I'm a mom, wife, teacher, reader, gardener, trekkie, sci-fi fanatic, musician, dog lover, and a Christian. I hope my contributions bring some joy and happiness to your life!
This super simple free online metronome has a loud click sound to keep you on that beat! From beats per minute (BPM) numbers to terms (a little Italian please), get the tempo you need for your music!
We often think of metronomes as tools for musicians, but they’re also fantastic for timing exercise routines, enhancing elementary STEAM lessons, and improving coordination in physical therapy.
The Free Online Metronome
Change the number in the box and then hit Start & Stop!
Online Metronome
Metronome
Tempo Terms & BPMs
Tempo BPMs and descriptions can vary from source to source. These are general guidelines.
Make Your STEM Go STEAM
Integrate STEM into music and music into STEM!
TinkerTar-the single-string guitar that is meant to teach music and sound vibrations. Perfect for a center activity.
Your room is too small for all your resources and the large class sizes at your school! How will this ever work? Or maybe you’re a new teacher with a big beautiful room but don’t know where to begin. Let’s look at some best practices along with tips and tricks to set up an elementary music room!
Transform your chaotic classroom into a harmonious haven with these top tips for a super functional elementary music room set up!
This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure.
Elementary music classroom essentials and must-haves will be determined by your teaching philosophy, teaching space, budget, and students. Let’s look at how these factor into your decision-making, some of the most common choices among music teachers, and then a basic list of must-haves!
The Playlist
What Factors In?
#1 Your Teaching Philosophy
The best essentials are the ones that match your teaching philosophy. If you’re a first-year or newer music teacher, this will change over time. If you student taught and used lots of rhythm stick learning and your classroom doesn’t have them, that’s a great resource to obtain. Here’s how to proceed.
Make a list of what you know and want to use in your teaching. (i.e. folk songs, movement, barred instruments, non-pitched percussion, recorders, etc.)
To your wishlist, add the equipment needed to teach them. (i.e. for movement-scarves, parachute)
Write down what you want to learn about. (barred instruments, ukuleles, movement, curriculum)
Add the equipment/resources needed for this new learning to your wishlist.
#2 Existing Equipment
Look at the existing items in your room and determine what you’d like to use in your teaching. For example, if you have a class set of ukuleles and have never played before, you need to research how to teach with them or store them for the next teacher. If you have a bunch of broken rhythm sticks and you want to use them, figure out a way to fix them or put them on your wishlist. Go through the entire room this way.
If you are a new (er) teacher and you inherit a room of what you think is not useable, I suggest Marie Kondo-ing the budget-minded music teacher way. Three piles: trash, not sure, keep.
Trash would be damaged beyond repair, worksheet copies that are for who knows what, and outdated equipment such as giant computer screens, etc. The “not sure” group might be your biggest and I’d take a year to digest these items. I’d suggest hopping on a Facebook music teacher group and running items by the members. You’ll get a consensus pretty quickly if it’s worthy.
Do not, I repeat DO NOT throw out all old textbook series with CDs. I’d keep one copy of each textbook and all the CDs. Yes, there are some really crappy songs on some of them but also some JEWELS! AND, they come with accompaniment tracks. If you want to get a song for a concert, you can buy the music and an accompaniment mp3 on a music site for $50 or more. But the textbooks may contain lots of songs with accompaniments for FREE! You will have to get an external CD drive to get them on your computer, but if the school doesn’t have one, they are less than $50 on Amazon.
#3 Your Teaching Space
The size, location, and hardware in your room matter SO much! You can’t buy a huge parachute in a long, narrow room. If you are on a stage by the gym or next to classrooms, I wouldn’t put drumming high on my list. If your room has no sound system, that might need to go to the top of your list. Your teaching space dictates a lot of your decisions.
#4 Your Budget and Fundraising
A yearly budget varies widely from school to school. It can go from $0 to hundreds of dollars. Sometimes schools will get a year of an extra bump or be renovating and get several thousand dollars.
Then there’s your decision to fundraise or not. The big national entity is DonorsChoose and then there are local and regional opportunities. No matter what, it takes time, persistence, and more time.
#5 The Students
What you need will depend on the grade levels you teach. K-8, K-5, Prek-2, 3-5. You want to offer a diversity of learning to ALL students but maybe a community has a particular cultural interest that you want to pull into your teaching. Your resources might reflect that interest. Perhaps you will be teaching a lot of students with special needs and accommodations so certain resources will provide better participation for those situations. The school environment can create situations where classroom management necessitates less student movement in the room. All of these situations and more can have an impact on what you need.
