Musical chairs

Musical chairs
"Trip to Jerusalem" redirects here. For the public house in Nottingham, see Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem.
For other uses, see Musical chairs (disambiguation).
Musical chairs
OCP Musical Chairs.jpg
A game of musical chairs being played at a party.
Players Variable
Age range Usually children
Setup time 1 minute
Playing time Variable
Random chance Music stoppage may seem random to players, but is under the control of the leader
Skill(s) required Quick reaction time

Musical chairs is a game played by a group of people (usually children), often in an informal setting purely for entertainment such as a birthday party. The game starts with any number of players and a number of chairs one fewer than the number of players; the chairs are arranged in a circle (or other closed figure if space is constrained; a double line is sometimes used) facing outward, with the people standing in a circle just outside of that. A non-playing individual plays recorded music or a musical instrument. While the music is playing, the players in the circle walk in unison around the chairs. When the music player suddenly stops the music, everyone must race to sit down in one of the chairs. The player who is left without a chair is eliminated from the game, and one chair is also removed to ensure that there will always be one fewer chair than there are players. The music resumes and the cycle repeats until there is only one player left in the game, who is the winner.

Contents

Other meanings

"Playing musical chairs" is also a metaphorical way of describing any activity where items or people are repeatedly and usually pointlessly shuffled among various locations. It can also refer to a condition where people have to expend time searching for a resource, such as having to travel from gasoline station to gasoline station when there is a shortage. It is also used to refer to political situations where one leader replaces another, only to be rapidly replaced in turn due to the instability of the governing system (see cabinet shuffle).

"Musical chairs" is or was formerly also known as "Going to Jerusalem". Laura Lee Hope describes it under that name in chapter XIII of The Bobbsey Twins at School, as does John P. Marquand in chapter XXXI of Wickford Point.

In the musical Evita, during the song "the art of the possible", Juan Perón and a group of other military officers play a game of musical chairs which Perón wins, symbolizing his rise to power.

In mathematics, the principle that says that if the number of players is one more than the number of chairs, then one player is left standing, is the pigeonhole principle.

Versions

A game of the non-competitive version in one of its final stages

Instead of using chairs, one version of the game has players sit on the ground when the music stops, the last to sit being eliminated. This is known as 'musical bumps'. In 'musical statues', players stop moving when the music stops, and stay standing in the same position. If any player is seen moving, they are out of the game.

In the non-competitive version of "musical chairs" one chair but no player is eliminated in each round. All players have to "sit down" on the remaining chairs, while their feet must not touch the floor.

A Cold Wind Blows is another non-competitive substitute for "musical chairs."

Extreme Musical Chairs: The set up is the same as traditional musical chairs. Before the players sit down they must complete a task that the music person gives out before each round. For example before sitting in a chair, players must do five jumping jacks or run and touch the wall. Another variation is to have the players hop, jump, walk backwards, or dance while they are walking around the chairs.

In 2011, it was reported that the CW television network was developing a reality show called Extreme Musical Chairs. The premise of the show would feature contestants in a "physically demanding competition with multiple rounds of elimination set in an indoor obstacle course."[1]

References

  1. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (2011-09-21). "CW preps 'Musical Chairs'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118043221?refCatId=14. 

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • musical chairs — n [U] 1.) a children s game in which all the players must sit down on a chair when the music stops, but there is always one chair less than the number of people playing 2.) a situation in which people change jobs for no good reason or with no… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • musical chairs — noun uncount 1. ) a children s game in which players walk around a row of chairs and quickly sit down when the music stops. There is one less chair than there are people, and the person who does not get a chair leaves the game. This continues… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • musical chairs — ► PLURAL NOUN 1) a party game in which players compete for a decreasing number of chairs when the accompanying music is stopped. 2) a situation in which people frequently exchange jobs or positions …   English terms dictionary

  • musical chairs — n. a game in which the players march to music around empty chairs (always one fewer than the number of players) and rush to sit down each time the music stops: the player with no seat is eliminated in each round …   English World dictionary

  • musical chairs — 1) N UNCOUNT Musical chairs is a game that children play at parties. They run round a row of chairs while music plays and try to sit down on one when the music stops. 2) N UNCOUNT (disapproval) If you describe the situation within a particular… …   English dictionary

  • musical chairs — a game in which each player must find a chair when the music stops (there are more players than chairs), play musical chairs    At my birthday party can we play a game of musical chairs? Yes, dear …   English idioms

  • musical chairs — noun 1. a child s game in which players march to music around a group of chairs that contains one chair less than the number of players; when the music abruptly stops the players scramble to sit and the player who does not find a chair is… …   Useful english dictionary

  • musical chairs — n. to play musical chairs * * * [ˌmjuːzɪk(ə)l tʃeəz] to play musical chairs …   Combinatory dictionary

  • musical chairs — noun plural but singular in construction Date: 1877 a game in which players march to music around a row of chairs numbering one less than the players and scramble for seats when the music stops; also a situation or series of events suggesting the …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • musical chairs — {n. phr.} (Originally the name of a children s game.) The transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs, especially each other s jobs. * /The boss regularly played musical chairs with department heads to keep them fresh… …   Dictionary of American idioms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”