enjoy it.

[ArtisticEric]

Thanks.....there is another activity i just remembered where small groups list of random words or props an have to come up with a story/ skit wher they use as many as possible in some sort of logical way .

[shandaddict]

thanks ya'll this is great :)

[Melk]

start off with 2 people and have the rest of the group pick a place an object and a job then the two people have to act out a sceen including at least 2 of the three things. If one person cant continue or someone who isnt acting think that they can do better they yell out freez and take over for one person (standing in the same way/making the same expressions) and a whole new scean starts over.

kids also like to do impressions of counsleors.

[Shaun]

shandaddict,

If you are looking for drama activities there is a wonderful book by a teacher of mine that incorporates grammar into improvisation; the program has been used to instruct elementary teachers in the state of California. The book is wonderful and I plan to use it this summer. The improv games in this book are not boring by any means and are good for any age- even adults; I should know some of the games in the book were created by my friends and me.

You can get it on bn.com for $15.00

Grammar Wars II: How to Integrate Improvisation and Language Arts
By Tom Ready

[shandaddict]

Thanks Shaun, I will check it out!!

[CampFreak]

At my camp we do a lot of Karaoke. Campers love it and its an easy way to allow everyone to have a good time without a lot of prepping.

Also at my camp, they did tongue twister type games, like the prince of paris.

I notice campers really enjoy doing things where they can politely make fun of their counselors.

[campnerd99]

We did karaoke one year as a special activity. It was actually a lot of fun! Every cabin did one togehter and then smaller groups and single people could do somethign as well.

[Shandchik]

Hey Megan... try google! haha see you sunday.

[camper]

we also do the karaoke thing and the girls love it. each bunk picks a song to do and it always is very funny and cute!

[joicebags]

We do an improv game where they have to walk down a garden path and knock on a door, they can enter however they want put it stops when they knock on the door. It's a way of them learning to get there point across in a few seconds. It's a great warm up game or one if your stuck for something to do.

[happy_camper]

In my elementary music classes, we played a game similar to what Dave was describing... I think it's called Encore. It's a board game and depending on what color you land on, you draw a card and the card has either a word or a subject and you have to sing a song with either that word or about that subject. It was a TON of fun in music class, and you could easily change the rules to say that it must be a camp song.

[happy_camper]

Here's the game:

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Encore-Game-Board/dp/B00000JKL7

[Smudge]

Sing downs are fun.

You come up with a list of random words, then spilt the group into 2 or 3 smaller groups. Then you read out a word and give the groups a few mins to come up with songs, then you go round the groups and they sing a song with that word in it (go round the groups at leat 3 times unless they really can't get songs), this game can last for at least 20 mins but as an all camp can easily go for more than an hour.