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Books are a good and easy way to bring seasonal content into the music room. Plus, you can often find various music concepts you can teach with the books. At the beginning of winter, I like to use Kenard Pak’s book, Goodbye Autumn and Hello Winter.
While this would be a great lesson on the first day of Winter, I am often too busy coordinating the Christmas Concert- or already off on winter break, that I save it and use the book when we return to school in January. So, how do I use this book in my classroom? Check out this FREE lesson pack and try it with your students!
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Flashcards are a great tool to have in your music room. I frequently use both rhythm and melody flashcards with my students, but simply reading and playing flashcards can get boring after about the first 5 minutes.
To spice it up, I like to play flashcard games. These are a HIT with my students and I am sure they will be with yours too. These games work both with melody and rhythm flashcards. And when you use grade-appropriate flashcards I have played these games with students all the way from grade 1 to grade 8. As we get closer and closer to the holiday season, my classroom gets more and more crazy. Even though I am busy prepping for our holiday concerts my students still need lessons. One of my go-to lesson plans during this crazy season is centers.
Disclaimer- I would not try to do centers for the first time during this time of year. But, I do these centers mainly with grades 3 and up who have all had previous music center experience so they know how the rotation works and the expectation. If you haven’t done centers, fear not! These games and activities would work for the whole group too. As an elementary music teacher, I am responsible for organizing the Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in the US) service in my schools. And honestly, it is one of my favourite programs to plan and execute.
This year, I tried something new and had my whole school learn a song to sing for the service. When it was time to sing the song in the service, the choir sang on the risers and the remaining students sang from where they were seated. The song I chose is by a Canadian singer-songwriter, David Gunning, entitled These Hands. I am always looking for new games to add for review, sub tubs, and music centers, so when one of my colleagues talked about sight word bump and how much her students loved it I knew I had to adapt it for the music classroom.
I use bump games to practice reading solfege patterns, reading notes on the staff, learning music symbols, introducing orchestra instruments, and reviewing classroom instruments. |
AuthorMiss Jayna is an elementary music teacher in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada. In addition to being a public school teacher Miss Jayna also has a private piano studio and teaches a Children's Music Program. Archives
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