Easy Music Game for General Music Class

Looking For An Easy Music Game for your Class?
You've come to the right place! I'm sharing an easy music game I like to do in the spring time with my preschool, kindergarten and 1st graders. Check out this easier version of the game "Little Bird" and be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Easier Game Version: Little Bird 
Have the class sit  in a straight line along the wall. Select two students to make a window by joining each others hands high above their heads so the other children can fly under their hands. The teacher will call out a color such as red birds. Anyone that is wearing red clothes will pretend to be a red bird and fly through the window as the class sings the song. 

Repeat the game by singing the song again and picking a different color bird to play the game. Continue the game calling out different color birds to go through the window. 
(Yellow, orange, green, black, blue, white, red, pink, brown, purple, grey birds) I like to make it more fun by calling for girl birds, boy birds and all birds. Most students will get several turns to go through the window since they will have more than one color on their clothes. 


Teacher Tips:
1. Let the children take turns forming the window throughout the game.

2. It's much easier to have the preschool or kindergarten classes fly around the room without using the two student window. They have just as much fun pretending to fly around like birds.

You can find loads of fun music games and singing games Here! Enjoy this fun game with your classes! Sherry Stucki :)

3 Fun Valentine's Day Music Centers

Welcome to Mrs. Stucki's Music Class!

I'm really excited to share 3-Valentine's Day activities that work well for my music class. This year I'm going to be using fun music centers to go along with my Valentine' Day activities.  

Music Center #1
I created some fun coloring worksheets for my Valentine Music centers. I'm giving them away for free if you want to use them for your music class. You can use them for music assessments, your sub tub or for practicing music literacy skills. 

Music Center #2 
3rd & 4th graders love playing my Musical Candy Note Game while learning the names of their treble clef notes. I use candy hearts or skittles as game markers to play this game. They have to match the treble clef note cards from the music staff with the letters on the game board. The first child to get to the end of the game board wins the game. I let the children eat the candy when they are done playing the game. If you would like to play this game with your class click here to learn more about it.



Music Center #3
I'm always looking for fun ways to teach musical concepts by playing music games. Musical Twister is a really fun game I saw on Pinterest and it's a big hit with my class. I love it when my class is having so much fun playing this game that they don't realize they are practicing their music literacy skills. 

What's your favorite music center activity to do with your music classes? I would love to hear about it by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Sherry Stucki :)

Click HERE to go to my TPT store for more freebies and lesson plan ideas. 

Best Music Snowball Game Ever!

Happy New Year!

I am super excited to share my new music freebie with you! It's the best music snowball game ever and it's a really easy activity for your first day back to school. 

 I created this fun snowball singing game for my kindergarten and first graders, but it can also be played with older children. My class loves playing it over and over again.

This exciting snowball game is perfect to play with your class during the snowy season. It also comes with lots of other snow day music ideas for your class. Just click on the picture and download the snowball game for FREE to use with your own classroom. :)

I'm also doing this quick and easy Penguin Dance with my kiddos when we get back as well. Just click the picture below to check out this fun penguin dance on youtube!

What's your favorite winter activity to do with your music classes? I would love to hear about it by leaving a comment below.

Click HERE to go to my TPT store for more freebies and lesson plan ideas. 
Enjoy, friends! Sherry Stucki :)

Are You Using This Favorite Activity In Your Music Room?

Welcome to Mrs. Stucki's Music Class & Happy Holidays!
My library of musical stories is, hands-down, one of my classes favorite activities. Children love musical stories and I love how adding music to a story fills their hearts with joy. A musical story helps to train their ears for musical pitch reading in your lesson. It also prepares your class for part singing. I take a turn singing as I tell the story and then the children take their turn singing their part in the story. This back and forth singing prepares them to do part singing in the future. My class enjoys books so much that they are glued to my story. Here are two musical story books I use for December. 

Musical Books

• Enriches their vocabulary
• Builds reading literacy
• Keeps their attention longer
• Instills a love of reading
• Ignites interest in reading
• Builds confidence for younger readers

Building A Classroom Music Library

• Most books can be found in your school library
• Check out Used Book Sales
• Ask your school PTA to buy some
• Ask your principal to buy some
• Borrow books from classroom teachers
• Buy some yourself and don't forget to tell your family to give book gifts for your birthday or Christmas 

Classroom Donations

Another excellent source of classroom books is from donations. Reach out to former parents or put a note in your school newsletter stating that you are trying to expand your classroom library and are seeking any gently used book donations. You'd be amazed at how many picture books families have at home that their children have outgrown. 

Using Music Storybooks for Your Subs with Zero Music Experience 

Subs love musical story time because they are good at using storybooks. Many books come with a CD so the class can sing along with the story. I use these sample pages to go along with the books for my music sub lessons. If you would like it just click here.   

 

I would love to hear about your favorite musical book being used with your music class by leaving a comment below. Have fun singing musical stories! Sherry Stucki :)

Looking for Halloween Songs & Activities For Your Music Class?

Welcome to Mrs. Stucki's Music Class!
Halloween is right around the corner! I've put together a few classroom ideas and activities for you to use with your music classes. 

