This summer I taught the Cup Song from Pitch Perfect. It's a little on the hard side to learn. I had to practice a lot before I could teach it but it made me the coolest teacher ever. I googled a "how to video" and learned it in a couple of minutes. But then you have to practice doing it at tempo. WOW! Then you have to practice doing it at tempo while singing it without getting lost and confused. I'll wait here while you unscramble your brain.
For this class- we learned it and practiced in about 2 weeks. Then we rehearsed for a week. This video shoot was so much fun!
For the 2 weeks in the learning process I used Solo cups from the Dollar store. For the actual shoot I purchased 10 oz opaque cups from the local restaurent supply store for $1.19 each. I only needed 20. Then I hit up Target. Because TARGET! They had those glow stick bracelets in the $1-$3 bins in the front of the store. I got 3 packages of 15 each. I got more than I needed because sometimes those glow sticks don't glow very well and I wanted some back ups.
We spent about 5-8 minutes taping the glow sticks to the very bottom of the cup and then to the rim of the cup with clear packing tape.
Here's something I was not happy with. I really wanted the cups to GLOW. The first time I did this (a couple years ago) I used CLEAR solo cups. Clear Solo cups and (as you can see in the video) the plastic Cups we used clearly show the glow sticks. If you can find large opaque Solo cups, use those! They give the best glow! I could not find them to SAVE MY LIFE! I checked in every store in a 20 miles radius! Before you get all busy thinking "Ok, well I'll just break the glow stick open and spread the glowy stuff around the cup". Yes, you can try that however....... those glow sticks have GLASS inside them. And those little shards are WICKED. Also the chemicals used to create that lovely GLOW? They MELT PLASTIC! I know this because we tried to make glow bubbles and that's when we discovered these little lovely tidbits. Don't trust Pinterest!
I told the kids the week before the shoot to come to class in BLACK shirts. If they had a design on them I had them wear the shirt backwards. We sat in a circle on the floor. It's important to gauge the distance between people correctly. It should be exactly your passing arm length. If, when you pass the cup to your neighbor, you miss by being too short for them to reach it- that TOTALLY THROWS OFF THE RHYTHM!
We practiced once and then a teacher stood on a chair to record using my ipad. That's how we got that lovely overhead shot! YAY Ms. Brittany!
Anyway, I hope this helps you all! I really hope you do it with your kiddos because it was SUPER FUN! If you don't want your students singing about 2 bottles of whiskey, you can always check out Wendy Steven's books: Rhythm Cup Explorations. http://www.composecreate.com/store/rhythm-cup-explorations/ This great series guides you step by step with super easy but graduated exercises.
Happy TEACHING!
Ms. Becki
So fun! Thanks for sharing. Interesting about the glow stuff inside those sticks! Good to know.
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