This project-based unit for 3rd – 5th graders is based on the classic 1867 version of the piece, Danse Macbre. This is the perfect spooky, but not too scary, lesson for your students during Halloween. The unit culminates in a shadow puppet performance, but along the way students are actively listening to music for instruments […]
3-5 Primary School
The Sign of the Beaver: A Game-based Learning Project
After leading a small Lit Circle with some 3rd & 4th graders we took our text, The Sign of the Beaver, and turned it into a board game. A fun and effective activity that utilized both project-based and game-based learning. Literacy instruction isn’t typically within my wheelhouse but I was really proud of the work […]
Chrome Music Lab : Boomwhacker Compositions
Combining two of my students’ favorite things: Boomwhackers and Chrome Music Lab this fun activity was a huge hit with my 3rd and 4th grade classes. Students can compose, revise, and listen to their own original song. Once ready students practice and perform their piece for the class. This fun activity checked off so many […]
8-bit Music: Original Compositions
We take a look at the history of video game music and how it was made. There is a surprisingly robust history around this topic, spanning from it’s origins to its influence on popular music today. The limitations of the early hardware meant it had to be composed in 3 or 4 tracks making it a […]
Setting Norms: A Social Contract
Start your year with a Social Contract. Different from a set of classroom rules, a contract is an agreement created by the students for both how they want to be treated and how they should treat others. Establish a culture that is unique to your classroom, based on the values of those in it.
Donor’s Choose: Traveling Xylophone Sets
Collaborative performances allow us to build community through music. These portable xylophone sets will allow us to work on both rhythm & pitch – allowing us to create not just beats, but songs.
K-pop Listening Lesson
K-pop (abbreviation of Korean popular music or Korean pop; (케이팝) is a music genre originating in South Korea, characterized by a wide variety of audio-visual elements. Although it includes all genres of “popular music” within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop music drawing inspiration from a range of styles and […]
Let’s Celebrate Lunar New Years
Lunar New Years is the single most celebrated holiday in the world! All across Asia countries and cultures enjoy this holiday much in the same way we celebrate New Years Eve. Based around the Chinese Zodiac calendar each year ushers in a the reign of a new animal, and depending on the year you were […]
Winter Concert: A new approach to old ideas
With another year in the books I wanted to take a look at what I felt was one of the most successful Winter Concert / Holidays Shows I’ve ever put together. A thematic show is something that a lot of music teachers struggle with, since there are only so many options year after year. […]
Vince Guaraldi & A Very Jazzy Christmas
Jazz up the holidays with this fun and informative lesson about one of history’s most well-known & commercially successful jazz composers, Vince Guaraldi. The man behind the memorable music from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, did more than just a short soundtrack. Explore the beginnings of his story and the history of a genres with […]
