Blog Posts

Flashcard Attendance

Denise Gagne

Does anyone use a quick, fun, or interesting way in which they take attendance each music class?

This question came up on our Musicplay Teacher's Facebook Group and many suggestions for musical ways of taking attendance were given!

This question came up on our Musicplay Teacher's Facebook Group and many suggestions for musical ways of taking attendance were given!
If a student is away, the whole class sings , "David's not here today." Do this from the beginning of the school year, and then you can have students be the leaders. You could accompany the students by chording on piano or guitar and turn the activity into a fun opening song.
Try flashcard attendance. Call the names in order and have each child read a rhythm. There are 10 levels of rhythm flashcards in Smart Rhythms Vol. 2 that you can project with computer/projector or Smartboard, or you can use the old fashioned cardstock kind.
Reading melody flashcards is also great reading practice.
It's fun to give each child a rhythm flashcard as they enter your classroom. They keep it hidden from everyone else and when you call their name, they clap the rhythm they are holding and the class echoes.

All of these activities are great for quick assessments - I call them flash card attendance in the Musicplay curriculum.

If you have more suggestions, join the Musicplay Teachers group on Facebook and post your suggestions.