101 Music Activities

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A. READING RHYTHM (National Standard #5: Reading and Notating Music)

Activity - Grade Levels - Description

  • The Beat - Grades 1-2 - steady beat, quarter note stems (ta)
  • Bar Lines - Grades 1-2 - grouping beats in sets
  • The Silent Beat - Grades 1-2 - quarter rest
  • 2 Sounds on 1 Beat - Grades 1-2 - steady beat, quarter note stem (ta), eighth note stems (ti-ti)
  • Tempo - Grades 1-2 - tempo, explore heartbeat at rest and after exercise, match songs with appropriate tempo
  • 1 Long Sound for 2 Beats - Grades 1-2 - half note (ta-ah)
  • Rhythm: Mixing the Sounds Together - Grades 1-2 - combining quarter note stems, quarter rests, eighth note stems and half notes
  • Beat or Rhythm - Grades 1-2 - grouping beats into measures, differentiating between beat and rhythm
  • Working With Rhythms - Grades 1-2 - recognizing rhythms of songs
  • Practicing Writing Notes - Grades 2-3 - whole, half, quarter and eighth notes, lines vs. spaces
  • Matching Words with Notes - Grades 3-4 - writing the words under the corresponding notes in a song rhythm
  • Notes That Get 3 Beats - Grades 2-3-4 - half note tied to a quarter note, dotted half note
  • Reading Dotted Half Notes - Grades 3-4 - answering questions pertaining to dotted half notes
  • Moving in 2's or 3's - Grades 2-3-4 - feeling and hearing the difference between duple and triple meter
  • Time Signatures - Grades 3-4-5-6 - 4/4 and 3/4 signatures
  • Rhythms in 3/4 Time - Grades 4-5-6 - match rhythms of words to notation
  • The Dot - Grades 4-5-6 - function of the dot
  • Dotted Quarter Notes - Grades 4-5-6 - matching the rhythm of words to the notation
  • 6/8 Time Signature - Grades 4-5-6 - compound meter, two dotted quarter notes over measure
  • Music Math - Grades 4-5 - values of whole, half, quarter and eighth notes
  • Reading More Rhythms - Grades 4-5 - matching the rhythm of words to the notation
  • Music Math 2: Ties - Grades 4-5-6 - ties and their function
  • Slurs - Grades 4-5-6 - slurs and their function, tie or slur?
  • Take a Rest - Grades 5-6 - whole, half, quarter rests
  • Take a Short Rest - Grades 5-6 - eighth and sixteenth rests
  • Rests - Grades 5-6 - whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth rests
  • Building the Pyramids - Grades 5-6 - values of notes and rests in relation to each other
  • Syncopation - Grades 4-5-6 - syn-co-pa, subdividing the beat
  • Listening to Syncopated Music - Grades 4-5-6 - The Syncopated Clock and The Entertainer
  • Sixteenth Notes - Grades 5-6
  • More With Sixteenth Notes - Grades 5-6
  • Dotted Eighth and Sixteenth Notes - Grades 5-6
  • Strong and Weak Beats - Grades 3-4-5-6 - recognizing the strong beat in 3/4 and 4/4 time
  • Pickup Notes - Grades 5-6 - starting the song in the middle of the measure, recognizing the pickup in well known songs
  • Tempo - Grades 3-4-5-6 - tempo terms - matching appropriate tempo terms with well known songs
  • Music Terms Used in Section A - Grades 4-5-6 - review material covered in Section A
  • Rhythm Word Search - Grades 4-5-6 - music puzzle of terms studied in Section A

B. READING MELODY (National Standards #5: Reading and Notating Music and #4: Composing and Arranging Music Within Specified Guidelines)

