Five Favorite Music Freebies

I'm really sorry for another lack of updates, but I promise that my next blog post will have a cool forever freebie you can all add to your collection. Hopefully, that will make up for it!

Today I'm linking up with Noteworthy by Jen to bring you my Five Favorite Music Freebies on Teachers Pay Teachers.


There are MANY out there, so it is very hard to pick just five. Read about the freebies below and then click any of the pictures to download them yourselves!

1) Cowgirl Compositions
I actually found this gem LONG before she was creating other items on Teachers Pay Teachers. I don't exactly remember how I stumbled on it, but I know I downloaded it one of my first years of teaching. It was my first year teaching at a school where students had little to NO experience clapping ANY rhythms. (Even basic rhythms like ta & ti-ti) My 4th and 5th graders had no desire to learn music, because they never had to do much before I got there. This rhythm football really made my 4th and 5th grade boys excited to practice rhythms. Not only because they love sports, but because it was a game and competitive. I cannot tell you how many times we used this game and how many times they would beg me to play it. Cowgirl Compositions now has several others versions of the game that you can download and use in your classroom, as well.
Note: This file is a SMARTnotebook file, so unfortunately you will not be able to use it if you don't have SMARTnotebook.

2) Floating Down the River
Along the same lines, Floating Down the River has a freebie for March Madness. I like this idea because not only does it involve singing, but again it is perfect for my boys who are obsessed with sports. This is such a creative game and what boy will not want a chance to shoot a basket? Now to find some different size balls to play this game next year...

3) The Yellow Brick Road
It's the perfect time of year to use this matching game by The Yellow Brick Road. I like how she has two different versions: one for a whole group activity and one as a center activity. Can you ever have enough activities for preparing and practicing ta and ti-ti?

4) Totally Tuned-In Teacher
My students can never get enough practice on counting BEATS for different rhythms. This year, this has been a major focus. My students have such a hard time understanding that two notes does NOT mean two beats. Plus, my 3rd graders are working on time signatures right now and this would actually tie in well with that. Even though this freebie is 'technically' for Valentine's day, you still could use it any time of year OR you can get one of her other rhythm activity packs.

5) Brittany De Laruelle
Finally, I just have to do a shout out for one of my favorite freebies in my store. I have several freebies, but this one is still one of my favorites. This would also be a GREAT activity to use with your students this time of the year. Not only will your students be able to practice their solfege, but they'll also love the chance to color.

That's all for now! Don't forget to read about all the other freebies back at Jen's original post. You can read about those HERE.

Outdoor Music Class!

Last week I decided to take all of my Fairview students outside for music classes. I decided to do this after having a short chat with a 2nd grader who often acts up in my class. He had kind of a rough day about two weeks ago and broke down in tears after music class. I asked him if he was crying because he got in trouble, to which he replied "No! I just really miss my mom!"

Fairview has an outdoor classroom that they refer to as The School Forest. At first, I wasn't sure what we should do outside. It would be easy to just go out there and sing different songs we sing in music class. However, I feel that when you are going to a new environment you should take advantage of it to the best of your abilities.

After much thought I came up with lesson plans for each class. I will introduce the ideas here with a brief description, but I'll also post more details on each project in later blog posts. This way you can get the materials I used for the lessons, as well as, see some pictures. (I don't want to bombard you with a whole week of lessons in one post!)

All my classes had to walk on the forest path in silence. While they did this they were to listen to the sounds of fall. When we reached the outdoor classroom, I then had students share what they heard. We talked about what music was and how the music of fall would be different than the music of winter. They imagined some of the sounds they may hear in the winter rather than the fall. I especially found this activity cute when one of my kindergarteners on the second day of going to the forest told the class that he heard some beautiful music on his walk to the school forest. This was without even being told to listen for music! :)



In Kindergarten and 1st grade students had to find an item in nature that could be used to create music. They then shared these instruments with the class and showed them how to play their instrument. (Read more about outdoor instruments...)

2nd grade was working on a sound effects project out in the school forest. (Read more about sound effect project...)

3rd grade was finishing up their ostinato patterns, so the first day they shared their patterns with the class. The second day they did something similar to what the 4th and 5th graders did. (Read More about the Ostinato Pattern Project...)

4th and 5th graders went out the school forest and sang I Love the Mountains. Afterwards they were asked to write a short reflection on this experience. They were to describe the difference in singing outside versus inside. We then talked about what makes a good reflection and ways to describe the sound of our own singing or of instruments playing, etc. 4th and 5th graders then created their own 2 beat ostinatos with a partner, as well as, a 3 beat ostinato with their partner. Students created and practiced them the first day and then shared them the second day. (Read More about reflections...)

Overall, I really enjoyed taking the kids out for music class. I was surprised by how many of my students, that don't always care for music, were really excited about music since we were going outside. I also noticed that some of my overly rambunctious students were actually really well behaved outside.

Have a musical day!