Category: Music Class Activities
Explore engaging music class activities, games, and lesson ideas for elementary students and music teachers.
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Activities for Teaching Melody to Preschool and Elementary Music Students
Activities for Teaching Melody There are many activities for teaching melody to preschool and elementary students that can help them grow a music appreciation, visualize a relatively abstract and technical definition, and have fun, too! The possibilities for creativity are endless. Here are some of the activities that have worked in my classroom. What is… Read more
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How to Teach Repeats, Steps, Skips, and Leaps in Music
Teaching about repeated notes, steps, skips, and leaps is fundamental to students learning to read music notation. The better they can recognize repeated notes, steps, skips, and leaps, the easier it will be to sightread music later and to understand the basics of melodic composition. Here are some of my favorite ways to teach about… Read more
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Ear Training Activities For Elementary Music
Developing an ear for music is an essential component of music mastery. It enables musicians to create music spontaneously, create melodic and harmonic lines that fit into the music, adjust intonation, transcribe a favorite tune, or even write down their own music composition. With the rise of YouTube, I see trends in music classes where… Read more
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Fun Ideas For Teaching Music Tempo in the Elementary Classroom
Tempo Dice Kids love to take turns rolling the dice in this fun tempo music activity. You simply sit students in a circle and pass out a small percussion instrument to each one. Remember to go over rules before you pass out instruments. I bought a large foam dice from the Dollar General and wrote… Read more
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Kodály Versus Orff Rhythm Syllable System
When I first started teaching elementary music, I was adamant about teaching children the correct names of music notes along with their durations expressed just how I know them as an adult musician. I didn’t fully understand the benefits of other rhythmic syllable systems and found them a waste of time. Why not teach a… Read more
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Rhythm Music Center Activities for Elementary Students
The great thing about teaching elementary music is that kids love to have fun. There are so many fun ways to teach music to children. Let their imagination and yours run wild. Here are some of my favorite rhythm music center activities to do in the classroom. Beat Ball In this music game, students in groups… Read more
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How to Teach Music Theory in an Engaging Way by Grade Level
When I first started teaching music, my student’s eyes used to glaze over as soon as I said certain keywords like “quarter note” or “tempo”. I realized this could be a big problem. How could I teach music without teaching music theory? As a music teacher, I wanted to instill in my students the fundamentals… Read more