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The Jingle Bells Remix Challenge!

12/12/2022

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The holiday season is in full swing, and your students probably have quite a few seasonal favorites under their fingers by now!

One of my favorite activities to do this month is to help students flex their creative muscles by "remixing" some of their favorite holiday tunes in different styles. 

So today I am sharing a fun "Jingle Bells Remix" worksheet as an example of how students can create their own unique variations of their favorite traditional Christmas tunes!

​Keep reading to see more...

"Jingle Bells" is a great tune to use a first "remix" experience for a few reasons:
  • It only uses 3 chords, which makes it easy for students to try out a variety of different accompaniment patterns.
  • The melody only contains 5 notes, so students can focus on changing up the rhythm and harmony more easily.
  • The melody is rhythmically simple, which leaves room for your more advanced students to experiment with syncopation.

The worksheet below contains a lead sheet for "Jingle Bells," along with 4 ideas for students to experiment with to create their own "remix." Students can also experiment with different articulations, contrasting dynamics, playing in different octaves, or even swapping out some of the chords for different options that fit the melody. There are no wrong answers--just be creative and have fun with it!

Once students get comfortable with the ideas presented on this worksheet, encourage them to try the same process with other traditional holiday tunes. A few other familiar tunes I have found to be easy to remix using the same process are: Deck the Halls, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, and Up on the Housetop. 

Get your free copy of the Jingle Bells Remix Challenge by clicking HERE or on the image below!
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What do you think? Have you ever had your students try to "remix" one of their pieces? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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