Check out some of my favorite children's books for music making in the classroom! Plus, I'll give lots of ideas on how to use them in lessons.
Celebrate Black History Month by learning about the birth of jazz music, and the history of African-Americans in pop music.
Christmas Action Songs & Fingerplays for kids! Fun songs, rhymes, and fingerplays to do with toddlers and preschoolers this holiday season! Perfect for circle time or just singing with kids!
Ah, Fall... the leaves are changing colors, the air is getting cooler, the coffees are infused with pumpkin spice... It's a nice time of year. I'm linking up with my blog tribe to share some of my favorite fall lessons! I am lucky enough to teach in a school that is very pro-Halloween. We have a huge costume parade and every class throws a party. It's easily one of my favorite days of the school year. So I have lots of fun doing Halloween songs along with other seasonal songs this time of year. I'll share some great things I've found to do with each grade level... Pre-K Our Pre-K students just learned the letter "M" in their classroom, so I decided to reinforce that literacy component with a fun movement activity called, "Monsters Stomp Around the House." This is a piggyback song to the tune of, "The Ants Go Marching" which we are going to be learning later in the year. Now that they've heard the melody in this song, it should be more familiar to them when we get to it! Kindergarten I learned this song in college and love doing it with my primaries: To trace the melodic contour, I use foam leaves that I bought at a craft store a few years ago. You could also use scarves or paper cutouts for the same effect. 1st Grade Another favorite song that I learned in college is a piggyback song to the tune of "The Muffin Man." This one is called "The Pumpkin Child." Oh, do you know the pumpkin child? The pumpkin child, the pumpkin child! Do you know the pumpkin child Who goes to [ school name]? I start the lesson by telling my students a story of a day when a little pumpkin came to the school and he went to different teachers in the building and asked them if they knew the pumpkin child. Each time I mention a new teacher, we sing the song again. By the time I've finished the story, they've had at least six or seven repetitions of the song and can sing it independently. Then we play a beat passing game and pass a pumpkin around the circle. Whoever the pumpkin lands on is the pumpkin child! I let the pumpkin child pick a movement (pat, clap, snap, etc.) for us to use to keep the steady beat. 2nd Grade I LOVE the book "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" But do you know what I love even more than the book? This great video that has the story set to a song! I had my students sing along and then act out each part. After singing the song, I bring out the book and we add instruments for each part as well. 3rd-5th Grade For my intermediate students, I've found a couple of fun activities on Pinterest that I use... The kids love reading the notation for Ghost of John in this shape! And we sing it in a two or three part round. I'm excited to try this cup passing game next week. I also do a contest with The Addams Family Song... since music class is a place where we practice performing and stage presence, I challenge them to sing the song like Wednesday Addams: with a frown the whole time and NO SMILING. There is nothing funnier than watching a bunch of kids try their hardest NOT to smile!!! I hope you enjoy these Falloween (as my second graders called it) activities. Don't forget to check out some of the other blogs in the linkup! An InLinkz Link-up
This "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" music lesson incorporates songs, xylophones, circle games and more. It's a perfect music lesson for the Fall.
Wow! Sorry my Friday post is now being posted very early on a Sunday! It ended up taking me a little bit longer than I thought to organize e...
Incorporate movement into your music lessons with these fun singing games for "The Telephone Rings", "Ring Around the Rosie", "Shoo Fly", and "Pumpkin Patch".
These free Christmas Junk Journal Printables are perfect for enhancing your junk journal, diary, or mixed media art projects.
Have fun practicing math and literacy skills with cute Nutcracker Worksheets. Over 55 pages of Nutracker Printables to learn with a Christmas theme.
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I was inspired by another blogger, Emily at thesweetestmelody to make my own "Fall Rhythms" pack. Used it yesterday with kindergarteners an...
Children learn about the life and legacy of civil rights activist Rosa Parks in this history worksheet.
Everyone dreams of a cozy Christmas home - the kind
This free Handel's Messiah Advent printable will take you through the Messiah one day at a time, leading up to Christmas.
Teach about dynamics, timbre, and form using Vivaldi's Autumn. Download a free template to spark student creativity.
Check out all of the yoga for kids theme ideas, seasonal poses, learning ideas, and ways to incorporate yoga during the holiday season!
This holiday season I am noticing a trend- book pages! They are everywhere from Anthropologie to West Elm, it is obvious that everyone ha...
As we're picking apples, getting out cold weather clothes, and carving pumpkins, there is something else memorable about fall - MUSIC. Whether it is listening to Vivaldi's Autumn from The Four Seasons, or Grieg's In The Hall of The Mountain King, there is some music that is distinctly for THIS season. Music triggers our senses and emotions. Music shapes our memories and our lives. Music puts us in touch with our deepest selves, and for that I am grateful. As a parent, there is nothing I enjoy more than sharing music with my children. We play it in the car, while we are doing schoolwork, or during our morning time. Lately I've just been stopping the kids at random points in the day to sit with me and listen to a beautiful piece of music. Now is a perfect time to share a few beautiful pieces of Classical
The best music players for toddlers are versatile and grow with them. I love Yoto, Tonie Box, and Jooki because they are screen-free.
It’s only the day before Halloween and I’m preparing for my November music class lessons. I am sharing a new freebie song and music lesson that I’ll be using to keep my students on track with their music skills. Keep reading to learn about how you can use this music lesson freebie “Turkey Stew”. MUSIC […]
Christmas Music Playlist Ideas with over 50 Festive Songs for your Christmas Party that you can listen to on Amazon or Spotify
Teach your students all about Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens with a variety of fun lessons. Dance Macabre is the ...
Are you looking for some easy to use and free music class activities for Valentine’s Day? In this latest blog post I ‘m sharing a bunch of different free music class activities to help you in your music classes this month. There’s a surprise freebie to download right now! So, keep reading to get all […]
I found some brand new Beanie Babies at a yard sale a few weeks ago and immediately knew what I wanted to do with them. Introducing BEAT BUDDIES! These cuddly critters help Kindergarteners find the steady beat. We bounce them on our laps, our head, our shoulders and our hands to keep the beat together. Beat Buddies are fun to use and help learning a skill with repetition more interesting! If you have new or like new Beanie Babies that need a new home we would love to use them as Beat Buddies. Contact Mrs. King or drop them by one of the elementary buildings. Teachers: You might be interested in my Steady Beat Bulletin Board.
Learn how to create these fun DIY space family costumes for Halloween.
