Wow! What a crazy, busy school year it has been! I am absolutely LOVING my new job. I am still amazed that I get to go to the same school every day and that I get to see my students every week. I can already tell that my students are growing leaps and bounds as young musicians. As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I wanted to share my lesson I have been doing with my kindergarten students this week. My kindergarten students have been focusing on steady beat for the past couple of weeks. As I was searching on Pinterest for Thanksgiving lesson ideas, I came across a blogpost from Orffing Around that used the book, Run, Turkey Run by Diane Mayr. He provided an Orff arrangement on the blog as well that featured an easy accompaniment that I knew my kinders could perform part of it. I added some items to extend the lesson and to focus on steady beat. To begin the lesson, my students found a spot scattered in the room. I introduced the song provided on the Orffing Around blog. I accompanied my students on the bass xylophone. While singing the song, the students moved around the room to the beat. When singing "run, turkey run," the students did a slow run to the steady beat. I then changed the lyrics to different locomotor movements, such as crawling, jumping, hopping, marching, tiptoeing, walking, etc. I then selected ideas from my students! Man, they came up with some interesting ideas. We ended up flying, skating, and swimming around the room as well. After the students explored ways to move to the beat, I then displayed a turkey steady beat chart. The students patted the steady beat while singing the song. I selected individual students to come to the board to lead the class in tapping the beat as well. I always try to make patting the beat more interesting by choosing a variety of body parts to pat....our toes, our heads, our backs, etc. I then passed out a beat chart to each individual student. We sang the song while tapping the steady beat as I walked around and assessed. Next, the students moved to the xylophones. After reviewing the instrument procedures, we tapped the beat on the bars with our fingertips while singing the song. I displayed the following image so students could visually see the two notes that are played during the accompaniment: Finally, we added the story to Run, Turkey Run. I read the story to the class. Each time the story says "Run, turkey run," the students sang the song while playing the accompaniment. As suggested on the Orffin Around blogpost, sound effects could also be added, along with the other instrument parts in the Orff arrangement. Happy Thanksgiving!
High Shoals students had a blast notating, performing, and composing Thanksgiving rhythms! First and second grade classes learned the song "The Dinner Was Delicious" by Deanna Stark (found on her website: http://deannastark.weebly.com/ ). Students then worked in pairs to notate the rhythms for various foods found on the Thanksgiving table! The students not only enjoyed discovering the rhythm of the words, but also discussing which foods were their favorite. ツ After the students had notated each rhythm, they categorized each word according to it's rhythm pattern. Then, students created patterns using their "food cards" and practiced clapping them. After experimenting with various patterns, each group chose their favorite 4-card pattern and performed it for the class. At the end of class, we created a rondo by singing "The Dinner Was Delicious" and adding in each group's pattern for the "B" sections. I couldn't help but smile when I heard "Mrs. E, I am really hungry now!" ツ
Here is a free Thanksgiving Music Lesson that you can use with your kids in homeschool or school classroom.
Visit the post for more.
What better way to keep elementary music students learning through the Thanksgiving holiday than with rhythm and body percussion activities!
Wow! What a crazy, busy school year it has been! I am absolutely LOVING my new job. I am still amazed that I get to go to the same school every day and that I get to see my students every week. I can already tell that my students are growing leaps and bounds as young musicians. As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I wanted to share my lesson I have been doing with my kindergarten students this week. My kindergarten students have been focusing on steady beat for the past couple of weeks. As I was searching on Pinterest for Thanksgiving lesson ideas, I came across a blogpost from Orffing Around that used the book, Run, Turkey Run by Diane Mayr. He provided an Orff arrangement on the blog as well that featured an easy accompaniment that I knew my kinders could perform part of it. I added some items to extend the lesson and to focus on steady beat. To begin the lesson, my students found a spot scattered in the room. I introduced the song provided on the Orffing Around blog. I accompanied my students on the bass xylophone. While singing the song, the students moved around the room to the beat. When singing "run, turkey run," the students did a slow run to the steady beat. I then changed the lyrics to different locomotor movements, such as crawling, jumping, hopping, marching, tiptoeing, walking, etc. I then selected ideas from my students! Man, they came up with some interesting ideas. We ended up flying, skating, and swimming around the room as well. After the students explored ways to move to the beat, I then displayed a turkey steady beat chart. The students patted the steady beat while singing the song. I selected individual students to come to the board to lead the class in tapping the beat as well. I always try to make patting the beat more interesting by choosing a variety of body parts to pat....our toes, our heads, our backs, etc. I then passed out a beat chart to each individual student. We sang the song while tapping the steady beat as I walked around and assessed. Next, the students moved to the xylophones. After reviewing the instrument procedures, we tapped the beat on the bars with our fingertips while singing the song. I displayed the following image so students could visually see the two notes that are played during the accompaniment: Finally, we added the story to Run, Turkey Run. I read the story to the class. Each time the story says "Run, turkey run," the students sang the song while playing the accompaniment. As suggested on the Orffin Around blogpost, sound effects could also be added, along with the other instrument parts in the Orff arrangement. Happy Thanksgiving!
