Free Printable Sound Scavenger Hunt

Sweet Sounds - Quality Kodaly Resources for Elementary Music Educators

Here in NC we RARELY get snow.. it's been 2 years since we have had a snow day.. well, woohoo.. got one today! Perfect timing as I've just ...

Using instruments with young students can be a struggle if you aren't prepared. Get some great ideas for using instruments with Preschool and Kindergarten.

Follow me on Facebook for the latest news, freebies, and more! >>>>> Music With Sara Bibee -------------------------------------------------------------------- This FREE resource is a perfect ice-breaking activity for back-to-school music classes! Looking for the other My Musical Summer Foldable Booklet for lower elem grades? --> Click here. You can have the students answer the questions, then discuss them together out loud! Hopefully you can tie in previous and new content. Included options: foldable version - best option for saving paper and giving something to students for folding! individual pages - best option for packets. Ask the students to color their booklets for extra fun! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Printing Information: To print the booklet, make sure your printer is set to "scale to fit" so the edges are not cut off. Most printers have this setting automatically enabled, but you may want to check yours ahead of time. -------------------------------------------------------------------- *This is a free item to celebrate 900 TpT followers! Thanks for helping me reach this milestone! :)

It's Teacher Tuesday! Today I'm rounding up all of the updates I have made to my classroom since I last shared in my post on my classroom setup. There were quite a few projects that I hadn't completed (or even started!) when classes started- I guess it's always a work in progress, right?!? :) First I would like to introduce you to my now-in-use behavior reward / color-coding board! I created a few more magnets to use in the color-coded teams section of the board. I made little pennies and nickles (with a big 1 and 5 on them) to give points to different teams. I have told the students that I will not always award a team with a point every time they do something great (win a game, do an activity really well), but I will plan in advance when I want to award a team for a particular activity. It keeps them on their toes a little bit and gives students a chance to "win" in a smaller group, especially for those students who are stuck in a class full of difficult behaviors... if you know what I mean ;) It has also been great to see students connecting with students in other classes and grade levels by finding out they are on the same team. I even had one student report that she and her brother were on the same team so they were relieved to not be competing against each other! :) The minion magnet shows which team will be leading the class to the door at the end of class. I used a minion because I put minion tape on the floor to show where the students should line up! That has been a huge hit of course. I also have a magnet for the bass xylophone. I currently only have 1 bass xylophone, and last year it caused major issues every time we played our Orff instruments. People would literally leap over the instruments to get to it, and there would be temper tantrums and tears from students saying they had never had a turn- and I'm just talking about my sixth graders! So I decided to split up the school year into 6 (we are on trimesters so half a trimester each) and give a team "dibs" on the bass xylophone for a period of time. Hopefully this will make it easier for me to keep track of who has had a turn, and it will at least ensure that there are fewer arguments and more people will get turns. I have already used it with a few classes and so far it has made everything much simpler! My next update is just a little thing. I had been meaning to update the "title" for my dry erase objectives boards ever since I made them last school year, and I just never got around to it. Now it has been updated and it looks so much cooler! :) This was another little thing but it has made my life a lot easier: I attached my white board markers to the top of the board with velcro dots! I saw the idea on Pinterest here. I love that it makes the markers last longer because they are hanging upside down. The added benefit for me, though, is that my white board is pretty much on its last leg- literally. The legs are wobbly and shake like crazy every time I have to roll the board anywhere, and the markers were constantly falling off the little shelf on the bottom. Problem solved! I also realized after I did it that now most of my students can't reach the markers, so I don't have to worry about someone using them. And, of course, they only add to my rainbow-ified room now that they are all lined up in rainbow order! :) Speaking of rainbows... I also finished up my color-coded supplies area! I color-coded the clip boards and dry erase boards and put half in each milk crate, then labeled the crates with the color teams that store their boards in that box. I also covered up some six packs with black paper and rainbow duct tape to hold my cups with color-coded pencils, white board pens, and crayons: So far the system is working out well. No missing pencils yet! And it's very easy for me to keep track of who hasn't put things away, and the handing out/putting away process is much faster. My art teacher colleague had an old mailbox she was getting rid of, so I covered the tags with more rainbow duct tape and labeled them for each class: I have been using it to hold papers that get turned in, and then I put them back there after I grade them to pass back. After using it I am liking it so much that I may get a couple more- I have a few ideas in mind that I would like to try! If you follow my Facebook page, you may have already seen this picture: I am absolutely ecstatic about that minion pillow. I bought some cheap pillows this summer to make a little listening/reading area when I do centers (don't worry, I will pull them out from under the table when they are using them!), including a couple of white ones to decorate with fabric pens. I did the first one (you can see it peeking out behind the yellow pillow) and knew I needed help! My art teacher colleague swooped in to the rescue again and came up with the musical minion idea on her own as well- she handed it to me and I almost did a back flip I was so excited (OK not really because I'm too old for that... but you know what I mean)! Isn't it amazing?!? OK time to stop gushing. I also got some visuals up in the hallway outside my classroom. The posters you see here are in the main hallway outside my room, and I bought them from Lindsay Jervis here. I love how colorful they are, and they are written in kid-friendly, easy to understand language. They are the perfect thing for the hallway for any administrators and homeroom teachers to notice as they walk by! :) Just inside the door to the right of those posters is a small entry hallway with doors to a small "practice room" (which is actually where the instrumental teacher has her pull-out lessons) and my room. I made these up and finally finished printing, cutting, laminating, and stapling. Whew! I do still need to fill in the rest of the wall a bit, but I am glad to have it up before open house rolls around tomorrow! I think that just about covers it- hopefully things will settle down enough so I don't have to do part 3 for my classroom setup later LOL! If you missed the original post, you can find it here: Hope you are having a wonderful week!

