While lesson planning, I kept finding all of these songs about bears. And I thought, I should do a bear unit. One of my top ideas was to sing and play the song Grizzly Bear. If you have been around Pinterest or any music blog, you will find people playing and singing Grizzly Bear to… Continue reading Music Lesson: Piano and Forte with Bears and Mice
Tag: elementary music
Elementary Music Lesson: Treble Clef Dice
Are you looking for a new way to practice the treble clef? I was too. I am always looking for new ways to practice, preferably with little to no set up. This treble clef dice activity checked all of those boxes, and the students loved it. If you have been reading my blog, then you… Continue reading Elementary Music Lesson: Treble Clef Dice
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
Music Christmas Game: Oh Christmas Tree
Are you looking for some really fun Christmas lessons? I feel like I am always looking for ideas, and I have a hard time narrowing down the amount of songs that are available for the holidays. I was looking for a song that was common enough that I wanted all of my students to know,… Continue reading Music Christmas Game: Oh Christmas Tree
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
Free Music Lesson: Brown Bear Brown Bear
We all love to use books in the music classroom. Brown Bear Brown Bear is one of my favorites—and it has so many extensions! I am planning to do a bear themed unit in January, so I am trying to find some fun things to do. If you have some ideas for bear themed lessons,… Continue reading Free Music Lesson: Brown Bear Brown Bear
Assessment without “Assessment”
Assessment. This is one of the favorite words in education these days. Principals love assessment, district chairs love assessment…. Do teachers love assessment? Not really. Do kids? No. But you can change that. At least you can change that in the elementary music room. Most of us see our kids about once a week. My… Continue reading Assessment without “Assessment”
What do I do with fifth graders? Classroom Management
Ah, fifth graders. What will we ever do with them? Last week we talked about what to do with fifth graders in the elementary music room as far as lessons go. Check it out here. Today we are talking about dealing with behavior in fifth graders. Because we all know that no learning can happen… Continue reading What do I do with fifth graders? Classroom Management
What do I do with Fifth Graders? Lessons and Tips
If you are a brand-new elementary music teacher, you might be thinking—what do I do with fifth graders? Well, even if you are not brand new, you may be thinking-- what do i do with fifth graders? If you haven’t started teaching yet, you may be confused. Let me explain. We all know that the… Continue reading What do I do with Fifth Graders? Lessons and Tips
Positive Reinforcements that won’t Break the Bank
PBIS. If you have read my blog for more than five minutes, you know that I love PBIS. And I use it. A lot. Why? Because positive reinforcements work. That doesn’t mean that you don’t address when students are doing something wrong. It just means that you make a big deal about the students doing… Continue reading Positive Reinforcements that won’t Break the Bank