Playing Instruments Teacher Resources

Hone those musical ears to identify consonance and dissonance in music being played live or on a recording. Learners will work through four activities where they will listen to consonant and dissonant notes being played first by the...

Native American music is fun to listen to and great to play. Third graders get multiculturally inspired as they discuss musical sounds from around the globe, then play a few traditional Native American instruments. 

The string section of your school orchestra can get a proper form make-over by incorporating this lesson. They reestablish proper playing form, posture, and sound as they compose an essay on how to maintain good playing habits during...

Your second graders can become composers with a little help from the Garage Band software. You pre-select several drum, piano, and guitar loops for the groups to choose from, then they put them together following an ABA looping pattern....

High school orchestra is a great place to play music, like The Star Spangled Banner. Upper graders create new rhythms to the old song and perform them with the class. They rehearse their updated versions of the song using their...

Middle schoolers practice playing "The Star Spangled Banner" while focusing on phrasing. They work with the instructor to mark the lyrics and music, then play the song using the phrasing indicated. Several cross-curricular  extension...

After a brief introduction to Balinese culture and Indonesian colotomic forms, the class composes an original piece. They study the tempo, melody, form and rhythm of Gamelan music and then apply those skills to an original Gamelan...

Students explore the Gullah culture. In this social studies lesson, students construct and play instruments similar to those of the Gullah people.

Music world get ready, your young performers are going to practice Gamelan style improvisation techniques. They listen to and discuss the melody and rhythm in Balinese Gamelan music, then take turns improvising by adding notes to a basic...

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....

Imagine your fourth grade class playing Orff instruments like pros. They can with a little structured practice! They read, sing, then play the song "Bambo Flute," focusing on keeping rhythm and pitch. This lesson plan is intended for use...

Playing music is great for the brain and fun to do. Learners practice playing their Orff instruments to the song, El Floron. A breakdown of the instructional practice is outlined in this simple lesson. For use with the...

Keeping time and rhythm are a major part of learning to play in a music ensemble. Second grade musicians read and sing pitch while practicing the rhythm of the song, "Here Comes Sally." Orff instruments and the text, Spotlight on Music...

Each section in this lesson gets to practice a specific part of the song "Love Somebody." Your fourth grade orchestra will play their Orff instruments as you instruct each instrument group as a section as a musical unit. 

A structured 6th grade music instructional activity - who could ask for more? Students practice reading music notation, playing their parts, and playing together as a group. This instructional activity is intended for use with Orff...

Instruct your class on basic music notation, rhythm, pitch, and harmony as they practice keeping a beat to the song, "Cape Cod Chantey." They'll practice individually and then as a group. This song can be found in the text, Spotlight on...

Play and sing a Valentine's song with your second graders. They'll follow along allow as you demonstrate how to sing and keep a steady beat on non-pitched percussive instruments. While the music lesson has a Valentine theme, that theme...

Play music with your class. Using Orff instruments and arrangements they learn to play the melody of a song, first in parts then as a group. This lesson is intended for use with the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill text, Spotlight on Music.

Playing music while considering form, pitch, and rhythm is the topic of this music lesson. Third graders practice playing a song in small groups and then as an ensemble. This lesson uses the text, Spotlight on Music and Orff instruments. 

The woodblock, xylophone, and metallophone are the focus of this Orff ensemble music arrangement. Kids practice playing their instruments keeping rhythm, pitch, and harmony as the focus of the lesson. They echo the teacher by patting a...

While there is no sheet music to accompany this lesson, it does have some ideas for teaching orchestration to younger learners. Third graders clap and call back and forth between each other to understand how they should play their parts...

Third graders play an old song using Orff instruments and direct instructions. They follow along as they are taught the proper pattern, hand positioning, and playing techniques. 

Orff musical arrangements make learning how to play music snap. The class practices playing their instruments with a focus on melody, pitch, and rhythm. They sing and pat out the rhythms of the song, "Allunde, Alluia" prior to playing...

Kids practice playing their Orff instruments. They follow along as the instructor leads them through a series of rhythm and note playing practice exercises. This lesson is intended for use with the Macmillan/Mcgraw-Hill text, Spotlight...