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If you have read any of my posts, you will know that I love to use scarves in my elementary music classroom. I usually use a choreographed scarf routine, but I also allow students to move creatively with scarves.
I have a whole post about that you can read here. It has ideas for scarf activities to teach different things.
I feel that I can never find enough scarf routines. Sometimes I find them on the internet. There are quite a few in Artie Almeida’s Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My!
But there still are not enough.
My K-2 did an opera unit this year. We used creative movement with scarves (which I talk about in this post), coloring, watching videos, etc. We also did a scarf routine to Bizet’s “Les Toreadores” No. 1.
I liked this one because it is opera—although there is no singing, so it may be a good way to easy your kids into opera—and it is has clear, distinguished sections.
Click on this link to download the form chart. Bizet Scarf Routine 6
Also: Free K-2 Music Lesson: Rhythm
Here is the scarf routine for Bizet’s Les Toreadores No. 1
The form for Les Toreadores is AABACA
A-March with scarf in hands
A-March and move scarf up and down like a baton in a marching band
B-Move scarf back and forth above head for 8 beats, then at feet for 8 beats. For the trills, shake the scarf quickly and high
A-March
C-Get low (all the way to the ground!) and move scarf in a sideways figure 8 motion. Every 16 beats of the melody, get a little bit higher. The music will also get a little bit louder. This will happen four times, so don’t get too tall too fast!
A-March
End-Shake the scarf really high above your head and freeze at the end
Super easy, right? It is even easier with the music, because each section is so different!
Get your scarves here!
Find another form lesson here (minus the scarves).
I know this was a short post, but that’s all! Make sure to check out my post on Creative Movement with Scarves for a lot of other scarf ideas! I will be posting more opera ideas, so make sure you subscribe!
Happy Teaching!
Becca
Hi!
Thanks for sharing! I am continuously searching for activities to make children move, because we all know how they NEED to move! This will be perfect for my 1st or 2nd graders. I can’t wait to try!
Greetings from Canada!
I completely agree! They love using scarves as well, but I have a hard time finding resources for it! So I have been making my own! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Hi! I’m wondering if you have a post about what your daily routine looks like (i.e. entry task, rhythm activity, composer study, instrument time etc.). I thought I read it on one of your posts but I can’t seem to find it.
Hi Hayley! That also sounds familiar to me but I can’t find it. Maybe it was a segment in a larger post? I don’t have a very specific routine. I like to switch things up! I do ALWAYS do stretches, deep breaths, go over the I can statements, do a welcome song with the littles, and then I typically start class with a movement activity. Other than that I just make sure I switch the activities up every few minutes and change the pace (one active activity, then one calmer one, etc)