Wolf (AKA We are Dancing) is one of my third graders’ all time favorite singing games. The Wolf singing game is simple, it is fun, and it can be used to practice quarter and eighth notes or la. This song has an official game, and also a way-that-we-play the game that is much less chaotic. We'll… Continue reading Using The Wolf Singing Game (We Are Dancing) in Elementary Music
Tag: elementary music lesson
Favorite Folk Songs for Hispanic Heritage Month
One of my favorite things about music is that it can transport you all around the world and help you to learn about different cultures. We are always striving to do this in my elementary music classroom. Although I use songs from different cultures all year round, I love any excuse to highlight a culture!… Continue reading Favorite Folk Songs for Hispanic Heritage Month
Ocean Themed Folk Songs and Ocean Animal Composition Activities
Maybe it's because I live in Savannah, Georgia (on the coast), but I love including ocean themed folk songs, listening activities, and lessons in my elementary music classroom. Every culture around the world has water-themed songs, and most also have ocean songs, which make it a great place to start including pieces from around the… Continue reading Ocean Themed Folk Songs and Ocean Animal Composition Activities
Little Silver Moon : a Chinese Folk Song Lesson for Quarter Rest
Do you ever find a folk song that you didn’t know existed, but once you did, you couldn’t believe you hadn’t ALWAYS had it? That is how Little Silver Moon is for me. I discovered it at the beginning of this year, and I am now obsessed-- and so are my second graders! Little Silver… Continue reading Little Silver Moon : a Chinese Folk Song Lesson for Quarter Rest
The Best Movement Activities For K-1 Elementary Music Lessons
If you want your students to be engaged, you need to have movement activities in your classroom. Movement allows students to feel things in their bodies, get the wiggles out, and be actively engaged in the lesson. In this post, we’re talking about 10 of my favorite lower grade movement activities. This is certainly not… Continue reading The Best Movement Activities For K-1 Elementary Music Lessons
How to Play Asteroid! An Active Rhythm Game
Teaching music on a normal year is difficult. On a normal year, I am constantly looking for ways to get students reading music while having fun and being active in music. This year, with some people teaching music on a cart, 6 feet away from their students, other people teaching music virtually, and some music… Continue reading How to Play Asteroid! An Active Rhythm Game
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Beat and rhythm lesson
Since I started teaching, I have wanted to incorporate more books into my lessons, but I had two problems: 1. I didn't have many books and 2. I didn't know what to do with them. Over the past few months, I have been working to remedy #1, and not I am working on #2-- figuring… Continue reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Beat and rhythm lesson
Instruments of the Orchestra Four Corners
I don't quite remember when it hit me, but for a long time I have thought that I wanted to do the game 4 Corners with the instruments of the orchestra. I even put it in my lesson plans a few times and took it out. Why? Because I couldn't figure out how to make… Continue reading Instruments of the Orchestra Four Corners
How to Use Ickle Ockle Singing Game in Elementary Music for Rest
Have you heard of the song Ickle Ockle? It is a really fun folk song... with like 20 different versions of it in cyberspace. I have seen it as Bickle Bockle, with do, without do, different wording.... yeah. But, no matter how you sing it, it is a really fun folk song and my students… Continue reading How to Use Ickle Ockle Singing Game in Elementary Music for Rest
Write the Room: An active instruments review
Ever since the huge push on teachers having data based instruction, I have felt the pressure of pretests. I am pretty good with grouping students (see here!) based on data from assignments, but I still have a hard time giving kids true pretests-- I mean, giving them a test they are basically supposed to fail?… Continue reading Write the Room: An active instruments review