Commonly Used Elementary Music Classroom Essentials
Here are the most common item choices you will find for music rooms.
The Room
Seating
My K-5 students sat on the floor in assigned seats and I never used sit spots. Some teachers always use sit spots. It’s up to you. Chairs were stacked along the side or in the hallway because I taught K-8 and I had them mainly for my middle school students. Stools (IKEA) were stacked against the wall and used for drumming, ukuleles, or sometimes learning centers. My goal was to keep things as open as possible for movement activities and to easily get out the barred instruments.
Classroom chairs
Stools
Flipforms
Rugs
Sit Spots
Audio/Visual
Teacher Computer
Teacher Piano
Speakers
Whiteboard & Projection System
Teacher microphone
Storage
Small containers for un-pitched percussion, mallets, folders, basics (pencils, crayons)
Ask 10 teachers and you’ll get 10 different answers. The quantities are what I like-heavy on the woods. One metallophone is VERY loud. You don’t need bunches of them. Zimbabwe-style pieces (Walt Hampton) are fabulous and dependent on having lots of xylophones. I taught in many different types of schools and I never EVER had a student not LOVE these pieces. I went heavy on xylophones.
Contra-bass bars (one set-C, D, E, F, G, A, B)
Bass xylophones (2)
Alto xylophones (8)
Soprano xylophones (8)
Alto/Soprano glockenspiels (8)
Alto metallophone (2)
If I was starting from zero, I’d start with soprano xylophones, then glockenspiels, a bass xylophone, altos, then the rest. This would give me a combination of lower cost instruments to get more kids playing. Studio 49, Sonor, and Peripole are the best. Suzuki and Rhythm Band should be avoided. (However, I bought a Suzuki xylophone on ShopGoodwill so if it’s super cheap, go for it.)
Un-pitched Percussion
Class Sets
Rhythm Sticks
Egg Shakers
Need 2-4
These instruments are great for sound stories. In a class of 24, you could have 4 groups (6 to a group) for Goldilocks. The groups could be Daddy Bear (wood blocks & tone blocks), Momma Bear (maracas & egg shakers), Baby Bear (triangles & finger cymbals), Goldilocks (rhythm sticks).
*Triangles
Tambourines
*Finger Cymbals
*Claves
*Maracas
Tone Blocks
Jingle Bells
Wood Blocks
*Guiros
*Cow Bell
Agogo Bells/Gonkogui
*My favorites & most used.
Just 1
Rain Sticks
Vibraslap
Slap Stick
Ratchet
Cabasa
Gong
Slit/Tongue Drum
Stir Drum
Wind Chimes
Shekere
Ukuleles
These are my favorite instruments in the music classroom. The learning can continue into adulthood. Kids can easily play along to songs they love. Here are all my buying recommendations AND an entire free ukulele curriculum based mainly on playing chords.
Drums
Hand Drums
Lots of teachers (me included) get a class set of the Remo tuneable tubano drums. They are sturdy, sound good, have feet and a hand grip. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten a mix of djembes, congas, etc. too. I like the diversity of sound better and they can be a bit cheaper. The problem with them is that they have to be tipped when you play them so that would be a challenge for the K-3 crowd. Whatever you get, don’t get anything that isn’t tuneable. They’ll eventually lose their resonance and sound awful.
Bucket Drums
They are fun because of the drumsticks and the variety of sounds you can get but if you have a class set of drums, I think you can skip bucket drumming. If you don’t have hand drums or a budget, this is the way to go! You can petition Lowes or Home Depot to donate them to you.
Frame Drums
These hand-held drums are so great. I had a class set but rarely used them as a set. I think you could get 10 in a couple of sizes and be fine. Use them in combination with rhythm sticks and other un-pitched percussion or as a B section to a barred instrument piece. (but then again you could use hand drums for that too) I got the Remo Pre-tuned Fiberskyn and they worked fine although some eventually lost their zing.
Cajon
Cajons are so useful because they’re small, provide a great sound, don’t need a chair/stool, and are super portable. Two is a great number to have, for the teacher to use but also for students to use in ensembles, small group work, and as an accompaniment to a class song.
Recorders
Your two choices are to buy recorders for each student and keep them in your room or let the kids purchase their own.
