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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.
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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. I really do enjoy seasonal activities and lesson! Fall is one of my favourite season and I like to celebrate it with songs about fall things, including pumpkins! So here are my top five favourite songs about pumpkins that I have used with all my students from Kindergarten to Grade 6!
Apples are a great theme to bridge back to school and fall, which is why I teach Apple songs every year to my elementary music students. And one of my favourites is Way Up High in the Apple Tree because I can use it with multiple grade levels, in multiple ways.
Way Up High in the Apple Tree is often taught as a spoken poem, but I have added lyrics and a melody because you can bet I want my kiddos to sing as much as possible when we come back to school. I use this song with students in grade 1 to grade 4 and depending on the students there are 2 different skills we can work on with it. Teaching students about the 4 voices they have is one of the first steps to developing strong singers. This is something that I teach in Kindergarten through the year and refresh in grade 1 and grade 2, but if I am being honest it isn’t one of my favourite things to teach. I was having a hard time finding ways to make the lesson engaging, and to review the concept without being redundant.
So, one day I buckled down, created the 4 Voices song and gave each voice a matching animal character. From there I came up with singing games, matching activities, and so much more. Make sure you grab the free copy of the 4 Voices song here! Here are ready-to-teach highlights of my 4 Voices Unit that you could do with your littles TODAY. |
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. Categories
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June 2025
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