Are you in a panic when your school’s electricity goes out, the projector bulb goes pop, you need emergency sub plans, or your computer is on the fritz? Make this no-tech, low-cost Jeopardy board and you’ll be ready for any emergency! Say goodbye to technology and hello to an innovative, interactive, and budget and sub-friendly game that will make learning music (or ANY subject) an absolute blast!
What is a No-Tech Jeopardy Game?
A no-tech Jeopardy game provides an opportunity to combine music education with a thrilling game show format any time and in any situation. A music teacher or sub with no musical background, can walk in and without hitting a power button of any kind, have great learning K-5.
Modeled after the popular TV show, this interactive game allows students to answer questions, earn points, and engage in friendly competition. By transforming your music lessons into an exciting game, you can foster a love for music, encourage teamwork, and enhance student learning in a playful and memorable way.
Did I mention that it folds down to an easy-to-store rectangle?
Discover the best AI tools for music teachers with time-saving benefits for the teacher and broader curriculum choices for students. AI offers a powerful ally for music teachers, freeing up valuable time by-
streamlining administrative tasks
creating and personalizing instruction
providing time-consuming research
creating music
Explore how AI empowers music educators to focus on what truly matters – nurturing musical talents and fostering creativity.
Let’s look into the time-saving and (hopefully) stress-reducing efficiency unlocked by AI and the many sites that will be available to us over the next few years.
Reminder: AI is ONLY a tool. Teachers should vet all generated information very carefully.
Charts, Graphics & Visuals That POP
There are more AI tools popping up than boy bands in the ’90s. Just when you think you’ve found the one, here comes another with frosted tips promising it’s different.
Guess what? This new app, Napkin, is a shining star!
Turn text into VISUALS to differentiate your teaching BIG TIME! Show sequential processes and directions with a cool graphic. Eye catching and engaging!
Watch how I made a graphic on How to Create Parachute Routines!
The BASIC Plan is FREE and you get 50 credits that renew daily (10 songs).
You have to log in to use it so this would need to be a whole-class lesson. Each prompt produces a set of lyrics and two song examples.
It is SOOOOO fun!
Create a class song
One music teacher on FB used it for each class to create an end-of-the-year song for their classroom teacher. They plugged in lyric suggestions that related to all the things they love about their teacher. It was evidently a very meaningful gesture that had lots of tears of joy.
Here’s a song that I created with this prompt: “An emotional pop ballad about Mrs. Bartolomeo the music teacher being very tired at the end of the school year.” Pop Ballad
You can download a link, audio, or video. If you download video, it plays with scrolling lyrics! ❤️❤️❤️
Create a National Anthem
This idea was created as an idea for Music Olympics activities. 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.
Fadr
Fadr is an AI-powered vocal remover, song splitter, key/tempo/chords detector, remix maker, mashup maker, DJ controller, and more. I used it successfully to remove vocals from a current pop song that I had downloaded from Apple Music as an mp3.
The resulting vocal removed mp3 was pretty much a karaoke. I downloaded it and there were no pop ups or other odd things that sometimes happen with these types of online programs.
Like everything though, download at your own risk. While it seems like a secure site, I can’t tell you definitively that it is totally safe.
Generating Written & Digital Assignments
Music educators don’t deal with written assignments and assessments often. Our classes are mainly hands-on, action-based learning. When we need a written/digital assignment that aligns with our curriculum, it often becomes a huge time suck.
Why use written/digital assignments in the music room?
What are some of the reasons music teachers need written/digital assignments? Let’s take a ukulele unit as the example.
We need a sub plan and want to continue with learning about the ukulele but know that we absolutely don’t want a sub using the instruments.
A student has lost playing privileges because of unsafe use of the ukulele and needs to continue to learn about the instrument in a different format.
An entire class has been off-task and needs a reset.
We only have enough instruments for half a class and want students without instruments to have a quality assignment rather than “waiting their turn.”
Types of Assignments
Multiple Choice
For guided reading or general information activities and assessments, use a multiple-choice format.
