Music Lesson Plans and Activities

The Teacher's Corner provides music lessons around colors, literature, and more. Find resources to help your students hit the right note.

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Music Lesson Plans

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Wiggly Self Portraits Grades K-6th
Grades: K-6th
Objectives: Develop social interaction by working with others and development of creative process by designing outfit.
Materials Needed: Drawing paper the same length as children, lively' music, black crayon (for tracing), crayons (coloring), scissors.
Procedure: The best work space for this activity is on the floor. Lay down the sheet of paper. Play some good, lively music. Lie down on the paper and dance. When you get to a pose you like, hold still. Now have a classmate trace all around you with a black crayon—while you try to hold your pose. Get up and fill in your body outline with color. Paint fancy clothes or a wild costume on your tracing. Carefully cut around your figure.
Submitted by: Jennifer

Color Songs Grades K-1
Set the colors to music.
Submitted by: Kristin K2FINE@email-removed

Integrating Music & Literature Grades K-1
Lessons dealing with I Went Walking, Rain and the Five Little Ducks.

Opening Song Grades Primary
Summary: A fun opening song based on a Jack Prelutsky poem.
Every morning as part of our opening, I have my second graders sing this song (roughly to the tune of "My Bologna has a First Name", but you could choose your own tune):
I am a lucky person
Because I love to read!
Reading gets me thinking
And helps me to succeed!
Sometimes when I am lonely
A book is all I need!
I am a lucky person
Because I love to read!
~Jack Prelutsky

We've even made up some gestures to go along with the lyrics.  The children love it and it gets all of us focused on one reason why we come to school each day.
Submitted by: Guy Swentek - Las Flores,  California

Patriotic Songs Grades Any - Great for ESL Students
Summary: A great way to improve students' singing skills and patriotism.
Every month my students learn a new patriotic song.  This helps my second graders with their English Language Development, increases their knowledge about the USA, encourages the development of patriotism, improves their singing skill, and is enjoyable too!  I start with easier songs and gradually move to the more difficult songs.  By the end of the year, the class is ready to sing for the whole school at our annual flag day assembly. Here is the list of ten songs in what I consider order of difficulty:
This Land is Your Land
You're a Grand Old Flag
America the Beautiful
America (My country tis of Thee)
My Country Tis of Thee
Star Spangled Banner
God Bless America
God Bless the USA
Stars and Stripes Forever (sing chorus only, discuss the meanings of the many verses)
Submitted by: Guy Swentek - Las Flores,  California

Go to our Lesson Plans index
We have lesson plans for art, health, math, reading, social studies, technology, writing and more.

The Library Song
A fun integration song.

Music Room Grades Any
A great resource for music teachers.

The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry.

Songs for Teaching
Creative teachers can use music to teach content across the curriculum -- to students of all ages. This site brings you some of their favorite ideas for using the magic of music in your lesson plans.

Visit Children's Music Web