As it becomes warmer, I love taking my students outside to play. One of our favorite games is music kickball. It works just like regular kickball, except students must identify something music related before having a chance to kick the ball. I’ve done this with all sorts of things — note and rest values, dynamics, vocabulary — the options are endless! Today I’m going to be sharing a slideshow prepared to assess students’ ability to identify pitches on the treble clef staff.

Setup & Materials

Large outdoor space
5 cones or poly spots (3 for the bases, 1 for home plate, and 1 for the pitcher’s mound)
Treble clef pitch cards

Positions

Pitcher
Catcher
Card holder
1st, 2nd, and 3rd basemen
Outfield players

How to Play

One team will be on the field while the other is up to kick.
- The person up to kick must identify a pitch on the treble clef staff.
  - If they are right, the pitcher will roll the ball.
  - If they are wrong, it counts as a strike.
    - Three strikes and you are out.
    - Three outs ends your team’s turn to kick.
- Once the person up to kick successfully identifies the pitch and kicks the ball, they must run to first base.
  - If someone catches the ball midair, the kicker is out.
  - If they don’t catch the ball, field players must retrieve the ball and pass it to first base before the runner gets there.
  - If a field players has the ball, they may also tag the runner to get them out.
- If a runner makes it to home plate, their team earns a point.
- The team with the most points at the end of seven innings (or the end of class — whichever comes first) wins!