Boomwhackers
The instrument I love to hate! LOL. BWs are so fun and kids love them and they serve several worthy teaching purposes. They are the perfect low-cost class set option if you don’t have much of a budget. Here’s a table to help with how many you need to order.
Student Keyboards
I had student full-sized keyboards (2 students to a keyboard) mainly because I taught middle school. Because I had them, I ran a mini-unit in 4th and 5th grade. They require a lot of storage space and accessories. (power source, extension cords, splitters, headphones)
A large class parachute is SO fun and you can pair movement with learning about high/low, pitch, form, and many music elements. I eventually got partner parachutes too and they are just magical. Here’s more about them.
Bean Bags
Bean bags are great for passing circle games, target games, and more.
Scarves
Scarves are magical for Prek-2 and maybe older depending on your students. They are great for using movement and hand/eye coordination, high/low, musical form, smooth/bumpy, beat/no beat, and much more. You can buy tulle or other light fabricd at JoAnn Fabric and cut it up into 2′ x 2′ squares or buy online at West Music or PE supply stores. I invested in some amazing, floating silk scarves.
Ribbon Wands
Kids love ribbon wands but I think they’re a pain in the patoot. They are always knotting up or flicking someone in the head. Did I have them? Yes. Did I use them? Yes. But I didn’t use them that often. They wouldn’t be at the top of my wishlist.
Great children’s literature is very important to include in your teaching and there are so many options here. Many teachers buy their own books and then take them with them when they leave the school so classrooms may not have much that stays in-house. Use your local library to borrow books until you can acquire books you love and want to own. There are also many online versions of books on Libby and YouTube.
Curriculum
Your district may have a scope and sequence to use. Old textbook series usually have a really nice basic K-6 scope and sequence at the back of every teacher’s edition. Musicplay is the most affordable online option that is praised by many teachers. There are also curriculum purchase options from TPT and other music teacher content creators.
Sheet Music, mp3s, and Concert music
Finding music for classroom use and concert use can be a HUGE problem. Music with mp3s is costly to buy from sheet music companies. This is one of the most challenging elementary music classroom essentials.
Many teachers love Music K8 because you get lots of music (not all useable though) for not a lot of money. You can get a yearly subscription and then buy singles that come with the music and mp3s. The subscription by itself is not going to give you everything you need, though it will help.
Musicplay gives you tons of classroom curricular options and some concert options as well.
Dry Erase Boards/Pocket Sleeves
Dry-erase boards are so wonderful for quick assessments, composing and creating, and for use in learning centers. Pocket sleeves allow you to insert a paper for guided learning to be used multiple times.
HeadPhones
A couple of noise-cancelling earmuffs are great to have for kids who are noise-sensitive. Some kids will bring their own. Regular headphones are a must to have on hand for learning centers.
The BASIC List of Elementary Music Classroom Essentials
If I was starting with an empty room…
The Room
Basic: Teacher computer, sound system, projection system, teacher piano, stools/chairs for drumming, storage for percussion and other items. (Dollar Tree or IKEA)
Other Considerations & Next Steps: If you don’t have carpet, a large area rug is important. A teacher microphone can really save your voice.
Instruments
Basic: class set of rhythm sticks and Boomwhackers, a few small percussion instruments (sets of 2-4)
Next Steps: Barred instruments, drums, class set of egg shakers, ukuleles, recorders, more small percussion, cajon.
Movement Props
Basic: class parachute, scarves
Next Steps: partner parachutes, ribbon wands, bean bags
Learning Materials
Basic: Musicplay (or similar) and a class set of dry-erase boards or sleeves.
Next Steps: Children’s books, headphones, iPads
Final Thoughts
The biggest thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter what another music teacher is using, doing, or teaching. What matters is YOUR teaching philosophy and curriculum and what you need to implement them. As you gain experience, your teaching ideas will probably broaden and you can then add new items to your elementary music classroom essentials list.
If you’ve made it to the bottom, congratulations! Even though this post took a lot of thought, I know it’s going to still need some editing as I think of items that I’ve missed along the way. Help me out! What do I need to add? Thanks for your help! Laura
Originally Published May 2024 | Last Updated January 31, 2026.
As we prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics, these music activities will help your students celebrate the games through song and movement.
Summer and Winter Olympics music activities bring the exciting worldwide event into your elementary classroom. Let’s look at the Summer, Winter, and Para Games, and then other general Olympic-themed resources for the elementary music classroom.