Halloween Activities for K-2nd Grade

1. Candy Bar Rhythms: Use rhythm sticks or drums to play the rhythm syllables of each candy bar. (place magnets on the back of the candy bars so they will stick to your white board). The older classes will also love doing this.

2. Ghostly Rhythms-Singing Game:
Create a simple S-M melody for your class to sing from any of the rhymes below. This will be the "A" section of the music. Use ghost game cards to create the "B" section and repeat rhythms 2 times. If you would like these ghostly rhythm cards for your class, click here to check them out. 

(Select 1 Rhyme below for the "A" Section)

1. Trick or treat, trick or treat.Give me something good to eat.
2. Pumpkin, pumpkin round and fat. Turn into a jack-o-lantern just like that.
3. Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish.
4. Up and down, up and down, This is the way to chocolate town.

3. Bats & Cats Movement Game:
In scattered formation, the teacher calls out different ways for the children to move at the end of each verse of the song (move like a bat, vampire, mummy, ghost, robot, etc.) Music is found in Holiday & Game Songs Music Play-1 by Denise Gagne. 


Halloween Activities for 3rd-6th Grade
1. Mystery Composer Game:
Exciting Balloon Popping Activity on your smart-board. Select a student to pop a balloon on the smart-board. When the balloon pops, read the important fact about your mystery composer. The last balloon will reveal the mystery composer. It also includes Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor music attached to the smart-board file. Just tap the spider and it will play the music. Bach's song sounds like scary Halloween music. The student's may be surprised they already know this music. If you would like this Mystery Composer Game for your class, click here to check it out.

2. Fun Halloween Songs:

• Adams Family
• Tons of Halloween songs from K-8 Music Magazine
• "Do the Igor" is one of my classes favorite songs from K-8 Music Magazine. 
• "Skin & Bones: Select 5 student volunteers to perform "Skin & Bones." Each student sings one verse and refrain as a solo. The entire class sings the final line "She opens the door and Boo!"

3. Movement: Ghost Buster Song (teach AB musical form)

"A" section of the music: the class joins hands and walks to the steady beat around the circle. "B" section of the music: the class stops walking and does a group wave. Teacher starts the wave by quickly lifting up the right hand followed by the left hand high in the air and back down to the legs. The next person in the circle will do the same thing, passing the wave motion all around the circle until the "B" section of the music is done. Repeat the "A-B sections again until the end of your song.

What other ideas do you have? Share them with us in the comment section below. Have fun teaching  Sherry Stucki :)

Looking for "I Can" Music Statements?

Welcome to Mrs. Stucki's Music class!

I hope everyone is off to a good start for the new school year. One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of each year is to see how other teachers are decorating their classrooms. So I wanted to share one new way I’m jazzing up my room. I decorated my “I Can Statement Boards with a cute polka dot duck tape. You can take a peek at them in the picture below.

How to Make These Cute "I Can" Statement Boards

1.Drill one small hole in each corner of the top of a whiteboard.

2.Attach picture wire to the holes (wire spans across the back of the board.

3.Place designer duck tape around the top of the whiteboard.

4.Laminate numbers and place them in the upper left corner for each grade level. Then they are ready to display in your classroom.

Need a way to quickly find your "I Can" Statements?

      These “I Can” statements are sorted into color coded categories to help music teachers find a certain music skill quickly for their lessons. It includes categories such as: tempo, dynamics, singing skills, instruments, composers, rhythm and many more.

Why is it important to use “I” Can” Statements

Research studies show that ……..“I Can” Statements:

1. Provide students with a goal or focus for learning.

2. Act as a guide for students to track how far along they are progressing within the lesson.

3. Help students connect what they are doing in class to what they need to learn.

4. Builds  intrinsic  motivation for students to set their own goals.

5. Decreases student anxiety when they clearly know what they need to accomplish.

6. Has a positive impact on student learning.

7. Has shown increased learning and higher test scores.

8. Most importantly, it helps your students feel successful whenever they accomplish a goal. 

I often introduce new music vocabulary words as part of my “I Can” objectives in class.

      I use these music vocabulary cards to help my class learn about music vocabulary and keep track of their new words by placing them on my music word wall. If you would like to get them for your own class, just click on the picture above to check them out.

Share your favorite way to decorate your class by leaving a comment below. Have fun decorating your new boards! Sherry Stucki :)

Score Back To School Freebies!

Welcome back everyone,

I can't believe summer is gone and it's time to go back to school. I think the best part of going back to school is getting new things for my classroom and scoring some back to school freebies. So I think you will love this back to school freebie I created (see picture below). 

Instant lesson plan freebie:
All my teacher friends really love my kindergarten/1st grade lesson plans and keep asking me to post them so they can use the fun games and visuals in their classrooms. So I'm giving away a fun lesson to use with your younger students. This lesson comes with an exciting cup game, includes free sheet music, visuals and activities. The great thing about this lesson is you can use it for several grade levels and use the game in other lessons throughout the year. 

Want more freebies?
Please leave a friendly comment below and let me know what other kinds of freebies you would like me to create. (If you like this lesson plan, please send your friends to my website to get their own music lesson & lesson visuals for free). Thanks for visiting my teacher blog. Have a great school year!  Sherry Stucki :)