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…

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…

Looking for games and lessons to teach solfege? These solfa activities will keep your students engaged in learning about melody in music class

In addition to music, I also teach visual art. My student teacher for the fall, Ms. Reed, had a very short placement (only 8 weeks). I didn't want the time in the art room to impede her learning and experience teaching music. So, we decided to integrate art and music for those lessons. We compared the art element LINE to the contour of a MELODY. Fourth and fifth grade students got to choose their favorite song and draw the shape of the main melody. They practiced drawing the lines with small chalkboards. Ms. Reed and I walked around the room and asked each student to sing their song while tracing their finger along the line. We offered suggestions to change the melody, if needed, to make it more accurate. The students chose a piece of construction paper from an assortment of pastels. The students drew their melody line and then added additional lines in the background in attempt to hide their melody. The chalk lines should be very thick to prevent paint colors from mixing. After drawing the lines, the students used watercolors to paint each section. Some chose to create color patterns while others preferred a random method. It took two 50 minute classes to begin and finish this project. We began painting in lesson 1. At first, the students were disappointed in the darkness of the watercolors. At the beginning of lesson 2, they were able to see how the colors are more vibrant when they dry. They also enjoyed comparing how colors looked different on different colors of construction paper. (Yellow paint on green paper looks different than yellow paint on pink paper) The original plan was to wipe the chalk away and reveal the background color of the paper. But, most students liked the chalk and didn't want to wipe it away. If you are fortunate enough to have an art teacher at your school, this would be a great opportunity to collaborate! Students could draw their melody lines in music class and complete the chalk and painting in the art room. I really fell in love with this project because each student created a beautiful work of art that was truly unique. I try to plan lessons that give the students freedom of creativity to influence the outcome of their art. The response papers allowed students to comment on something they loved about their art and something they wish they could do better. One student commented that she loved "how we could make it our own". This was great reassurance. For that moment, I could pretend that I was a real art teacher and not just a music teacher pretending to be an art teacher. ;) UPDATE: This post was featured on Fermata Fridays on September 18, 2015.

This is my favourite scene from the video “STOMP: Out Loud.” Each year I show the video to my grade 6 classes and have them create their own performance. I find the students love the co…

Teaching elementary music with no touch singing games? That is a tall order, but here are 6 fun suggestions for general music classes!

