It’s testing season here in the states (most unfortunately). And it’s about as welcome as a fly in ice cream. Thankfully, I have five free downloads that I hope will make your music teaching life a little less stressful. Maybe it will even help you forget about all that testing…
1. CATCH THE DRAGON VOCAL EXPLORATION (K-2nd Grade)
In this vocal exploration activity, students follow the flight paths of the dragons to warm up their singing voices. When the line moves higher, so does their voice; when it moves lower, their voice follows.
This is an interactive PowerPoint presentation. Students will click on each dragon, be directed to the vocal exploration, and then learn a little bit more about the fictional creatures. Click HERE to download it for free. If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of vocal exploration or discover more fun vocal exploration activities, click HERE.
2. BASICS OF BEAT LESSON PLAN (1st Grade)
This lesson idea was originally formulated to accompany my Basics of Beat Presentation. However, it can also be used as a standalone lesson. You’ll learn how to use the song/chant Engine, Engine to teach steady beat. The lesson plan is written as a sequence of steps with tips sprinkled in, so it’s easy to follow. You can download the plan for free HERE.
3. RHYTHM MATCHING GAME FOR SUMMER (2nd-4th Grade)
This matching game is incredibly easy to put together and is perfect for centers and stations. Students simply match the rhythm with the correct word. Click HERE to download this free game.
4. SQUILT (any grade level)
SQUILT stands for Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time. These SQUILT sheets include pages for younger students, who can draw what they hear. It also includes pages in which students can write about specific concepts they hear in the music, as well as pages of listening prompts. You can download the wide variety of listening sheets HERE.
If you’re not sure which listening pieces to use, search “art music” here on my blog for tons of ideas. HERE is a good place to start.
5. COMPOSING CARDS FOR SINGING OR PLAYING (2nd-6th Grade)
These printable composing tokens are color-matched to Boomwhackers™ and feature each Solfege Syllable. Simply print, laminate, and cut. Then, give students the pitches with which you want them to compose. They can arrange the pitches in 8-beat compositions or you can choose different parameters. Once they’re finished, they can sing the compositions or use them to play Boomwhackers™ or other pitched instruments. You can download them for free HERE.
