It’s here, it’s here! It’s finally here! Well…. Almost. It’s almost the end of the school year… so how do you keep kids engaged right now?! The upper grades (third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade) can be even more difficult to make music lesson plans for, because they are older and sometimes think they… Continue reading Best End of Year Music Lessons for Upper Grades
Category: Lessons
Best Sol Mi Songs for the Elementary Music Classroom
When it comes to teaching solfa, sol and mi is where we start. The best way to get these notes engrained in students’ heads is with sol mi songs– especially sol mi songs. Using sol mi songs allows students to have authentic musical experiences while learning their first two melodic notes. Now, by the time… Continue reading Best Sol Mi Songs for the Elementary Music Classroom
Best Games And Lessons To Teach Kids Solfege
Coming up with games and lessons for solfege can seem daunting. You may feel like the only thing to do is to have students read flashcards on the screen. And while I do think there is value in that-- especially before an independent activity-- it’s not all there is to teaching solfege or melody. After… Continue reading Best Games And Lessons To Teach Kids Solfege
How to Play Lucky Lemons Solfege Board Game
Picture this: Me, teaching online for the millionth time. My students, showing up to every few classes, sometimes coming or going halfway through. It’s March and we’re STILL working on la with second grade. As we have been for weeks. I needed something new, a new solfege board game, and Lucky Lemons was the solution. … Continue reading How to Play Lucky Lemons Solfege Board Game
The 6 Best Folk Songs for La in Elementary Music
I don’t know about you, but when my first or second graders learn la, we spend a really long time on it. It’s like they understand sol and mi quickly because there’s only two options, but when we add a third option, it takes a long time for them to have a solid understanding of… Continue reading The 6 Best Folk Songs for La in Elementary Music
The Greatest Winter Olympics Music Lessons
I may be a choir nerd who never played a sport (except grudgingly in gym class), but I love the Olympics. Maybe it's because I secretly wanted to be an ice skater (quite a feat living in the desert as a kid), but nonetheless, I love both the summer and winter Olympics. So when the… Continue reading The Greatest Winter Olympics Music Lessons
Best Nutcracker Elementary Music Lessons for the Holiday Season
When it comes to December, every elementary music teacher has The Nutcracker on repeat. This is for good reason-- Tchaikovsky’s ballet is absolutely beautiful and has some incredible music. After reading this article, you’ll have 4 (new!) Nutcracker music lessons to use with your general music class. Before we get started, I wanted to mention… Continue reading Best Nutcracker Elementary Music Lessons for the Holiday Season
9 Thanksgiving Music Lessons for Elementary Music Class
With all of the holidays that happen at the end of the year, I have to say, Thanksgiving definitely gets looked over. The fact that the stores were already covered in Christmas decor by mid-October suggest that. In my elementary music lessons, I definitely look over Thanksgiving. I see my students for a week at… Continue reading 9 Thanksgiving Music Lessons for Elementary Music Class
The Best Drum Dream Girl Elementary Music Lessons
I am always looking for books to incorporate into my elementary music classes. I found Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle by accident one day-- I think that it was on display in our library. As soon as I picked it up, I knew it was a gem. Since then, I’ve used it many different… Continue reading The Best Drum Dream Girl Elementary Music Lessons
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