Table of Contents
With the 2026 Winter Olympics music activities featured below, you can bring the Milan-Cortina games to life through Italian folk songs and mascot-themed games.
Quickstart Guide
Group grade levels for general Olympic activities (K–1, 2–3, 4–5).
Because of the two year rotations in summer & winter games
Layer in Summer or Winter activities for the current Games.
Teach over 2–3 weeks (pre-Games + during the Games).
Start with a K-5 shared slide deck on Olympic history and add time for student input, “What do you know?”
Extend Olympic values to other events such as field day, March Madness, bowls, championships.
The 2026 Winter Olympics Music Activities & Lesson Ideas
Winter Olympics 2026 Opening Ceremony
The 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy kicked off February 6, 2026 with a spectacular opening ceremony themed Armonia (harmony). Here’s what music teachers need to know to bring the excitement into your classroom!
Volare
Mariah Carey sang this iconic song of Italy about feeling so happy about loved ones in your life, like you’re flying!
Volare is a song originally recorded by Italian singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno, with music composed by himself and Italian lyrics written by himself and Franco Migliacci. It was released as a single on 1 February 1958.
Lesson Idea: So Mariah’s performance will have more meaning, learn a bit of the chorus, using the video below, before watching her.
Learn the chorus. Listen for these key words: volare (to fly), blu (blue), cantare (singing)
Nessun Dorma
Andrea Bocelli sang this classic aria for the 2026 Winter Games. Written by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini for the opera Turandot, Nessun Dorma (none shall sleep) is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera, but achieved fame in many other ways. It’s been sung often in films, on television, and at sporting events.
Here he is again singing it at a sporting event and you can hear the crowd singing along with him.
Meet the 2026 Winter Olympics Mascots
Tina and Milo are the official mascots representing the best of Italian culture and winter sports!
At the Fair of Maestro Andrè – Italian Song Perfect for Olympic
Celebrate Italy with this catchy CUMULATIVE Neapolitan folk song! Complete Orff arrangement with barred instruments, body percussion, and fun Italian-themed games.
Perfect song for elementary students to explore Italy during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games!
Summer Games-July 23-August 8, 2032-Brisbane, Australia
What are the Olympics?
The Olympics are the leading international sporting events representing nations around the world. The Games are held every four years alternating every two years between the Summer and Winter Games.
The Olympics for Kids With Jack Hartmann
History of the Olympic Games By BYJU’s
What are the Paralympics?
According to the IPC (International Paralympics Committee), the first Paralympic competition was in 1948 and was for wheelchair athletes. Called the Stoke Mandeville Games, 16 injured servicemen and women competed in archery.
There are currently 28 sports, 22 summer and six winter, but can change from one event to another.
According to the International Olympic Committee, “Taking place every four years in the same year as the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games have since grown into one of the world’s biggest sport events, with a track record for driving social inclusion.”
Some of our Olympics music activities are directly tied to the symbols of the games.
Olympic Rings-5 interlocking rings in blue, yellow, black, green, and red. Designed by Coubertin in 1913, they represent the 5 inhabited continents and if counting the field of white they are on, also represent the 6 colors used in nation flags. The rings are the design on the Olympic flag.
Flame & Torch-The Olympic flame is ignited in Olympia, Greece some weeks or months before the opening ceremony of the games at the host location. The torch is ceremonially relayed until it reaches the host site during the opening ceremony.
Nation Flags are part of the games to show the country of each participating athlete. Flags and national anthems are a big part of the medal ceremony.
Medals-The Olympic medals are gold (1st), silver (2nd), and bronze (3rd).
♦️ Olympic-Themed Routines & Procedures
Kids LOVE games so why not keep that Olympic theme going all year long with a We Are the Champions activity that helps teach routines and procedures. First, the teacher determines the gold, silver, and bronze requirements for a routine or procedure and then the class wins one of the medals.
♦️ Olympics Music Activities
Olympic Songs With Orff Arrangements
Bring the excitement of the Olympics into your K–5 classroom! These ready-to-use lesson plans feature fun songs, rhythm activities, movement, and games that engage students while making Olympic-themed music lessons easy and memorable.
There have been many songs, anthems, hymns, and music works commissioned throughout the years. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable ones. Classic fm also has a great chronological list of songs with videos.
“One Moment In Time” sung by Whitney Huston, written by Albert Hammond for the 1988 Winter Games in Seoul.
“Light the Fire Within” from the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games was sung by Lee Ann Grimes and written by David Foster and Linda Thompson. Here’s an arrangement by Mac Huff.
