Cheers To The New Year With JANUARY Music BEATS Play Along

January music lessons get an EASY kickstart with this Orff arrangement and improvisation play along to a FUN backing track.

This new year poem resource with sixteenth notes and a simple Orff arrangement, will guide you through improvising on barred instruments as you play along to a FUN backing track.

Available in both PowerPoint™️ and Google Slides™️ formats.

Look & Listen

Music & Resource Analysis

C Major la-based pentatonic scale
2/4
Rhythmic Content-sixteenths (4), quarter notes/rests, barred eighths
Harmonic Content-Am, C, C6 (opt. ukulele)

Barred Instruments-improvisation and simple ostinati
Boomwhackers (opt)-create a new melody using poem rhythm
Rhythm Assessment

January Beats Orff Resource Lesson Plans

Student & Teacher Benefits

January Music Engagement

use speech, body percussion, and movement to help learn the instrumental parts
create and improvise
guided through the learning process with a sequenced resource
learn with a presentation that uses differentiation through color-coding and varying text styles

guided through the process of improvising in la-based C pentatonic

Instrumentation

barred instruments (any combination will work)
claves
ukulele (opt) chord C or C6
spoken voices

Speaking of Sixteenth Notes

Here are more resources featuring prominent 16th notes!

More Great Learning in January

Martin Luther King Day happens so quickly once we return from winter break. Here are some great resources!

Learning About MLK Through Music
We Shall Not Be Moved (how to use in the classroom)

Pizza Pizza Daddy-O Easy Orff Arrangement And Lesson Plan

Originally published December 9, 2024
Latest update May 14, 2026

Adding Orff instruments to the African-American singing game Pizza Pizza Daddy-O gives you a perfect arrangement for concerts as well as extended lessons to explore and practice mi, so, la, and syncopation in the classroom.

Integrating culturally responsive elements into these lessons is seamless, as students can incorporate dances that hold personal meaning to them into the song lyrics.

This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure.

Watch: Pizza Pizza Daddy-O Song & Dance Overview

Pizza Pizza Daddy-O Game, Orff Arrangement, and Lesson Plan resource.

Take me to it!

When to Use Pizza Pizza Daddy-O?

Pizza Pizza Daddy-O is such a classic, fun game and kids love to play it year after year. This resource extends learning with an easy Orff arrangement that can become a concert showpiece!

Year-round as a fun singing game with instruments
During Black History Month (African-American singing game)
Valentine’s Day (best friends)

Available in both PowerPoint™️ and Google Slides™️ formats.

Pizza Pizza Daddy-O Game, Orff Arrangement, and Lesson Plan resource with solfa and rhythm learning.

Pizza Pizza Daddy-O Orff Arrangement Analysis

Tideo Folk Song Orff Arrangement

Bring the folk song Tideo into your elementary music classroom with an easy Orff arrangement and a full sequence of activities. This multi-lesson resource gives students opportunities to prepare, present, and practice mi-re-do and sixteenth-note rhythms through singing, movement, rhythm, and playing. The step-by-step slides do the planning for you, so you can focus on your students and let the teaching magic begin!

Tideo song and orff arrangement lesson plan resource info page cover

Melody & Rhythm Practice

Students will love the singing games/dances while experiencing mi, re, do in the melody (a video Poison Pattern game) and sixteenth notes in the rhythm.

January Beats is another great resource that uses four sixteenths!

Tideo song and orff arrangement lesson plan resource rhythm features image

What Music Teachers Are Saying

On Student Engagement & Classroom Flow: “I taught my kids the song and game Tideo. Then I had my kids play the song on the xylophones/Orff. This was perfect for my class. My kids loved it!”
— Hannah W. (4th & 5th Grade Teacher)
For Interactive Tech & SMART Boards: “I have used many of the pages to have students fill in the rhythm or the solfège on the smart board. I will incorporate the Orff instruments soon.”
— Denise K. (3rd Grade Teacher)
For Visual Learners: “The color-coding is so helpful for my students who learn visually as well.”
— Lauren B. (4th Grade Teacher)

See the presentation preview on TPT

Easy Orff Arrangement

In C pentatonic, Tideo’s easy Orff arrangement using three ostinati can be expanded to include an optional instrumental B section and an improvised C section.

The instrumental parts are taught using speech and body percussion in easy-to-follow slides. Use this multi-lesson low/no prep format in either Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Tideo song and orff arrangement lesson plan resource orff arrangement info

The Presentation

Singing Game/Dance-the presentation teaches a double circle routine.
Rhythm-*quarters, paired eighths, and 4 sixteenths in the song.
- Rhythm-*Eighth note with 2 sixteenths in the B section
Melody–mi, re, do is highlighted in the presentation
- Melody-the song also includes high do
Orff Arrangement-a 3 ostinati arrangement with additional parts for optional B and C sections
Other Instruments: Recorder/Boomwhacker-notation and melodic color-coding using C, D, E, G, A, C’
- Ukulele-LOVE these pentatonic tunes so one chord, C, the entire time.

