Successful parachute songs, games, and activities teach musical and movement concepts, let students explore through creativity and improvisation, and provide a physical activity for fitness, a brain break, and a social-emotional learning (SEL) outlet.
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Continue reading “Parachute Songs, Games, and Activities In the Music Classroom”
If you are looking for an accessible instrumental piece in 6/8 meter for barred instruments with an Orff arrangement, this is it! Taught step-by-step, this classic tongue twister rhyme is perfect for winter, spring, or really any time of the year there is weather 🤣.
An added plus is the language arts lesson on synonyms. Put that on your end-of-year evaluation!
For grades 3-6, this over 50-slide resource is in both PowerPoint and Google Slide versions.
Listen to the music on TPT!
Here are some favorite lesson plans and activities for the music classroom to teach The Nutcracker Ballet plus some NEW resources to spark life into our teaching of this perennial classic.
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With its call and response form, this is the perfect barred instrument activity for December! PLUS, movement ideas using partners and the whole class with and without props! Ribbon sticks/wands, scarves, partner parachutes, and a classroom parachute!
Each performance of the Nutcracker uses an artistic director who helps determine the costuming, dancing, makeup, and scenery for the ballet. The ballet dates back to a time when ethnic caricatures were standard practice in the performances. This is particularly true in Act II with the dances related to the Chinese, Arabian, Russian, and Spanish dances.
As music specialists, this is important to take into consideration if we choose to use videos in our teaching. Read more.
Here’s an excellent interview on NPR about “Rethinking Cultural Stereotypes in The Nutcracker.”
At this school, students were asked to bring in a family Nutcracker and were put into this fun Nutcracker Museum display! (Remember to have the student’s name and room clearly labeled.)
Add this to your end-of-year evaluation Danielson (or similar) Domain 1b: Teacher-designed opportunities for families to share their heritages.
https://www.pbs.org/video/hip-hop-nutcracker-at-njpac-an-all-arts-presentation-czdp88/
This performance is on PBS and you may need to confirm your local PBS station.
The music, instruments, dance, and culture of Ireland create great learning opportunities in the music classroom. St. Patrick’s Day is a prime time for these resources but also any time you want to talk about folk instruments, dances, and music.
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Continue reading “St. Patrick’s Day Special Activities With History, Songs, And Dances”Special Days Celebrated With Music
Updated weekly, a national or world day is highlighted with a brief informational video and related music videos. It’s the MUSIC answer to Scholastic News or The Weekly Reader!
I vet the Best of the BEST, just for you! FREE!
Join the hundreds of teachers who receive activities sent to their inbox every Monday morning in the Oodles Newsletter!
This classic is in 3/4 meter!
Experience the 3s:
simple sway to the beat
pat-snap-snap
pat one leg on 1 and with the other hand tap your chest on 2 and 3.
The Wellerman-In Am, uses the full scale. If you want to play on Boomwhackers, put octavator caps on half of your A tubes. So A (oct), B (oct), C, D, E, F, G, A’ will allow you to play along!
Check out the “How to Use Fairy Tales in Music Class” blog post!
Follow the above link for LOTS of MLK resources!
Evolution of Dance has lots of great dances and might be appropriate for some classes. Please review it before showing.
Walt Disney Day-December 6
The first Monday of December (12/06/2021)
Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901 and began as an illustrator. One of the first characters he helped create was Mortimer Mouse who later was renamed Mickey Mouse. He is known for the animated features The Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo, and Mary Poppins. Disney was a pioneer in animation and introduced several developments in the production of cartoons.
The violin, also known as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone in the string family. It is the highest-pitched instrument in the family, has four strings, and is played by plucking or bowing.
Pictured is a violin from 1658.
Early stringed instruments came from the Greeks, Central Asia, and the Middle East and influenced the violin that we know today which emerged in the 1500s in Northern Italy.
Braimah Kanneh-Mason on violin
Here are some ideas to explore the wonder of the great jazz virtuoso, Thelonious Monk. You’ll find biography info, a movement activity to his fabulous piece, “Stuffy Turkey,” some links, and advanced movement options!
Continue reading “Spotlight Classroom Musician of the Week – Thelonious Monk”
A great piece for mallet practice and tracking, almost all students are able to have immediate success!
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A bubbly, bouncy instrumental piece that is perfect for movement activities. This instrumental piece posted on Youtube in 2014 and became a TikTok sensation, reaching over 1 million plays in 2021.
Here you will find the piece analysis, links, and teaching ideas!
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Page Index
Continue reading “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys”
“What animal keeps the best time?
A WATCH dog!
An easy-to-use sequential ukulele curriculum that uses songs kids love from today’s hits to classics.
Are you looking for a sequential curriculum for the ukulele that starts with easy chords? This is it! There are easy-to-play single-chord play alongs to popular songs, then on to two-chord songs and more.
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Tuner provided by GuitarAPP.
Play along to the island breeze!
Chord Order Idea: teach the F chord next (below) so that all students need to do for Am is lift their index finger.
Just had to throw this 2-chord song in the 1-chord section since we know C and Am!!!
F chord “rocks” DOWN to C7.
C7 chord “rocks” UP to F.
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There’s a Dm in here but YOU CAN DO IT! Dm is just F with one more finger!!!
Ukulele songs make GREAT concert selections. This Concert How-To Checklist has lots of tips to help.
You’ll find a G7 how-to and songs with C/G7