“Dare to Dream” was sung at the 2002 Summer Olympics in Australia and sung by Olivia Newton-John.
“Furusato” is a popular Japanese children’s song and was sung at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Here’s a beautiful arrangement of it.
Olympics Music Instrumental Pieces
Bugler’s Dream
Bugler’s Dream was written in 1958 by Leo Arnaud and is well known because of its use in television coverage by ABC and NBC. Here’s a choral version arranged by Mark Hayes. Most performances today use the John Williams arrangement that combines Bugler’s Dream with his Olympic Fanfare and Theme.
Bugler’s Dream by the US Army Herald Trumpets
Bugler’s Dream Theme on Recorder
Summon the Heroes
Another favorite, Summon the Heroes, was written by John Williams for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
For the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, John Williams composed Olympic Fanfare and Theme. In 1996, a new arrangement was created using part of Arnaud’s “Bugler’s Dream.”
Olympics Music Activity: Parachute Routine to Olympic Fanfare
This mp3 is from the old Grade 2 Share the Music textbook.
INTRO Tympani intro: march in place OPENING THEME up and down to beat SECTION 1 a. For16 quarter note beats-step to right a. 16 beats-step to left (walk to beat right, b. For 16 beats up and down (slow 8 count or quicker 4 count for up/down/up/down) a. 16 beats to the right B’: up and down (2 slow or 4 quick) SECTION 2 Parachute up and stays up as several chosen cross from one side of the parachute to the other. (4 counts) Parchute down for 4 counts. REPEAT 3 more times SECTION 1 (repeat above) OPENING THEME (repeat above)
Who is John Williams?
John Williams is one of the greatest and most prolific composers in the 21st century!
Project a pictogram of sports (summer or winter) and have students “show” the sport in motion to the beat of the Olympic Fanfare. Add a Freeze Dance and movement statue idea by stopping the music at certain points.
♦️ Music Olympics: Games & Activities in the Classroom
Use Olympic sports as inspiration for The Music Olympics. It can coincide with a world game event or not. Use a mix of summer and winter sports or keep it seasonal.
Alpine Skiing/Slalom
Use agility hoops on the floor for two competitors to navigate by jumping (using pool noodles or rhythm sticks tucked under arms to simulate poles) with a final destination, putting a rhythm in correct order. Have piles of single notes for both contestants to use. Designate students to be the “course crew” to keep the hoops set up nicely between runs.
Which Agility Flat Rings/Hoops should I buy?
Many hoops are WAY too small. The Champion rings are 18″ which is a good size. Palos has great reviews but a bit expensive.
Similar to Big Fat Biscuit, students are broad jumping to see who can go the furthest. Go in 2s, 3s, or 4s. Rap to the beat and get ready to jump at the end. Winners of each round can compete until you have one winner.
Up the snowy ramp I zoom so fast, My skis go shiver-shake-BLAST! I whoosh through the air, arms stretched wide, I stick the landing—“Did you see that glide?” Ready, set, jump!
Figure Skating-Figure Making
Based on why figure skating got its name, making figures on the ice, let’s make human shapes for our music class game, Figure Making!
How to Play
Get into 3 groups. (If you need more groups, you can award extra medals)
Create shapes on 8.5 x 11 paper or in a slide presentation. Great shapes are a circle, square, triangle, heart, X, +, =, and similar.
Groups will have 60 seconds to make the shape/figure.
Award the gold, silver, and bronze medals for the best figures.
You may be standing, sitting, lying down, or any combination of high/middle/low levels to create the figure.
Track Relay
This can be any type of relay, from identifying or playing rhythms, melodies, notes, instrument pictures, etc. Run the events in heats or get everyone going with, e.g., 6 teams of 5 students (for a class of 30). First person on the team runs to a specified point, completes a task (id a note, clap a rhythm, etc.), then runs back so the next person can go
Curling
Tape a giant treble clef to the floor and use a Dollar Tree mop and plastic bowl as your equipment. Teams get points for getting their bowl closest to the “G” curl.
Speed Sports: Skating/Kayak/Bobsled, etc.
