Make It Monday: A Deck of Music Note Cards

I was trying to come up with some sort of music-based game for one of the centers that I am starting this week, when it came to me! 

War! 

My clients love card games, but I don't usually use them that often because they don't really work within music therapy. So, when I came up with the idea of a card game during centers (needed something that was not noisy to begin with and something that several clients could engage in with limited staff intervention), I decided to make it more musical through the cards that we are going to use. Bing! (That's the sound that happens in my head when I get an idea that is going to work!)

I needed music cards of some sort. Now, I have instrument family cards, but those wouldn't really work for this type of game. I decided to make some cards of my own. Last week, the groups that I saw participated in rhythm wheel composition and dictation, so notes are fresh in their minds. I decided to make note value cards.

To keep things inexpensive and easy as well as using my organization process, I decided to go back to my old favorites, index cards! I have often posted about my love for all things index card on this blog, and I continue to find new ways to use them in my clinical area. I like them because I can buy them for a little bit of money and replace them without too much fuss. If a client rips one up, I can make a replacement in a jiffy. They also come in a variety of sizes and colors. How can I resist such convenience and organization?

I started with a package of 3X5 inch blank index cards. (I am going to make some larger cards this morning when I get to work). I counted out the cards into stacks of 25 and cut them in half. Each stack of 25 3X5 inch cards turned into a stack of 50 3X2.5 inch cards.

I then marked the cards with five different notes - whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth - ten of each.

I used a different color of marker for each deck to assist in storage and easy sorting.

At this point, my cards aren't completely finished. I haven't laminated them. I figured I would see how the first iteration held up to my clients' use before putting in the time and effort of making the cards a bit more permanent. I have convenient card-shaped laminating pouches that I can use once I see if it is worth it.

I now have two sets of music note cards to use in card game centers. I can also use them for my chip and dip sorting trays. We could use them for composition (with a bit of adaptation). I will come up with some more uses later.

For the moment, however, I am going to take my cards in to work and see what my clients do with them. They are going to be included in a center rotation along with vocation finger puppets, music listening and preference indications with the listening station, and something with me. I think we're going to sing about when we grow up - a great song from Free to Be You and Me. That will be two music centers and two centers without music.

The cards are made and ready to go. I wish I was as ready, but that's life!

Happy Monday!