Activity - Grade Levels - Description

  • Reading Melodies Using Mi and So - Grades 1-2 - note stems and Curwen Kodály hand signs for two songs, play Mi and So on melody bells or Orff instruments
  • Singing Mi, So, and La - Grades 2-3 - read and sing short one-measure themes for characters in story
  • Composing a Song Using Mi, So, and La - Grades 2-3 - compose a song and play it on xylophone
  • Reading Melodies Using Do, Mi, So, and La - Grades 2-3 - read rhythms, use Curwen Kodály hand signs, match words to melodies
  • Reading Melodies Using Do, Re, Mi, So, and La - Grades 2-3 read rhythms, use Curwen Kodály hand signs, match words to melodies
  • Composing a Song Using the Pentatonic Scale - Grades 4-5-6 - compose a song, play song on Orff instrument while playing an ostinato
  • Reading a Song Using Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So - Grades 4-5-6 - sing a song using Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, use Curwen Kodály hand signs, find Fa in a song, write syllables under notes in a song and sing the song, identify song
  • Reading Songs Using High Do (Do') - Grades 4-5-6 - sing a song using high Do, find high Do in a song, use Curwen Kodály hand signs, write syllables under notes in a song and sing the song, identify song, octave
  • Reading Songs Using Ti - Grades 4-5-6 - sing a song using Ti, find Ti in a song, use Curwen Kodály hand signs, write syllables under notes in a song and sing the song, identify song, leading tone, home tone
  • The Major Scale - Grades 3-4-5-6 - adding Fa and Ti, moving in steps and skips
  • More About the Major Scale - Grades 3-4-5-6 - placement of whole and half steps in a major scale, singing the major scale with solfege syllables
  • Mystery Songs in Major Scale - Grades 4-5-6 - identify several songs and sing them
  • The Minor Scale - Grades 5-6 - placement of whole and half steps in a minor scale, singing the minor scale with solfege syllables
  • Mystery Songs in the Minor Scale - Grades 4-5-6 - identify several songs, sing two of the songs and play an ostinato
  • 52, Major or Minor? - Grades 5-6 - read several songs using Curwen Kodály hand signs and determine if the songs are in major or minor modality, identify the songs
  • Chords - Grades 4-5-6 - play chords
  • Major and Minor Chords - Grades 4-5-6 - write and play chords, listen to and differentiate between major and minor chords
  • Music Terms Used in Section B - Grades 4-5-6 - review material covered in Section B

C. THE STAFF AND LETTER NAMES (National Standard #5: Reading and Notating Music)

Activity - Grade Levels - Description

  • Staff - Measures and Bar Lines - Grades 1-2 - recognizing bar lines and measures
  • Loud or Soft? - Grades 1-2 - examining dynamic levels
  • High or Low? - Grades 1-2 - examining pitch
  • High and Low Sounds on the Staff - Grades 2-3-4
  • Following Notes on a Staff and Melodic Direction - Grades 2-3
  • Following Words of a Song: Verses - Grades 2-3
  • Following Words of a Song: Verse and Refrain - Grades 2-3-4
  • Letter Names of Lines and Spaces - Grades 3-4-5-6 - EGBDF and FACE mnemonics
  • Letter Names of Notes on the Staff: Treble Clef - Grades 3-4-5-6 - finding words made of notes in a story
  • The Piano Keyboard - Grades 3-4-5-6 - finding middle C, learning major scale pattern of whole and half steps, playing the C major scale
  • Matching Notes on the Staff to the Piano Keyboard - Grades 3-4-5-6 - identify notes on keyboard, use classroom piano (or melody bells) to play notes
  • Using Your New Skills - Grades 3-4-5-6 - answer questions about a song, types of notes, syllable names, singing a round, playing an easy song on the piano
  • The Scale and the Staff - Grades 3-4-5-6 - pattern of whole and half steps in the major scale, matching the letter names of notes on the staff to the C major scale, singing scale with Curwen Kodály hand signs
  • The Treble Staff and Ledger Lines - Grades 3-4-5-6 - practice drawing treble clef sign, naming the ledger lines, reviewing letter names of notes on the staff
  • The Bass Staff - Grades 5-6 - practice drawing treble clef sign, naming the ledger lines, reviewing letter names of notes on the staff
  • Letter Names of Notes on the Staff: Bass Clef - Grades 5-6 - finding words made of notes in a story
  • Music Terms Used in Section C - Grades 4-5-6 - review material covered in Section c

