Vivaldi’s Spring With Orff Arrangement, Movement, And More

Are you looking for the classics taught with ACTIVE music-making?

This resource with lots of movement teaches students to play and sing (new Spring lyrics) the main theme to Vivaldi’s Spring Concerto with Orff barred instrument ostinati, AND a recreation of the thunderstorm using instruments.

What I love about this resource!

  • PLAYING this famous theme, not just LISTENING to it
  • The “B section” thunderstorm is SO fun
  • Learning with speech and movement
  • Differentiated with the use of colors, images, and stepwise learning
  • An ARTS Integration activity-draw a picture!
  • Teacher helpers with
    • higher-order questions
      • “I Can” statements
        • pre-filled checklist that can go into your evaluation folder

Hanukkah Activities for the Music Room

Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights and is celebrated on different days every year. Based on the Hebrew lunar calendar, it usually falls in December.

In music, I like to take all celebrations, holidays, and observances and look at several factors that are common to all of them-food, colors, traditions, and music! I then love to teach about them using a book, game, dance, and music. Wish we could add FOOD!

October through December is a perfect time to talk about traditions including Diwali, Halloween, Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. I always asked, “Does everybody in the world celebrate everything?” It was a way to say that we can learn about it all, even if we don’t personally celebrate it.

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Hanukkah Resources

I love to use board books or ones with rhyming words. I want the learning to come from mainly the images.

I Have a Little Dreidel SONG

The Game

We always played the Dreidel game in class. I projected the meaning for each side of the dreidel so groups could refer to it. I played with K-5 and they always looked forward to this every year.

I found dreidels in bulk at Target (ages ago before Amazon) 🤣 and then bought pony beads for the “candy.”

Ukulele C & G7

Hanukkah Google Slides Presentation

This Google Slide presentation was shared by Ms. Stern from the Facebook Music Teachers Idea Bank group. It has lots of different activities to learn about Hanukkah. She says to feel free to change the bitmoji and make it your own!

The Best Children’s Literature for the Music Classroom

A list of books from newly published to classics for the music classroom with links, music connections, activities, and lesson plans!

A growing compilation of great books and musical connections that work with them!

Books Reviewed + music connection ideas

Continue reading “The Best Children’s Literature for the Music Classroom”

Waltz of the Drumsticks (The 1-2-3 Turkey)

This 2-chord song for voice, ukulele, and rainbow instruments (Boomwhackers & bells) is sure to be a hit! There’s no warbling going on here, just cantabile singing!

This song features:

  • 2 chords-G7 and C
  • 3/4 meter
  • ABA form
  • some terrific turkey rhyming

Sheet music is available on my Teachers Pay Teachers page.