These can be used:
in hard-copy print
with devices using Google Forms, Kahoot!, Quizizz, Gimkit, Canvas, Blooket, moodle, and more!
Printed Copies
Write this prompt. “Use the following article about Mozart to generate 10 multiple-choice questions. Give two printable copies, one with the correct answers annotated by placing a check mark (√) at the beginning of each correct response and one without. Add a list of the 10 correct responses for easy grading.” (add Mozart biography here)
Type in a video URL and some AI models can generate questions. One example is the beta app twee. (see video and table below for more info)
Here is a multiple-choice example using a Ted-Ed video on brass instruments.
Fill-in-the-Blank
twee also lets you type in (or have it generate) text and create a fill-in-the-blank assessment.
Streamlining Assessment & Grading With AI
Music educators face a unique challenge: grading hundreds of students across multiple classes. When you’re teaching 400-600 students per week, even the most organized seating chart system can become a bottleneck.
Seating Chart to Grade Sheet Hack
One of the biggest time-sucks in music education is transferring grades from seating charts into alphabetized gradebook formats. Here’s how AI can transform that 45-minute task into a 2-minute process.
How It Works
Step 1: Update Your Seating Chart Format Instead of first names only, use first name + last initial (Tom A, Carrie B, etc.). This small change gives you enough specificity to match students in your gradebook without needing full rosters.
Important Consideration
Check with your school and district about their guidelines for using names in AI models. Would first names and last initials follow those guidelines?
Step 2: Use AI to Process Your Chart Upload an image or document of your seating chart to an AI assistant (like Claude, ChatGPT, or similar tools). The AI will:
Extract all student names and their corresponding grades
Alphabetize the list by last initial
Create a formatted table with columns for each assessment category
Leave blank cells for missing grades so you can easily identify incomplete assessments
Step 3: Export and Use The resulting table can be easily copied into Google Sheets, Excel, or used on its own as you input grades into your grading system. No more rewriting, no more searching, no more back and forth from one type of setup to another.
Why This Works for Music Teachers
Handles Large Numbers: Perfect for specialists who see entire school populations Flexible Assessment Types: Works with any grading system – plus/check/minus, standards-based, letter grades, or numeric scores Time Savings: What used to take 30-45 minutes now takes 2 minutes Error Reduction: No more transcription mistakes or missing students Easy Updates: Run the process multiple times throughout the year for different assessment periods
Tips for Success
Be consistent with last initials on your seating charts from the start of the year
Keep multiple classes in one document by adding a “Class Period” or “Grade Level” column
Add a notes column if you track specific observations beyond the basic grade
Try It Yourself
Ready to streamline your music grading? Watch the full tutorial video above or use this info as a brainstorming session, tweaking to fit your needs!
What assessment challenges are you facing in your music classroom? Drop a comment below – I’m always looking for new ways to help music teachers work smarter, not harder!
Video Reviews | AI Tools for Music Teachers
Diffit
twee
How to Generate the Best AI Responses
How to Use Effective AI Prompts
You can ask an AI bot a question and then ask them to clarify
OR
you can FIRST ask them what they need to know to answer your query.
Examples-
What do you need to know to provide me with…
What information do you need to write a thorough lesson on…
Give your request and add, “What else do you need to know?”
Concert Song Prompt
Here’s an example using ChatGPT: “I need a list of songs for an elementary music concert. What do you need to know to help with this list?”
Here’s Chat GPT’s answer (abridged to save space):
Theme or purpose of the concert.
Age or grade level of the students.
Time duration of the concert.
Musical style or genre preference.
Performance format.
Any specific songs already considered?
Technical considerations: accompaniment, sheet music, or audio resources?
Cultural or sensitivity considerations.
Edited AI Prompt
Here’s my new query using the bot’s suggestions.
I’d like a list of songs for an elementary music concert with a winter theme. The performers are in grades 1, 2, and 3. The concert will be 45 minutes in length. The music should be secular with a mix of upbeat and ballad styles. The students will be singing in large groups and mp3 accompaniments will need to be used. A couple of the songs should be very upbeat. I’d like the song titles, composers, and possible mp3 links.