D. KEY SIGNATURES (National Standard #5: Reading and Notating Music)

Activity - Grade Levels - Description

  • Playing a Song on the Keyboard - Grades 3-4-5-6 - playing simple melodies on the piano, xylophone and/or melody bells, adding an ostinato
  • Locating Flats on the Keyboard - Grades 5-6 - identifying the name of pitches with flat signs, finding the correct keys on a piano keyboard
  • Locating Sharps on the Keyboard - Grades 5-6 - identifying the names of pitches with sharp signs, finding the correct keys on the piano keyboard
  • Name That Piano Key - Grades 5-6 - identifying a circled key on a picture of the piano keyboard
  • Key Signatures - Grades 4-5-6 - understanding the function of flats and sharps in the key signature
  • Key of F Major - Grades 4-5-6
  • Key of G Major - Grades 4-5-6
  • Accidentals - Grades 4-5-6 - recognizing and naming sharps and flats
  • Music Terms Used in Section D - Grades 4-5-6 - review material covered in Section D

E. LISTENING AND LITERACY - The Orchestra, Musical Instruments, Musical Styles, Composer Biographies (National Standards #4: Composing and Arranging Music Within Specified Guidelines and #6: Listening To, Analyzing and Describing Music)

Activity - Grade Levels - Description

  • Peter and the Wolf - Grades 1-2-3 - listen to excerpts from Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev while reading a simplified version of the story with pictures of the instruments and characters
  • Timbre: Listening to the Instruments - Grades 4-5-6 - identifying tone colors of different instruments while listening to 4 recorded pieces of music
  • Form - Grades 1-2-3 - listen to The Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson, discover form, use a simple story to describe the different sections, listen to Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson, make up a story to go with the form of the piece
  • 15 Facts About Scott Joplin - Grades 4-5-6 - read about the composer, listen to one selection (The Entertainer)
  • How Much Do You Remember About Scott Joplin? - Grades 4-5-6 - quiz on facts from the previous page
  • 15 Facts About Leroy Anderson - Grades 4-5-6 - read about the composer - listen to one selection (The Syncopated Clock)
  • How Much Do You Remember About Leroy Anderson? - Grades 4-5-6 - quiz on facts from the previous page
  • Rhyme Time - Grades 1-2 - using the song "A Hunting We Will Go" as a model, create new verses, demonstrate understanding of rhyming
  • Music to Words and Back Again - Grades 2-3-4-5-6 - listen to portions of Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev) with the story, describe why instruments are appropriate for characters, create own story and add classroom instruments for each character
  • Musical Inspiration: Music to Words - Grades 4-5-6 - using one of the pieces from your teacher's collection of recordings, write a brief story with a definite beginning, middle and end, use descriptive words, tell what you think is happening in the music. (See recording suggestions in Appendix on p. 133.)
  • Words to Music: Motives - Grades 4-5-6 - using a simple picture book from the library, a small group will analyze characters, determine which instruments might describe those characters, create a brief motive for each character, read the story to the class while playing the instrumental motives
  • Old Sayings with a New Twist - Grades 4-5-6 - with a partner interpret an old saying or proverb, create descriptive musical accompaniment for proverb, dramatize or illustrate proverb
  • Sharing Books About Music (e.g. Making Musical Things, The Oxford First Companion to Music) - Grades 4-5-6 - scan a book from the school library, do a brief book report, tell ten facts you learned that you did not know before
  • Sharing Books About Musicians/Composers (biographical) - Grades 4-5-6 - scan a book from the school library, do a brief book report, list ten facts you learned that you did not know before
  • Books with a Music Theme - Grades 4-5-6 - in a small group, read a simple picture book with a musical theme (e.g. The Remarkable Farkle McBride, Mole Music, Froggy Plays in the Band, Punk Farm, etc.) determine the importance of music in the story
  • Setting a Poem to Music - Grades 4-5-6 - set a poem to music within certain guidelines (6/8 meter)
  • Setting Another Poem to Music - Grades 4-5-6 - set a poem to music within certain guidelines (4/4 meter)
  • Illustrating a Song - Grades 1-2-3-4-5-6 - in a small group, using several books from the library as models, choose a song from a list of well known children's songs, illustrate the song, show it to the class as everyone sings the song
  • Write Your Own Opera - Grades 4-5-6 - using a common fairy tale as a subject, write a libretto and use well known folk songs as arias and choruses
  • Music Terms Used in Section E - Grades 4-5-6 - review material covered in Section E

ANSWER KEY, APPENDIX , ABOUT THE WRITER