Kindergarten students love using instruments! Here are 5 tried and true rhythm activities to get your little ones engaged in music class.
Do you have a favorite rhythm game or activity to use in your music lessons? Rhythm is something that always needs review, so you can never have too many
This is the second blog post in a series devoted to Music workstations. Check out the first blog post about Getting Organized for Music Workstations to learn about planning and setting up your teaching space. In this post we are going to talk about what students will actually do at each workstation. Often the activities that I have students complete in centers are ones that we've already done as a whole group. This gives students confidence and results in less off-task behavior. Not every activity lends itself to this kind of introduction so I always try to include a task card or directions at each station. In the lists below you'll find links to blog posts (mine and others) and products (mine and others) that may help you in planning and creating activities for your students. So...what can students do at a music workstation? Sing Use puppets and Wee Sing songbooks, lyric sheets from songs you are working on or seasonal songs to get students singing! I always tell students that the puppets can sing only. No talking. Include lyric sheets and have students cover part of the page with sticky notes, poker chips or painters tape and sing through it. Great for memory work! Vocalizations-Such a fun way to help students explore their voices. My kiddos love this one and this one. Encore-I love this game! Play Instruments Print out simple folk songs that are color coded to Boomwhackers or hand bells. Rhythm Stick Reading (also try Maraca Rhythm Reading, Triangle Rhythm Reading, Tambourine Rhythm Reading and Rhythm Instrument Reading which uses several instruments.) Pick a story or poem for students to read. Have students add sound effects while reading it out loud. Recorder Composing Station Xylophone Composing Station Work on Rhythm Swat the Rhythm Noodle Notes Craft Stick Rhythms Rhythm Blocks (Mega Blocks) Play Dough Mats (get them here) Musical Yahtzee (Layton Music) Use Martha Stanley’s Mighty Music Grid to practice drawing notes, composing simple rhythm songs to clap together and more. Rap It, Clap It, Music Match It (I love this one and this one. Oooo! And this one is free!) Practice Identifying Pitch Names Treble Clef Twister Staff Wars on the Smartboard or tablets, kids love this! (Shhh! Me too!) Flashnote Derby Bottle Cap Staff-Such a fun way to practice placing notes on lines and spaces, identifying pitch names and “spelling” on the staff. Create an Original Mnemonic Device –Have students brainstorm new sayings to help remember the lines and spaces of the treble clef staff. Matching Games Flashcards and Worksheets Swat the Staff Caterpillar Rhythms-See them in action here. Learn About Instruments Mystery Instruments A brown paper bag, a classroom instrument and a detective sheet. Read about instruments. Apps to Try: JazzyABCs, Garage Band, Virtual Drums, Mini Harp, Music Keys, Piano Pals. Wow...there are so many more amazing apps I could list here, but to save time I'll let you link me up in the comments section. Instrument Family Punch Cards Misspelled Instrument Punch Cards Instrument Coloring Sheets Watch videos about instruments from YouTube. I love the ones that show how an instrument is made. Read Books and Articles about Music and Musicians Set up a classroom library! There are many great books about music, instruments and composers that students love to read. Books that are also songs are great choices as well as books that can be read rhythmically. Composer biographies are great for upper elementary. Check out www.makingmusicfun.net for free biographies and worksheets. Music Alive Explore Composers of the Month Composer Coloring Sheet and Bulletin Board –Bulletin Board pieces could be used in a center. Listen to Great Music Set up a listening center in your classroom and choose music that coordinates with things you are studying in class. Add listening sheets to the station to encourage students to listen for specific musical elements. Color and Write About Music Color by Symbol Color by Dynamics Meet the Composer Coloring Sheets Composer Writing Prompts Younger students can write or draw about music. Musical Writing Prompts Play Games Dynamics Dash and Dynamics Tower-from Denise Gagne’s Music Centers Kits 1 and 2 Bop-It and electronic Simon Says -They are great for rhythm, coordination and melodic memory. Candy Land-convert and use for note differentiation. Musical Jenga Amy Abbott from Music al a Abbott has a great selection of music themed games. Check them out! Everything Else Talk About Tunes- Students pull out a topic and everyone in the group takes a turn answering. Teacher Time-Be a workstation! Use your time with each of the groups to assess pitch matching, instrument skills and more! You can get a bundle of music workstations in this set: Music Workstations MEGA Bundle Whew! That's quite a list to get you started! This is really just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many student centered activities that we can plan as part of our regular curriculum that really let students take the lead in their own education. They are fun and engaging for students and easy to set-up and assess for teachers. Do your students work in centers or workstations in your classroom? What kind of activities do you do? Share with me in the comments. I'm always looking for another great idea to get kids singing, reading, playing and moving! The next post in this series is filled with tips and tricks for making workstations work in your classroom. Music Workstations Tips and Tricks Like these ideas? Pin them for later!
Whole Class Behavior Management Systems in Elementary Music. Organized Chaos. Ideas for whole class incentives that don't take away from music-making and encourage growth over competition.
Check out this post for creative and exciting ways to add scarves into your music activities. Also, find some specific scarf music examples.
This post may contain affiliate links. You pay the same and I get a small commission. Yay! (Please see my/our full disclosure for further information.) Looking for simple and fun music lessons? These movement activities for 2-3 grade elementary music class are just the ticket! These lessons are for second and third grade. They will… Continue reading The Best Movement Activities for 2-3 Grade Elementary Music Class
During October, Halloween music class doesn’t have to be “out of control”. Use these quick and easy Halloween music class activities.
Behavior Management for Music Teachers. Organized Chaos. Includes PBIS, Restorative Practices, classroom jobs, routines and procedures, and more for elementary music classroom behavior management strategies.