Individuals navigate one at a time to a pile of notes or music phrases, bringing them back to their team. When they have them all, they arrange or order them, and first team to complete the task wins. (Treble clef notes could spell a word, rhythms could add up to a number, music phrases to a song that need to be in correct order) The speed sports could be skating (paper plates for skates), kayak (PE scooters), bobsledding (squatting kid in laundry basket with team mate pushing them)
Weight Lifting
The stronger survives! All are sitting in a circle with one student standing behind another. Teacher holds up and object and the first of the two “lifters” to identify it, moves on. If it’s the standing person, they move one person to their right/left. If it’s the sitting person, they exchange with the loser and the winner moves one person to their right/left. I’ve played with instruments and rhythms. Instruments can be as easy as getting a grocery bag and putting in claves, maracas, cowbell, etc. and pulling them out one at a time. You could declare a “winner” if they win 5 or 10 times or they need to make it around the entire circle.
Archery/Target Shooting
Two teams and bean bags. Since the bean bags aren’t going to stick, you’ll need to call it as it hits. Or, position the target on the floor.
Since National Anthems play such a huge part in the awards ceremonies, refresh singing your country’s national anthem and
Learn the national anthem of the host country
Let your students choose two countries and learn the anthems
Then extend this into a unit, letting partners research a country’s anthem and present it to the class. Finally, at the end, play a game where you play the anthem and students (individually or in teams) guess the country based on remembering it from the presentations.
My prompt was: “Create a stately national anthem with lots of brass instruments for the nation of Musicopolis where there’s creativity, fun, and learning with music.” (use “nation” instead of “country” or your national anthem will have a distinct country genre feel to it.) 😊 Here are the two created examples. Song 1 and Song 2.
♦️ Songs Composed for the Olympics
Let the Games Begin
A cute little song about the games beginning, winning the gold, ready, set, go, and an optional kazoo “fanfare.”
Show some video of dressage, highlighting the horse’s movements. These include high steps, locomotion, non-locomotion, sidesteps, walking, cantering with changes of tempo, and length of step. Pathways include straight, curvy, circles. The motions change with the music.
The assignment is to take a pool noodle horse (decorate it if desired) and in groups create a routine to a piece of music. The goal is to change the movement based on the form of the piece. Google pool noodle horse and you’ll find lots of images from simple to elaborate!
A basic pop song would have intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro. Share your routine and the other groups can “judge” you with a 1-10 rating! Kids will love it and you can assess musical form.
♦️ Olympic Decor, Decorations, and Bulletin Boards
The wall image is in my classroom!
I used it year-round so that when we talked about music from around the world, we could look for the flag! The colors pop and putting it up high beautifully uses space that is too high for many other posters or signs.
Originally published April 26, 2024 Latest Update June 15, 2026
Find easy, low-prep Star Wars music activities & lesson plans for celebrating May the 4th, learning about John Williams, or exploring science fiction and a space theme!
Teaching ideas have been added to make the videos (more) interactive!
Originally published April 24, 2024 Latest Update May 3, 2026
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month elementary music activities with a diverse lineup of musicians, folk songs, and interactive games. This post is a “one-stop shop” for busy music educators, featuring everything from Yo-Yo Ma’s classical brilliance to Mista Cookie Jar’s kid-friendly hip-hop.
According to Britannica, “Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is a monthlong commemoration of the history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States.”
Let’s celebrate the contributions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander musicians!
Originally published April 19, 2024 Latest Update April 18, 2026
Find easy no/low prep Earth Day music activities, songs, and games for elementary classrooms using rhythm, movement, and singing!
What’s the history of Earth Day?
According to Earthday.org, “…founders created and organized the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Since then, (it) has been mobilizing over 1 billion people annually on Earth Day, and every other day, to protect the planet.”
Originally published April 3, 2024 Latest Update April 3, 2026
Learn about jazz with these EASY jazz music lessons & activities using instruments, singing, movement, and creating. Perfect for K-8 elementary music.
Jazz is perfect all year long but can be a special emphasis in February for Black History Month, March for Women’s History Month, or April for Jazz History Month.
Table of Contents
This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure.
Music educators generally teach a wide variety of grade levels and a common challenge is engaging older students. Let’s look at how we can have better engagement in elementary music using small group music projects.
The Playlist
We’ll start with the reasoning behind small groups and their effectiveness. Then on to how to set them up. Or skip straight to the lesson plans to see if they will work for you.
The Challenge & the Solution
Music Schedules & Perceptions
Unlike a homeroom/classroom, music classes meet relatively infrequently so building relationships and trust with students takes more time.
Students often consider special area classes a “break” from the rigors of their other classes which can make engagement and classroom management more challenging, especially for grades 4-8.