Here’s the answer I received!(The links are only placeholders. DANG!)
“Winter Wonderland” – Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith
That’s a great list. Can you give me ten more songs that would fit with my parameters?
Certainly! Here are ten more songs that fit the parameters of your elementary music concert about winter:
“Jingle Bells” – James Lord Pierpont
“Up on the Housetop” – Benjamin Hanby
“The Snow Is Dancing” – Claude Debussy
“Winter Fantasy” – John Higgins
“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” – Irving Berlin
“Snow Day” – Justin Roberts
“Winter’s Waking” – Amy F. Bernon
“Sleigh Ride” – Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish
“The Winter Song” – Sarah Quartel
“Winterlude” – Neil Young
Use AI to Build on What You Already Teach—No Starting from Scratch
Scenario-Your admin wants to see more higher level questioning. Higher level questioning, SEL, and many other integrations happen all the time (or get real close) in elementary music teaching and we don’t recognize it as such. I think it’s HUGE to take what we are already doing and tweak to come up with what is needed, without starting from scratch.
So this is the perfect opportunity to use AI. I did not want to ask AI to give me higher level questioning for music because I’d get a bunch of things that might not apply to my curriculum.
The Prompt
Instead, I asked for a synopsis of higher level thinking for elementary. It gave me 7 areas-compare/contrast, cause/effect, etc. Then I asked: “Let’s suppose that we are already doing some higher level thinking but don’t realize it. Here are some typical activities. Tell me how to make higher level questioning more obvious. Connect it to one of the 7 ideas you’ve given me above.
1. clap a rhythm pattern and speak it using rhythm syllable. 2. play boomwhackers to a play along video 3. play a singing game.”
The AI Answer
The goal is to take what you already do and add a quick, purposeful question that nudges thinking beyond “just doing.”
1️⃣ Clap a rhythm pattern and speak it using rhythm syllables
Connection:Analyze & Interpret
Make it obvious: After clapping, ask:
“What do you notice about this pattern? Are there any parts that repeat?”
“How would the feel change if we made one note longer or shorter?”
Why it’s higher-level: Students examine structure and predict effects, not just perform.
2️⃣ Play boomwhackers to a play-along video
Connection:Predict & Hypothesize
Make it obvious: Pause mid-song and ask:
“If we swapped the red and green boomwhackers, how would the sound or harmony change?”
“What might happen if we played this twice as fast or half as fast?”
Why it’s higher-level: Students think ahead and reason about cause and effect in music.
3️⃣ Play a singing game
Connection:Evaluate & Judge
Make it obvious: After playing, ask:
“Which strategy helped your team stay in the game the longest? Why?”
“If you could change one rule to make it more exciting, what would you change and why?”
Why it’s higher-level: Students justify choices and evaluate outcomes, not just follow directions.
✅ Tip to make it feel intentional: Before or after each activity, briefly name the type of thinking (“Let’s analyze what we noticed in that rhythm” or “Let’s predict what would happen if…”) so students recognize that they’re using higher-level thinking skills.
Growing List of AI Sites for Teachers
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Wow, what a site! It’s unassuming but offers rhythm practice in many different methodologies. You do not need to log in to use it but here are some terms of use and interesting info you might want to read.
Here’s one game.
Paint With Music
I didn’t think I could love something more than Chrome Music Lab but this Google Arts and Culture feature, Paint With Music, is FANTASTIC. Here’s my tutorial and how you can teach melodic direction, rhythm, tone color, harmony, vocal exploration, texture, and so much more!
iMovie
Syncing Lyrics With Audio for Beginners
PowerPoint
Adding Custom Instrument Visuals
Check It Out! 🎯 This easy-to-use digital tool lets you design and download barred instrument visuals for your elementary music classroom. FREE!
Custom Line Spacing
Change Cursor/Pointer Size & Color
Finding Folders Faster (on a Mac) with Add to Sidebar
Noteflight
Getting Started, Input of Notes, Rhythm, Melody, Key, Meter, Lyrics.
