The Big Game of Cover Songs
- Google Slides™
What educators are saying
Description
Some of the best popular music recordings are actually cover songs! This music game and fun music history activity lets students GUESS which song they think is the ORIGINAL, and which song is the COVER SONG. It is not only great for music classrooms, but also homerooms and gen. ed. classroom settings.
How does the game work?
This game is in Google Slides format. Everything is clickable and user friendly, whether teacher-led or self-directed. Game directions:
- Read the background info about cover songs first.
- Begin game on song #1. Listen to each clip of the different recordings from each artist.
- Students can guess which song they think is the original recording (A or B).
- Once each student has a guess, they can write it down on their printed copy of the last page (the student worksheet).
- Click the ANSWER button to navigate to the answer slide to view the correct answer and the released year for each song recording.
- Click the NEXT SLIDE button to navigate to the song #2, and so on to the end of the game.
This game also includes a custom Spotify playlist with all the songs from the activity, with a scannable playlist code on the student worksheet.
Game tips:
- Be sure to print out the last page, which is a handy student worksheet for copying answers and guesses.
- Students can play individually or in teams.
- Consider discussing which song the students liked best... the original or the cover.
- Also consider discussing what musical elements are different between the original and the cover. Does the artist use different instruments? Do the rhythms feel or sound different? Is it faster or slower? Does the lead singer have a different tone quality?
This is a great game to add to an end-of-term party or free day, summer school lessons, or back-to-school activities. It can also be appropriate for all age levels, and the songs are school appropriate.
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