Fall is the perfect time to bring classical music into the elementary music classroom. So many orchestral works have mystery, changing moods, dramatic instrumentation, and just the right amount of ‘spooky’ for this time of year. They’re also perfect for teaching. Students can hear musical concepts like tempo, dynamics, timbre, orchestration, repetition, and mood clearly

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” “Hickory Dickory Dock.” They may be simple, but nursery rhymes are packed with learning. When children sing and recite nursery rhymes, they are experiencing rhythm, rhyme, repetition, vocabulary, storytelling, musical patterns, and the sounds of language—often all at the same time. That makes nursery rhymes a

Teaching meter can feel surprisingly abstract to elementary music students. They may be able to identify a 3/4 or 4/4 time signature on a worksheet without really understanding what those numbers mean—or, more importantly, feeling the organization of beats in the music they hear. One of the most effective ways to teach meter is to

Looking for a fun In the Hall of the Mountain King music lesson for your elementary music students? Edvard Grieg’s famous piece is perfect for introducing children to classical music while exploring tempo, dynamics, and musical expression. Because the music gradually gets faster and louder, students can easily hear how musical elements change throughout a

Teaching the instruments of the orchestra can involve a lot of names to remember: violins and violas, oboes and bassoons, trumpets and trombones—not to mention instrument families, listening examples, conductors, and orchestra vocabulary. So why not turn the whole thing into a game show? I created a series of Jeopardy-style orchestra games for elementary music

There are some music activities that students never seem to get tired of—and Bingo is one of them. As a music teacher, I love activities that feel like a game to students but still give them meaningful practice with the skills we’re working on. What better way to do that than with this set of

Giraffes Can’t Dance was one of those books my kids loved when they were younger. We read it over and over, and I always loved that music was such an important part of the story. As a music teacher, I also couldn’t help noticing what a perfect starting point it was for a music lesson.

Looking for a super-fun multicultural music activity that gets elementary students singing, moving, and actively participating? One of my all-time favorite elementary music games is Sei Sei Sei — a traditional Japanese-style music and movement game that works beautifully across multiple grade levels. It is a version of the well-known game Rock, Paper, Scissors. It combines steady

Classical music has incredible stories, emotions, and energy—but if you’ve ever pressed play for kids and watched their eyes glaze over, you’re not alone. Many children struggle with traditional listening lessons because they’re expected to sit still, stay quiet, and absorb music passively. For kids—especially elementary-aged students—that’s a big ask. The good news? Classical music

When most kids start piano lessons, they arrive full of excitement. They want to play. They want to make music. They want to sit down at the piano and play the songs they love. And then something very familiar happens. Before they can really play, we have to press pause. We have to talk about finger