Elementary Music, K-2

Easy + Fun Ways To Teach Sol + Mi With Star Light, Star Bright

Star Light, Star Bright is a fun folk song to teach kindergarten, first grade, and second grade elementary music students about sol and mi or quarter and eighth notes. Although the song is quite common, these lessons are not. Make sure you read down to the extensions so that you get all of the ideas… Continue reading Easy + Fun Ways To Teach Sol + Mi With Star Light, Star Bright

Elementary Music, K-2, Lessons

Free K-1 Music Lesson: The Tick Tock Song

You know those songs that you find and you are not sure if your kids will like it, then they love it? That’s how the Tick Tock song was for my classes. I thought it looked/sounded cute, but it was a HUGE hit! My kids wanted to keep doing this song over and over and… Continue reading Free K-1 Music Lesson: The Tick Tock Song

Elementary Music, Games, K-2, Lessons

Free Music Lesson: Grizzly Bear

Teaching dynamics in your elementary music class? Then you need to teach your music students the song Grizzly Bear. This song is one of the main reasons that I decided to do a bear and mouse unit for my kindergarten and first graders this year. We did Grizzly Bear, Hickory Dickory Dock, Mouse Mousie, We're… Continue reading Free Music Lesson: Grizzly Bear

Elementary Music, K-2, Lessons

Christmas Rhythm Composition with K-1

When it comes to rhythm, especially in the younger grades, some things are easier to teach than others. Making rhythms that match songs-- easy. Repeating rhythms-- easy. Even reading rhythms-- easy. But what about improvisation and composition? That's a little harder. I talked about improvisation and how I set that up in my Rain v.… Continue reading Christmas Rhythm Composition with K-1

Elementary Music, K-2, Lessons

Free K-1 Music Lesson: Beat v. Rhythm with Soul Music

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you will know that I love to teach students about different kind of music. We do tons of listening activities with music from all different places. This is partially because of my personal teaching philosophy, and aided by the program that my students… Continue reading Free K-1 Music Lesson: Beat v. Rhythm with Soul Music

Elementary Music, K-2, Lessons

Free K-2 Music Lesson: A Train Jazz Lesson

All month, I have been sharing Jazz resources with you (since April is Jazz month!). I shared ideas for incorporating jazz and a jazz lesson on the song Blue Skies (which includes scarves!). This week I have another jazz lesson on the song A Train. Now, if it is not April, do not panic. Jazz… Continue reading Free K-2 Music Lesson: A Train Jazz Lesson

Elementary Music, K-2, Lessons

Free K-2 Music Lesson: Animal Form

This may sound strange, but form is my favorite thing to teach students in my elementary music room. There are so many ways that you can teach it—through movement, drawing, manipulatives, etc. My favorite of the these is definitely movement. This is a lesson that I did during my student teaching last year. It was… Continue reading Free K-2 Music Lesson: Animal Form