Orchestra Challenges to Reinvigorate Your Students

Orchestra Challenges to Reinvigorate Your Students

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It can be challenging to keep warm up time engaging and meaningful to students. We have our routines and procedures for the beginning of class set, but sometimes we need to inject something new to keep our students interest and motivated. 

Recently I have been framing some of my warm up activities in a new way. I’ve presented them to the students as Orchestra Challenges. The idea of a challenge has really gotten the kids engaged while practicing and refining important skills. 

I made a simple Powerpoint to go along with each challenge and have been interspersing these challenges during our normal routine of some scale and method book work. 

There are so many possibilities!

Here are a few of the challenges I’ve come up with. 

Long Tone Challenge

We want our students to perform with control and a beautiful tone with the bow. Long tones are so crucial for developing that tone. 

Challenge #1: Who can hold the longest bow? 
  • Start with a down bow and see how long you can create a full bow sound
  • Start with an up bow and see how long you can create a full bow sound

Posture Challenge

Playing posture is so important. We want our students to perform with straight wrists, curved fingers, while sitting up tall, and with feet flat on the floor, right? Try the posture challenge.

Challenge #2: Play with amazing posture

Hold your amazing posture for 45 seconds.

  • Sit with feet flat on the ground and back straight
  • Keep a straight wrist
  • Fingers curved and on the fingerboard
  • Awesome bow hold 

Spider Crawl

The spider crawl is an excellent exercise to help students develop strength in their bow hand fingers. Students should climb up the stick of the bow while still keeping their bow hand shape. 

Challenge #3: Who can go up and down the fastest?
  • Climb up and then back down the stick of the bow
  • End by holding up your amazing bow hold. 

Accuracy Challenge

How quickly can students get a note in tune? 

This exercise is all about developing intonation, accuracy, and speed while tuning. Pick a few notes that you want your students to tune up. Play them on your instrument or a piano and have your students echo you (with accurate pitch) as quickly as possible. 

Challenge #4: How quickly can you adjust your tuning?
  • Listen and adjust your pitch to match mine. 
  • Tune your notes as quickly as possible

Conclusion

Try out these challenges to make reinforcing foundational skills fun and engaging for your students. Take it one step further and track the winners and make it a contest between classes or grades.

What other challenges can you think up? 

Interested in this activity and don't want to do the leg work to create it?

I've got you covered!

Follow the link below to grab your copy. 

Check It Out Here