*Rhythms aren’t labeled so you can use your classroom rhythm counting system.

My Favorite Part
I LOVE that you can extend the form and add lots of different instruments to the point this fun song could easily become a concert piece.

The resource includes:
A presentation in both PPT and Google Slides versions
A video preview of the song arrangement in each presentation
A PDF copy of the song arrangement sheet music

Hear the arrangement on TPT

Tideo song and orff arrangement lesson plan resource cover image

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All Around the Buttercup With Easy Orff Arrangement

Are you ready to add barred instruments to classic songs and games? This All Around the Buttercup resource includes an easy Orff arrangement that is taught with body percussion, speech, and great visuals. It includes the classic game and a new one or two with some fun twists. Buttercup is a wonderful song to teach quarter notes and rests and eighth note pairs, as well as so, mi, re, do patterns.

Listen to it here

There’s something for kids grades K-3. K and 1st can play a bordun and 2nd and 3rd can add on the melody and a super FUN ostinato.

All ages can play the classic game as well as some NEW versions to kick it up a notch!

With a so-mi-re-do, many teachers use this song to present “re” to their students.

It’s a beautiful example to our youngest students to hear one sound, two sounds, or NO sounds on a beat!

This low prep resource hands you a couple or MANY lessons, READY to teach!

Listen to it here

PS: I added a 2nd and 3rd verse in case you want to lengthen it for a performance!

Bounce High Bounce Low With NEW Rhyme And Orff Arrangement

Find engaging ways for your students to play BARRED INSTRUMENTS with a NEW easy-to-teach rhyme melody and Orff arrangement, that goes with the CLASSIC song Bounce High Bounce Low.

This song is perfect for you to prepare, present, or practice “la” with its so, la, so, mi pattern as well as for you to teach quarter and paired eighth notes.

Bounce High Bounce Low song with Orff arrangement and new rhyme melody.

The new rhyme extends the learning into a beautiful ternary ABA form and is part of this practically no-prep, multi-lesson resource.

Listen on TPT

The resource includes:

A presentation in both PPT and Google Slides versions
A VIDEO of the song arrangement in both presentation formats
A PDF copy of the sheet music

Not enough barred instruments? On the bordun, use Boomwhackers or ukuleles. On the melody, use melody bells or Boomwhackers.

❤️❤️❤️ The ukulele part can be played using a C6 chord-ALL OPEN STRINGS! Check it out!

PS. There’s a wonderful call & response creative activity that incorporates rhyming, geography, and music terms! WHAT? Yep, SO fun!

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Give Thanks | Echo Song for Orff, Movement, Ukulele, Scarves

Pull out this versatile echo song for primary students that’s about appreciation, thanksgiving, and thankfulness in November or for other celebrations throughout the year. A simple Orff arrangement, one-chord C ukulele part, scarf activities, and movement will make this a great concert piece or SEL activity in the classroom.

Give Thanks Orff Thanksgiving SEL resource cover image

Give Thanks is available as a single resource or part of this Thanksgiving Bundle!

The Mitten

Many of us are familiar with the Jan Brett book, but this 
Ukrainian folk tale has a very interesting history! Here are songs, lesson plans, and resources for the beautiful story.

A My Name is Alice – Popular Books, Activities, and Music

Blank Booklets to Create Your Own Verses

This TpT resource includes

a presentation with mp3s to learn the song
a simple Orff arrangement for xylophone, glockenspiel, and guiro
a booklet template for students to create their own verses

Lyric Writing Booklet for A My Name Is Alice Jump Rope Chant and Song

Winter Wind

Take the classic canon, “Ah Poor Bird”, add new lyrics, and you have the perfect Winter song!

Questions…

As I worked with this canon, three questions arose. After much research, I still haven’t found any definitive answers. If you have thoughts on it, please leave a comment!

Should it be written in 2/4 or 4/4?
Should it be a 2-part, 3-part, or 4-part canon?
Should the “C” be natural or sharp?

Pass the Pumpkin

Get your students playing barred instruments with this Orff arrangement (and other ideas) for the Halloween song, Pass the Pumpkin. Halloween is the perfect backdrop for engaging learning activities in music class.

This is a great beat-passing game! Whoever has the pumpkin on the last beat of the song is OUT! Continue playing until there is a final winner. As students get out, they can go get sticks and play to the beat as the game progresses.

Learn more about how to teach beat passing games.

Category: 1-chord song