Description   My brand-new, gorgeous Spotty Pastels Classroom decor bundle will add the perfect, gentle splash of joy and color to your Classroom! Designed with a mix of B&W spots and a calm, muted rainbow color palette, this soft-hued pack is sure to bring a gentle vibrance to your classroom - perfect for all grades and seasons! This pastel polka dot decor bundle includes everything you need to set up an amazing educational space for you and your students! Most of the elements are EDITABLE which means you can easily customize them to cater for the needs of your students and the requirements of your school. Furthermore, I have ensured that this pack is BILINGUAL FRIENDLY which easily allows teachers to edit the text and type in Spanish or French – just as an example. Aussie Fonts included are: NSW, QLD, SA and VIC/WA. Transform your classroom from drab to fab, with Miss Jacobs Little Learners’ modern classroom decor! See product preview here This SPOTTY PASTELS Classroom Decor Bundle includes: Affirmation Station (PDF & Editable) Alphabet Posters (PDF & Editable) 3 Versions, with & without alphabet images Fonts Include: Standard Primary Font, Cursive Font, Australian State Fonts, AUSLAN & ASL Version 1: Minimalistic Spotty Pastels design with alphabet associated images Version 2: Spotty Colour Strip with alphabet associated images Version 3: Square Spotty Pastels design with no images ASL (American Sign Language) Alphabet Posters (PDF & Editable) AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) Alphabet Posters (PDF & Editable) Alphabet Word Wall Headers (Editable) standard primary font and Aussie State fonts. Amazing Work Coming Soon Posters Binder Covers and Spines - (Editable) + Spines in 3 sizes, styled to match Birthday Display - (Editable) Bulletin Board Borders (PDF) Bulletin Board Bunting and Banners - 32 designs (Editable) Bulletin Board Lettering Pack (Editable) Classroom Calendar and Weather Display - (PDF & Editable) 2 Versions - Pocket Chart Size and Standard SizePocket Chart Size plus Weather chart Classroom Jobs with Header - (PDF & Editable) Clock Numbers Classroom Labels - small, medium, large tub, round, square, Tote Tray, Magazine & Tolsby (Editable)  Labels are all editable for you to organise your teaching resources but also create things like your own Classroom Affirmation Station or Library Bin Labels Classroom Posters in Portrait and Landscape - EDITABLE (Type in your own classroom rules or values, motivational quotes and signs etc) Classroom Rules Posters (PDF & Editable) Color Posters (editable) Days and Months of the Year Flashcards (PDF & Editable) Days at School Tally (PDF & Editable) Door Display - 4 designs to choose from (Editable) Flip Calendar (editable) Hand Signal Posters - (PDF & Editable) Large Skip Counting Number Display (PDF) Learning Intentions, Success Criteria, WALT, WALF (PDF & Editable Meet the Teacher Templates (Editable) Newsletters (PDF & Editable) Number Posters - 0-30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 (PDF & Editable) Reading Group Organizers (PDF & Editable) Shape Posters (PDF & Editable) Slides (50 various editable Google Slides and PowerPoint templates) Student Desk Plates & Goal Mats (with Alphabet and Numbers) (Editable) Teacher Toolbox Labels - (Editable) Teacher Trolley / 10 Drawer Cart Labels - 2 styles (Editable) Visual Timetable with Clocks (PDF & Editable) Voice Levels Display (PDF & Editable) Welcome Posters (PDF & Editable) Bring your classroom to life with Spotty Pastels today!

Ready for a flock of exciting bird songs and activities for this spring? Stop by for some new ideas and for a list of my all time favorites.

