A free resource for Movement & Music Educators
Straighten Up and Fly Right: Jazz Movement in the Elementary Classroom As part of a personal mission to introduce more Jazz into my classroom, I designed this lesson to expose my Kindergarten through 2nd grade classes to the Nat King Cole Trio and Jazz. I used this dance in a performance in a private boys… Read more »
Haru Ga Kita Spring Has Come Haru Ga Kita (Spring Has Come) is a Japanese shôka (“school songs” used to introduce Western music). Tatsuyuki Takano wrote the text and Têichi Okano composed the melody in 1910. This song is special to me because as a child, I remember learning Haru Ga Kita to perform for my school’s May Day performance. We borrowed aloha shirts from our… Read more »
Apples Matthew Stensrud shows how you can use one theme, yummy fall apples and guide children to experience, create and compose a bushel of musical experiences for all of your K-5 general music classes.
Rain of Leaves Last week Joan Eckroth-Riley and Wendy van Gent told us about Music Learning Theory and how MLT and Orff-Inspired teaching can work together. This week they have prepared a fall lesson that combines the philosophies beautifully. Objectives for Rain of Leaves: I can- -Sing create melodies in la hexatonic -Perform rhythms accurately… Read more »
Diwali Dance Deepavali For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. Diwali or Divali is a contraction of the Sanskrit word Deepavali, that means “row of lamps”. Small clay lamps filled with oil are lighted to signify… Read more »
The Long Game: Growing from Play Teachers often fall into the pitfall of learning new pieces at each grade level to teach new concepts. Taking a familiar piece and spiraling it from primary to advanced levels gives students a foundation to build upon. The pdf linked below demonstrates how we took one piece, Halloween Night,… Read more »
Lesson Ideas: Natural Integration of the Schulwerk & STEAM STEAM education has great potential in being naturally integrated into the music curriculum (and vice versa), especially when implemented through the Orff Schulwerk approach. Through access, freedom of choice, and collaboration, students and teachers are able to learn and create together in an environment that is… Read more »
Recorder Lesson: John Cena Theme Song (Grades 4–5) *(this will likely take 2-3 class periods) I. Attention Grabber What is the message of the video? (hustle, loyalty, respect) Briefly discuss that while wrestling is not for everyone, there is definitely an artform to it and it takes hard work; there’s a lot to respect… Read more »
What’s Your Name? Speech and Body Percussion Piece Every year, new students enter our classrooms from all walks of life. The one commonality with all of them is a NAME. As an elementary music teacher, learning all of our students’ names can be a daunting task and we sometimes forget that the children are in… Read more »
Back to School Lesson Plan: All Are Welcome Here by Daniel Hershman-Rossi Form Analysis: MFC I p. 91 #5 aaba adapted version aaaab Materials Book: Penfold, Alexandra, and Suzanne Kaufman. All Are Welcome. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2018. Teaching Notes I would present this over several of the first few lessons of the school… Read more »