Christmas Activities

Working Out Jingle Bells by Ear

This resource guides instrumental teachers through the process of helping pupils to work out a well-known tune, Jingle Bells, by ear. It could be used with just about any pitched instrument, and adapted to suit a wide range of ability levels.

When pupils already have a tune in their heads, it makes sense to help them to work it out by ear, rather than resort to notation. This way, teachers don’t miss a golden opportunity for their pupils to develop aural skills. Different keys or register can be chosen to ensure that pupils develop technique simultaneously, and receive the right amount of challenge.

Not all teachers are confident in this area. It is not as easy perhaps as it sounds, and there are many pitfalls. This resource guides the teacher through the process step by step. The first part is devoted to working out the melody, and the second to working out the underlying harmonies, with chords or bassline.

Christmas Jam

Christmas Jam is a fun activity suitable for beginner instrumentalists, in small groups or ensembles. There are individual parts for strings, woodwind, brass, guitars, piano and keyboards. It will develop aural, creative and ensemble skills.

This resource can be used with small groups or ensembles before Christmas. It is a lot of fun, and it develops aural, creative and ensemble skills along the way. Here, it is arranged it for easy strings, woodwind, brass, guitars, piano and keyboards. However, you could use the principles explained in the text for any level by changing the keys and rhythms appropriately. And you can adapt the words to fit the season! There are easy-to-follow instructions, followed by the material to use for each family of instruments.

Strings: parts can be played on single instruments – e.g. all violas, or a combination of different string instruments.

Woodwind: the parts can be used for single instruments, or for mixed instruments – such as flute and clarinet. There are two versions the first version is in concert pitch, and the second is transposed to Bb and down an octave. They can be played together.

Brass: the parts can be used in group lessons or ensembles, with single instruments – e.g. all trumpets – or any combination, so long as instruments are in the same key.

Guitars: the parts can be used in groups of any size. Chord symbols are given for those wishing to use them.

Piano and keyboards: two versions are given – one using just black notes, for added fun. Parts can be played at any octave, so there could be more than one player on each instrument if needed. Chord symbols are given for keyboard players in the first version.