November rhythm activities can be a time for refining music skills. Here's 3 ways you can use Thanksgiving themes in your November elementary music classes.
Here are some fun Thanksgiving songs for your Preschool to Kindergarten kids to enjoy during the holiday season! I appreciate the positive feedback I
Music Coloring Pages (Thanksgiving) contains 16 Thanksgiving-themed coloring pages for elementary music students. 8 of the coloring pages are color by note, and 8 are musical math coloring pages. Impress your administration by using these pages to integrate math into your music curriculum! Please click on the “preview” of this product to view this product as well as real life pictures of this product in action! ********************************************************************** To save money by purchasing this product in a bundle, click the link below: Music Coloring Pages (MEGA-BUNDLE) 96 Pages Click the link below for more coloring activities: Music Flipbooks (Bundled) ********************************************************************** These coloring pages are great for sub notebook additions and can help non-musical substitutes to fill extra time at the end of class! They can also be displayed on bulletin boards and walls or given to early finishers. Included in this product: ~A TOTAL OF 16 THANKSGIVING MUSICAL COLORING PAGES! ~8 Thanksgiving Color by Note coloring pages (Pages include various combinations of quarter note, one eighth note, half note, dotted half note, and whole note) ~8 Thanksgiving Music and Math coloring pages (View the product preview for directions and real-life pictures of this product) ~Cover and Instruction Pages ********************************************************************** Other products from my store: Music Coloring Sheets (Bundled) 4 Musical Genres Elementary Music Lesson Plans-Bundled-First AND Second Half of Year Music Assessments Bundled (K-5th Grades) Simplified Music Curriculum and Song List Elementary Music Substitute Notebook (For the Non-Musical Sub) ********************************************************************** Get credit for future purchases: Please go to your "My Purchases" page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a "Provide Feedback" button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. Become a follower: Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies, and product launches. Look for the red star near the top of any page within my store and click it to become a follower
Music education ideas, activities, games, and songs | Technology tips for the music classroom | Resources for the elementary music room.
Some days, this shit TRULY is bananas...and this fun shirt will tell the world exactly what you think of it!! The shirt features a retro looking banana with the song lyrics "This shit is bananas." A perfect gift for a mom, a friend on their birthday...or yourself! .: 100% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton (fiber content may vary for different colors) .: Light fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) .: Retail fit .: Tear away label .: Runs true to size .: Unisex Sizing __________________ **ARE YOU A BIBLIOPHILE? CHECK OUT OUR "STROKE THE SPINE" BOOK MERCH SHOP! https://www.etsy.com/shop/StrokeTheSpine** _________________ 2024 HOLIDAY CUT OFF DATES: Any orders we receive after these dates may not make it in time. We do not currently offer expedited shipping, since we can’t guarantee the USPS’s shipping dependability. We WILL work our butt’s off to get it out the door as fast as possible regardless of if the order is placed before or after the deadline. Valentines Day - February 8th Easter - April 3rd Mother’s Day - May 6th Fathers Day - June 10th Independence Day - June 29th Halloween - Oct 17th Thanksgiving - Nov 10th Christmas - Dec 12th New Years Day - Dec 20 FAQ: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SHIP?: Our items take anywhere from 2-5 days to print and package. On top of print time, shipping will be 2-5 days…depending on where the item is shipping to. We can NOT guarantee the on time delivery of the postal service…but we will work to get your item out as fast as possible! CAN YOU EXPEDITE MY ORDER?: During the holiday season, we can expedite the production…but we cannot expedite the shipping. Please do NOT request expedited production unless you absolutely need it! Expedited production does not guarantee you’ll get your item in time for the holidays, but it does mean we’ll move you towards the front of the print queue. CANCELLATIONS: Because our items are printed as you order them, we can’t cancel orders after 24 hours. RETURNS/REFUNDS: For the same reason as above, we can’t offer returns/refunds. We WILL, however, work with you to solve any issues you might have! Don’t hesitate to shoot us a message! WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS DO YOU USE? We use Bella Canvas for our Shirts and Tanks…and Gildan for our sweatshirts! The material make-up for each product is located above this FAQ section. WHERE ARE THE ITEMS SHIPPED FROM? Although I am the artist, we do not print our own items. Our items are printed and packaged in our printer partner’s facility. Our t-shirts and tanks ship from El Paso, Texas. Our sweatshirts ship from California. LOST PACKAGE POLICY: We know lost/stolen/misdelivered packages happen, and it’s terrible!!! We’ll do our best to help you find it!! While we contact your local USPS, here are some steps you can take as well. Check the address in Etsy and make sure that's correct. Check with your neighbors and main office (if you have one) and make sure it wasn't just delivered to someone else. (I swear...it's delivered to neighbors SO often by mistake!) Give the post office a call when they are open next and they'll be able to tell you where it was scanned and dropped off, since it's attached to GPS. Once all of those resources are exhausted, we will work with you on a case by case basis to get a replacement headed your way ASAP. We do not offer refunds in these cases.