I'm SUPER excited to have figured out a way to store and display the ukuleles in my classroom! Prior to this solution, ukuleles were stored in an old milk crate and were difficult to get out and use. The classrooms in our school have these hooks installed for student coats/sweatshirts, backpacks, book bags, etc. As a music teacher, students come to my room without those, except for the coats and sweatshirts part. Students usually keep their outerwear with them at their seat though, so the hooks were never used. Space in my music classroom is at a premium, so I wanted to utilize this area. Plus, I think it looks cool to have them organized and visible like this! When I received my second set of ukuleles, my goal was to figure out how to hang them so they could be displayed and accessed by the students. The trouble I found was: The double-hooks were too narrow and shallow to hold the uke necks without making some alterations. The number of hooks on the wall (30) made it difficult to hang the ukes flat, without hitting another hook. I found some lovely ukulele trees, stands, hooks and DIY ideas on Pinterest. I pinned several! After watching this DIY video on how to make my own ukulele wall hanger, I set out to find the nearest Harbor Freight store which I had never set foot in before this. Once there I roamed the aisles and asked three different employees to help locate the U hooks. I think the trouble was they aren't called U hooks. Ooops! I finally found the "heavy duty tool hooks," and they were exactly what I wanted. You can find them here. They LOOK like a "U hook" though, don't they? My plan was to remove the existing classroom hooks from the wall and attach a long 2x4" board to the wall where I would screw in the heavy duty tool hooks. I pondered this idea again as well the amount of work it would require while standing in the middle of the Harbor Freight aisle. Somehow the enthusiasm I felt upon finding the hooks was now being replaced by the dread of tackling such a large job with very limited time. Just then, the clouds parted and another product caught my eye. Hmmm. Could it work? For a fraction of the cost I could buy hook and loop cable ties, wrap them around the first set of tuning pegs, and hang them from the hooks! Slide the cable tie underneath the strings of the first set of pegs, and connect in back. It hangs on ONE of the hooks, because the tie isn't long enough to wrap around both hooks. This is what the package looked like from the store. Hanging the top row of ukuleles went great! I only had to maneuver each ukulele a little to avoid bumping into the hooks near the body. The challenge came when trying to figure out how to hang the second/lower row, because the hooks did not line up in the right spots for the ukuleles to fit! Grrrrr. It had been going so well. Fortunately, I was in MacGyver mode and thought about those Command hooks I had purchased for something else. I measured how much space I'd need and began sticking the Command hooks in between the ukuleles above and the existing hooks below. Good thing I read the directions that said to have them to adhere to the wall for at least an hour before hanging anything from them. Anyway, as you can see they worked great! I hope this helps if you are looking for a relatively simple way to access and display multiple ukuleles, too!

Looking for some ideas for your elementary music classes in the days or weeks leading up to Thanksgiving? 1) Ho Ho Watanay - I used this song with kindergarten and first grade this week. In kindergarten it was perfect timing as we are practicing loud/soft and introducing the term "lullaby". We also tapped on the feathers to the feel of the music (preparing the steady beat). In first grade, we review the beat tapping page, but then take it a step further and look at the rhythm of the song. It is great ta and titi practice. We play the rhythms on hand drums as we sing. You can find slides for the song "Ho Ho Watanay" here. This file teaches loud/soft, lullaby, prepares and practices steady beat, prepares/practices rhythm of the words and ta/titi. 2) Children's Literature for Thanksgiving in the Music Room I introduce the song "Ho Ho Watanay" with the book "Northwoods Cradle Song". I sing the song on the page turns following every page that reads "Sleep, little warrior, sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep." I have looked all over for a song or melody to go with this book from the Menominee tribe, but have not found one yet. Ho Ho Watanay is actually an Iroquois lullaby, but because of the theme of the book and song, I pair them together. I used the book, "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims" last week with kindergarten. They enjoyed comparing the lives of the pilgrims and Indians in the book. I love to use the "I know an Old Lady..." books. I have several of them and they may great "fill in the blank" books as Jo Kirk would call them. I sing most of the book, but give the students a special part to sing, in this case the "perhaps she'll die". Thank goodness she doesn't die in this book. She just inflates until she becomes a balloon in the Thanksgiving Day parade. Hopefully none of us eat that much over Thanksgiving! ;) 3) Pumpkin Patch Rhythm Compositions I had to be gone a couple days this month, so I left this "Pumpkin Patch Rhythm Composition" activity for a few classes while I was gone. It was easy for them to do while I was away, gave them more practice writing and working with a specific set of rhythms. I had them do these compositions with a partner and then on a later day, they combined with another pair and taught the other pair their composition and created one long composition out of the two that was 16 beats. The group of four then performed them for the class when I was there, so I was able to use it as a composition and performance assessment and assess two different skills. Working with a partner and then teaching their composition to another pair was really neat to watch. I could tell that because they were writing, manipulating, and teaching it, they really "got it". You can find this Pumpkin Patch Composition lesson here. 4) Turkey Trot Rhythm Races My kids love rhythm races. They are fun and competitive. I love that it gives me a chance to see which kids really are getting it. I divide the class into teams. My classes have about 25 kids, so I do five teams with 4-5 kids on each team. The teams stand in lines next to their team color turkey. I read/clap/or play a rhythm and one player from each team races to the other end of the room. When they get there, they see piles with turkeys of their team's color. They must locate the correct rhythm and bring it back to their team. The first team to bring back the correct rhythm gets 2 points. If they bring back a correct rhythm, but they are not first, they get 1 point for their team. If they bring back an incorrect rhythm, they get 0 points and they have to go take it back because they will eventually need to find that rhythm. (Photo shared from the classroom of Shelley Potter). You can find this game here. I hope you have enjoyed a peek at my week and some of the things I am doing right before Thanksgiving!

