Music Theory Teacher Resources

Designed as an assessment of understanding, this one-page activity asks musicians to demonstrate their understanding of scales by drawing C, G, and F Major scales on the provided staffs. 

Any musician can tell you, you have to know your scales, key signatures, and notes when reading sheet music. Kids are quizzed on major scales and the notes found with in each scale. They fill in the missing notes and identify each scale.

WebQuests can be fun and engaging ways to review concepts. This musical WebQuest includes thirty-five fill in the blank and ten short answer questions, which learners complete through Internet use. Upper graders complete this exercise to...

Your young musicians will take note of this worksheet that asks them to mark the half steps in a C major scale and then write the scale in both treble and bass clef. 

How sharp are your young musicians? Can they perfectly identify the sharps and flats in each key by completing a circle of fifths diagram? There is solid theory behind this exercise.

How many sharps and flats are their in each of the major keys? Help keep your young musicians sharp with a printable template that models how to identify the signature for the major keys' sharps and flats.

Independent harmonies, homophonic music, intervals, and melody are all part of music theory and practice. Prepare your budding musicians for the big time with these activities focused on playing with accompaniment. This instructional...

Music theory lessons can be very tricky for some people. Children with a basic understanding of musical concepts take on the task of transposing music and identifying scale sets. This would be a good topic to address prior to discussing...

Students experience and discuss the different musical periods such as Baroque, Classical and Romantic. In this music lesson, students discover musical theory and apply it to the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. Students will...

Students explore music theory by discussing a classic song. In this musical notation lesson, students listen to the song "My Favorite Things" and discuss and share their personal tastes with the class. Students practice writing notes on...

Designed for advanced music students, this 12-page worksheet packet asks musicians to demonstrate their knowledge of music theory and terminology. They create a variety of minor scales from major scales, identify intervals before...

You may know about A, B, and C, but now you can include "arrrrr" to the list of music notes to practice! Here is a fun pirate-themed activity in which young musicians determine the intervals of various notes in the treble clef to work...

Rests. Eighth rests, quarter rests, and half rests are the focus of a one-page worksheet that asks music theory students to complete a series of measures with rests and bar lines.

Wow this is a really thorough music quiz. There are a total of seven tasks for the class to complete. They must, write the C major scale, identify notes on the staff, write four major keys based on the information provided, identify...

Whether written for Therese, Elisabeth, or for Juliane, young music theory students will enjoy pursuing the clues hidden in music symbols that indicate who wrote "Fur Elise."

It's time to practice those sharps. Young musicians write the order of sharps by counting down a fourth and up a fifth. This is a great way to teach sharps to emergent musical note readers. 

Are the instruments in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in the same family as those in George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue? Elementary musicians work on their music theory and their instrumental ear as they listen to clips of famous...

Review the 4/4 and 2/4 time signatures in music with a helpful music theory lesson plan. Young musicians experiment with electronic sounds and create their own musical performance using instruments made from materials found in the...

What is a parallel harmony? You and your class can explore musical terminology through song. You define what a parallel harmony is, the class identifies parallel harmony in music they hear, and then you all sing some examples together....

Explore the inception and evolution of hip-hop music as a springboard for writing music reviews and researching other genres of music. Learners will read and discuss the Times' article, From Underground Music to Fashion Statement to then...

The famous Japanese tune, "Cherry Blooms" was composed using a pentatonic scale. Budding musicians explore the nature and theory behind the pentatonic scale as well as the East Asian music it is commonly used in. Multiple extensions are...

Flats and sharps are a part of knowing how to read sheet music. Provide students with the practice needed to count fourths and fifths, as well as where to place flats on the staff. This type of exercise gets pupils ready to both read and...

After watching the violin basics, learn about left hand placement and technique. The close-ups provide a clear view of the player's hands, and he walks us through some notes step-by-step.

Upper graders having skills in music performance will extend their abilities through creative musical composition. They'll use Finale 2000 to explore facets of music composition, they'll then compose a piece for their instrument in C, F,...