High Shoals Elementary School Music Blog, Oconee County GA, Orff Music Instruction
During the week of Thanksgiving Break, I didn't want to start a lesson or unit when I wouldn't see all the classes of the week. So, we experimented with music centers. I have 50 minute classes, so I chose 4 centers. It took about 10 minutes to explain the games and then students travelled in groups and had about 10 minutes at each center. They seemed to enjoy them, so I will definitely try this again later in the year with all the classes. Once the kids have tried the centers, they would be great for emergency sub plans! Giant Staff Twister In a previous post, I shared the activity where we did relay races with our giant floor staff. Jen Fink, at pianamation.com, has used the floor staff to play a modified game of Twister. She created cards you can use for the game, one deck contains body parts (hands and feet) and one deck contains lines and spaces and they are available to print from her blog. We decided to make the game like traditional Twister and create spinners. The spinners are available on my teacher-pay-teacher store. Boomwhacker Center In the Boomwhacker center, students practiced note reading. They took turns playing songs from the book "Whack-a-Doodle-Doo!" I have 2 copies of this very affordable book ($5.95 from westmusic.com) One student would attempt to play a song. The next student in line would be able to flip through the extra book to select the song they would like to perform for their turn. This book includes colored notation made it easy for the older students to perform the songs. The younger students needed assistance, so my student teacher positioned herself at that center. Connect 4 Composition The younger grades used a Connect 4 game for rhythmic composition. They took turns filling the bottom row with checkers. The red checkers represented a sound and the black checkers represented a rest. The students performed the rhythms on lollipop drums. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the younger students in action at this center. For the older students, I used a more advanced game, Connect 4 x 4, with 4 different colors--red, yellow, green, and blue. I selected a few unpitched percussion instruments and the students would decide which instruments would play for each color. The students took turns creating new compositions and experimenting with different timbres at the same time. This version of the game has full and empty checkers. I forsee these representing quarter notes and half notes at some point in the future. (Connect 4 x 4 can be found on walmart.com for $19.86) Technology Center The technology center used the Interactive whiteboard and the iPad. On the Activboard, the students took turns on a game from nyphilkids.org. The game pictured below is "Music Match Instruments" which is a memory-type card game. I have also collected links to many other music sites and they can be found at this link. They students could also play a music game on the iPad. Make sure you check out a previous post sharing 110 free music apps for the iPad. Kindergarten and 1st grade were playing rhythms on Monkey Drum. 2nd and 3rd grade were reading rhythms on Rhythm Cat. 4th and 5th grade were testing out a new app Cookie Beats. Look for a review of this app coming soon! I have dedicated an entire Pinterest board to Elementary Music Centers. Check it out for more great ideas!
Thanksgiving is coming soon. what are YOU thankful for. I, personally, am thankful that my theory teacher is at a conference and we missed two days of theory class. Ha ha! Just kidding... So here are a few Thanksgiving-oriented activities for your classes. If anyone knows the origin of this song, please let me know. To be honest, I can't remember from whom or where I learned it. The next song is obviously based on the tune of Zum Gali Gali. The change in text and the accompanying plate game I learned from my good friend, Dr. Michele Paise who is now a professor at Cumberland University in Tennessee. So all kudos for this one go to her. Thanks, Michele! Another extension could be the typical Orff idea of using word chains to create a larger rondo form. So small groups of children could create food word chains (Example: Turkey, mashed potatoes, hot biscuits, corn) to perform with body percussion and then with un-pitched percussion as small group compositions. The word chains are short, so they would have to repeat the chain at least 4 times to make it more substantial. So for instance a group could perform the chain twice with words and body percussion sounds, and then twice with only un-pitched percussion playing the rhythm of the word chain. Or they could layer in their words perhaps. One student could say and play corn over and over, then the person playing turkey could join in, then mashed potatoes, then hot biscuits. Let students be creative and come up with unique ways of performing their words chains. Don't insist that every group must do it exactly the same way. In what other subject in school can students be creative and make their own choices? The final performance would alternate singing the song with group 1 performing their word chain, then the song, then group 2 performing their word chain, and so on. Have a great week!
