Looking for a fun game to play with a group of students that will also help them work on note identification? Try having a spelling bee! Here’s how it works:
1. Divide the students into two or more groups.
2. Give each group a set of flashcards with notes on the staff (make sure the answer isn’t on the back! Click on these links for a perfectly suited set you can print and use: Page One, Page Two, Page Three. These are a wonderful creation designed by Flo of Pianimals.)
3. Directions to students: when a word is called from the list, they must arrange the flashcards in the correct order to spell the word and stand facing you so that you can “read” the word from left to right. Once they are arranged in the correct order, they must ding a bell or give some other signal to indicate that they are done.
4. Call out one of the words. (Below is a list of words that can be spelled using only the letters in the musical alphabet.)
5. Each team that arranges the notes correctly gets one point. The team to spell the word first gets one additional point. The team with the most points at the end wins!
6. Have fun!
Musical Alphabet Words
(click here to download a printable version of this list.)
A
ace
adage
age
aged
B
babe
bad
bade
badge
bag
baggage
bead
bed
bee
beef
beg
C
cab
cabbage
cad
cafe
cage
D
dab
dabbed
dad
dead
deaf
decade
E
edge
egg
F
façade
face
fad
fade
fed
feed
G
gab
gag
gage
Amanda West says
Perfect! I’m using this for my group class today!! Thanks again for all your great ideas, Natalie.
Melody Schneider says
Thank you for the free download! I’m using this for my “Valentine” theme using hearts for notes. And the spelling of the words you gave me were perfect. My brain couldn’t think of all the ones you listed!!
natalie says
You’re welcome, Melody! Sounds like fun!
Candise hardaker says
Kind of helpful but I need more and I e used them all
Amber Misar says
Great list! Thanks. I added a few more to my list, plus a word my students made up, eggface, (and its past tense form, eggfaced).
A
ace
aced
adage
add
added
age
aged
B
babe
bad
bade
badge
bag
baggage
bagged
bead
beaded
bed
bedded
bee
beef
beefed
beg
begged
C
cab
cabbage
cabbed
cad
café
cage
caged
D
dab
dabbed
dad
dead
deaf
decade
E
edge
edged
egg
egged
eggface
eggfaced
F
façade
face
faced
fad
fade
faded
fed
feed
G
gab
gabbed
gag
gagged
gage
gaged
Caroline Smith says
A Music Spelling Bee! Wow! It is an awesome idea. I would love to do that. That’s a wonderful activity for students. Thanks again for all your great ideas.