Allowing young readers to read all types of media will help them engage fully in the reading process. Do you have a reader that is disengaging from regular text? Try adding some music or finding a website/app that includes music or sound effects. Here is one I created that students could listen to/watch while they …
Take A Stand
I've shared a little song I wrote for our youngest students to help encourage and empower them to stand up against bullying behavior. Take a listen and share your feedback!
Playing Cups to Help With Rhythm Recognition
Students play a music game that focusing on creating, performing and responding.
RHYTHM ACTIVITIES for Younger Students
First graders use technology to practice rhythm creation and reading notation.
The Vocal Squiggle
Using art to create music, a piece of yarn a story and lots of imagination.
Kindergartner’s Sing & Play
Kindergarten is a time where students are deeply immersed in early reading and decoding strategies. This can be supported by reading and writing music. Students in Kindergarten place quarter notes above the words of a song. There is no staff on the paper, just empty space above the lyrics. This gets them used to reading …
Song Writing for Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, we have spent most of the year working on quarter notes, quarter rests and the letters in the music alphabet. We've played games and had simple songwriting activities that have practiced these concepts individually. Towards the end of the year we begin to put all of these concepts together by composing simple songs. …
Preschool Composers?
When we think of composing music, preschool is not the first thought that comes to our mind. As an early childhood teacher having to teach reading to Kindergarteners, I have been focused on how to break down music into a very simple form of notation. Using color-coded bars on Orff instruments I am able to …
Hit the Target in Music
Learning targets are a big thing in schools these days. Well, that gave me an idea for Orff instruments. I have been really trying to think how to get kids to tap in the center of the bars where you get the best sound and the bars don't come flying off. Since I have put …
Practice Reading Music
Kindergartners practice reading the music alphabet colors. I use colors that coordinate with the boomwhackers. I colored each of the bars so students who can not read letters have another strategy to use in playing the instruments. First Graders practice reading music with colors and music alphabet letters as much as possible. I'm not worried …
Blake Siskavich 