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Does the song “Over the River and through the Woods” remind you of Thanksgiving? I always think of it more as a Christmas song (I guess because I’ve never lived anywhere it snows …
The funny thing about Thanksgiving is that I don’t even eat turkey! But I do like turkey songs and activities—especially for the Kinders and First Graders. Watching them pretend to be turkeys is worth all the gobbling. Playing the steady beat in Kindergarten and developing rhythm, melody, improvisation, and composition skills in grades K-6 provides […]
In this SMARTBoard lesson, students touch the hunter to listen to a linked solfege example. They must decide how the last note moves and put the turkey on top of that pitch. If they are correct, the turkey will be hidden inside the note. If they are incorrect, the turkey will bounce back to the starting spot. This SMARTNotebook lessons uses the Activity builder* widget found in Notebook 11. *SMART is presently working on the Activity builder Add - on and it is not working properly. I have attached a YES or NO response to each possible answer so the students will know how they answered. As soon as the Activity Builder Add-on is repaired, those who have purchased this file will receive an updated version. An audio link/correct response is built into the answer just in case the widget does not work on another type IWB. This is a great interactive listening activity for the Thanksgiving season. A QR code linked to downloadable Explain Everything file is attached for those with 1:1 iPad classrooms. This is a fun interactive listening activity.
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!
Chasing the Turkey is a fast and easy Thanksgiving-themed music theory board game for piano students to play with their teacher or in a group.
I really like this song because I get a chance to talk with students about "call and response" songs and can introduce improvisation.
Here are of Sing Play Create's favorite fall music lessons, incuding lesson plans for "Fall Is Here" and other fall-themed music lessons.
Some days, this shit TRULY is bananas...and this fun pullover will tell the world exactly what you think of it!! The sweatshirt features a retro looking banana with the song lyrics "This shit is bananas." A perfect gift for a mom, a friend on their birthday...or yourself! .: 50% Cotton 50% Polyester .: Medium-heavy fabric (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)) .: Loose fit .: Sewn in label .: Runs true to size .: Unisex Sizing __________________ **ARE YOU A BIBLIOPHILE? CHECK OUT OUR "STROKE THE SPINE" BOOK MERCH SHOP! https://www.etsy.com/shop/StrokeTheSpine** _________________ 2024 HOLIDAY CUT OFF DATES: Any orders we receive after these dates may not make it in time. We do not currently offer expedited shipping, since we can’t guarantee the USPS’s shipping dependability. We WILL work our butt’s off to get it out the door as fast as possible regardless of if the order is placed before or after the deadline. Valentines Day - February 8th Easter - April 3rd Mother’s Day - May 6th Fathers Day - June 10th Independence Day - June 29th Halloween - Oct 17th Thanksgiving - Nov 10th Christmas - Dec 12th New Years Day - Dec 20 FAQ: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SHIP?: Our items take anywhere from 2-5 days to print and package. On top of print time, shipping will be 2-5 days…depending on where the item is shipping to. We can NOT guarantee the on time delivery of the postal service…but we will work to get your item out as fast as possible! CAN YOU EXPEDITE MY ORDER?: During the holiday season, we can expedite the production…but we cannot expedite the shipping. Please do NOT request expedited production unless you absolutely need it! Expedited production does not guarantee you’ll get your item in time for the holidays, but it does mean we’ll move you towards the front of the print queue. CANCELLATIONS: Because our items are printed as you order them, we can’t cancel orders after 24 hours. RETURNS/REFUNDS: For the same reason as above, we can’t offer returns/refunds. We WILL, however, work with you to solve any issues you might have! Don’t hesitate to shoot us a message! WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS DO YOU USE? We use Bella Canvas for our Shirts and Tanks…and Gildan for our sweatshirts! The material make-up for each product is located above this FAQ section. WHERE ARE THE ITEMS SHIPPED FROM? Although I am the artist, we do not print our own items. Our items are printed and packaged in our printer partner’s facility. Our t-shirts and tanks ship from El Paso, Texas. Our sweatshirts ship from California. LOST PACKAGE POLICY: We know lost/stolen/misdelivered packages happen, and it’s terrible!!! We’ll do our best to help you find it!! While we contact your local USPS, here are some steps you can take as well. Check the address in Etsy and make sure that's correct. Check with your neighbors and main office (if you have one) and make sure it wasn't just delivered to someone else. (I swear...it's delivered to neighbors SO often by mistake!) Give the post office a call when they are open next and they'll be able to tell you where it was scanned and dropped off, since it's attached to GPS. Once all of those resources are exhausted, we will work with you on a case by case basis to get a replacement headed your way ASAP. We do not offer refunds in these cases.