Song Index

Hooray! It’s May! In every single class last week, my students asked me their favorite spring question; “Can we please go outside?” I also adore going outside, but I like to keep …

Welcome to my classroom tour! There isn’t much to the layout – I like to keep my music room wide-open. There’s so much room for activities. But, hopefully you will get some ideas…

Music themed labels in black and white.Click me for related itemsClassic-Music-RedPerfect for food, favor tags or name tags. This is an Instant Download digital file. Just click the download link on your receipt to start printing! You Get: 1 JPG file with 8 labels per page. Each label is 3.25" x 2.25". Simply print & trim. **To Add Text** This is a NON-editable file but you can overlay text on it at www.PicFont.com (or use MS Paint or Paintbrush for Mac).

My 2018-19 classroom is FINALLY finished! Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll probably change it next week! I’m so excited to share my classroom with y’all! I try my best to make my classroom cozy and comfortable. I want to make sure that my kiddos have a safe and nourishing place to come each week. Plus, during the school year, I spend more time in my classroom than I do at home. I wasn’t kidding before, I change things around ALL the time. So, by Christmas my classroom may look completely different! My classroom is pretty small, so I have to make the most of the space we have. Last year, I switched to full flexible seating in my music room. I have spaces around the room that not only have flexible seating options, but make stations and small groups much easier. Even when we aren’t working in small groups, my kiddos can use the “fun seats”, as we call them. It gives them a chance to find a spot that works best for them. It is interesting to see which students choose which seats, or choose to work in groups or alone. It gives a lot of insight […]

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.

Listening activities are one of my favourite things to do with my Music classes. Themes & Variations has a great selection of listening...

Here are five quick and easy ideas to help you as you wrap up after a concert and move along to something new.

This free printable Do Re Mi staircase is a brilliant visual aid and teaching tool for introducing small children to Do Re Mi and interval recognition.

Music education ideas, activities, games, and songs | Technology tips for the music classroom | Resources for the elementary music room.

Sarasponda

Body Percussion Rhythm Activities are a great way to bring the class together and focus it's a great way to encourage them to engage and have fun.

Picture Books (Not Necessarily Singable) Which Embrase MUSIC as an Important and Enriching Component of our Lives

Learn how to juggle hundreds of assessments every week with a handy dandy seating chart. Music class management can be easy is you start with a plan. FREE download of seating chart templates!

Playing classroom games is not just about having fun, it can serve as a tool to create a positive learning climate too. Read on to find out..

Ideas for the upper elementary classroom: Includes links to great blog posts with videos, songs, games, and more!

Download free Tideo rhythm cards that you can use to practice barred sixteenth notes, as well as ideas for sequencing movement.

Six musical ways to welcome students: Great ideas for starting music class!