So classroom management is something that takes time to fine tune, but it’s something that really should take tons of our attention. Non-negotiable rules in music class are the things that are our MUST do, shouldn’t ever happen rules. A good management plan is something that we should nurture right away and continue to focus […]
Here are my tips and ideas for teaching songwriting in music class. Keep reading to get the FREE RESOURCE with lesson plans.
This post may contain affiliate links. You pay the same and I get a small commission. Yay! (Please see my/our full disclosure for further information.) Looking for simple and fun music lessons? These movement activities for 2-3 grade elementary music class are just the ticket! These lessons are for second and third grade. They will… Continue reading The Best Movement Activities for 2-3 Grade Elementary Music Class
Top 3 Units for Middle School General Music. Organized Chaos. Ideas and resources for project based learning with middle school general music students. World music, composition, and careers in music.
Want to save some time during that first week of school? Check out these 5 back to school songs that your elementary music classes will love!
Are you looking for first day of music class activities for your elementary classroom? Here I'm sharing my tried and true ideas!
One of the most important things we can do in music class to learn students’ names. Here's 5 fun name games for elementary music class.
Mapping out a general music curriculum can be a daunting task, but once you have a solid plan in place it makes the day-to-day lesson planning so much easier and the lessons become so much more purposeful as well! Whether you're starting from scratch and being asked to create a curriculum on your own, working with textbooks or other resources, or reflecting on what you already have in place, consider this your idea bank for everything you need to create and/or develop your elementary general music curriculum! Lesson Content/ Sequencing If you're looking for lesson ideas on specific concepts, or trying to figure out how to sequence skills and concepts from grade to grade, these are your best friends! I'm continuing to update these with more topics as I write new posts so bookmark these and check back when you need some fresh ideas: Curriculum Mapping If you are adjusting or creating your curriculum or long-range plans, my #1 recommendation is to sign up for my email series, "Lesson Planning Made Awesome". It's completely free, nothing extra to sign up for, and takes you through the process of mapping out your curriculum and long-range plans all the way from standards and scope and sequence down to your daily lesson plans with all of the templates you need to write out and organize everything: If you want to explore a specific topic further, here are several blog posts I've written on various aspects of curriculum writing/ long-range planning: Ready to Use Resources If you are looking for ready-made resources to save you loads of time (and headaches), I have lots of options available- if you are in a district that doesn't allow TPT purchases but you can purchase through JWPepper, many of these are also available there. Long-range planning templates with a sample sequence for K-6: Completed yearly outlines with editable K-6 monthly sequences and complete skills checklists by grade: Planning sheets with all of the standards listed by grade (there are versions for TEKS, Ontario curriculum, and PK-8 general and ensemble standards for the National Core Arts Standards): Assessments organized by skill/ concept and sorted by grade level: Complete curriculum set, including full lesson plans to address the concepts/ skills outline for each month in each grade, with all the visuals, assessments, and materials needed to teach them: I hope you find all of these resources helpful in your planning process, whether you're just getting started or updating what you have! If you have questions or topics you'd like to hear more about, please reach out any time and I'd love to talk with you further.
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Looking for engaging, musical games to play with your students? Here are a few of my favorite games and activities for elementary music classes, children's choirs, and elementary group classes.
Routines in the Music Room-- keep your classroom management in check by installing all of these routines in your music class!
Check out my top 5 Welcome Songs for your Pre-k through 2nd grade classrooms!
Write for the NAfME Blog SEARCH & FILTER Search Category Subscribe to NAfME Notes Subscribe to NAfME Notes, our biweekly e-newsletter, to receive highlights from the blog and other NAfME news in your inbox. Subscribe Now Write for the NAfME Blog Interested in sharing your experience with the music education…
The first day of music class can be hard to plan! You want it to be great, but also cover important procedures. Read this post and get it right!
October 8, 2013 The chorus did a wonderful job singing for the school play! "Treasure Island" was a huge success. We ...
I try not to over-plan for the first day of music class, but I like to have several activities at hand if the lesson moves faster...
Sometimes our plans go awry, and we just need a list of go-to ideas for unexpected sick days. So, here are my top two easy sub plans.
Do you teach elementary music to fifth graders? Are you struggling to teach fifth graders? Here are some tips and tricks to help you out!
Looking for a fun activity to teach piano and forte? This lesson will get kids singing, playing instruments, and reading rhythms!
Free sheet music of traditional nursery rhymes and children's songs and free fun and easy music theory printable worksheets for kids.
Choosing songs to teach from in the music room can be tricky business. For one thing, there are an infinite number of songs from which to choose. You can easily put your head down to think of one song to use in a lesson only to look up hours later with stacks of books and binders next to
My middle schoolers LOVE games. When I started teaching, I thought that middle schoolers might be too advanced for games, but I was wrong! My oldest students beg me for game days all the time. Here are some games that are great for older students! Music Trivia My students LOVE playing music trivia. I often
Self-Contained Special Education Music Classes: tips and resources. Organized Chaos.
It inevitably happens to every music teacher at some point in their teaching career: you have to call out absent. Whether it’s to attend a conference,
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[ padding=”0 20px 0 20px”] As guitarists we interact with the musical pulse by playing notes. Some are long and some are short. The diagram below […]
General Music Lesson Planning: the tiered approach. Organized Chaos. The ultimate guide to sequenced, purposeful lesson planning in elementary general music!
Fun and easy composition game for third grade and beyond with die cuts from the dollar store! Simple to make and use!
Looking for a fun music lesson based on a book? My first graders loved playing instruments along with the rhythms from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
