Less than $5 2nd Grade Music Composition Lesson (by date, latest first)

Working on aural theory with your kids? With "Rhythm Mixup" students shuffle up notecards with quarter notes, 2-beamed eighth notes, half notes, and quarter rests to reflect the musical example being played! We start off the first lesson (level 1) with a brief overview of rhythm from Quaver's Marvelous World of Music, and then head right into rhythm mixup. Students will lay out their notation cards (you can either print these out or have the students draw them on a whiteboard, etc), and then a musical example will be played. Students will have to put the notes in the order that they hear the music example -- hence, the "mixup"! Level 2, goes into quarter rests and the students will have to place it appropriately (hint: it's never at the beginning or end of the phrase!) :) Students identify rhythms upon hearing them and use their aural skills to dictate where each rhythm is placed. Make sure to play these several times, especially for the younger ones so they can check their work! Designed in Powerpoint 2007, all animations and transitions should work on machines that support it. A file is included for instructions on how to install fonts. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. Have fun!

Based off the hit Windows 3.11 game we all knew and loved, Rhythm Sweeper is a progressive game where one slip can end you up on the dreaded mine! This will have your kids reading and mastering rhythms in NO TIME! Students will see a grid of 40 squares on the home page. Each square contains either a link to a rhythm.... or a mine :) I select one student at a time to pick a number. I'll then click on the number and it'll advance to the designated slide. If it's a rhythm, we add that rhythm to the Building Board on the home page. The teacher will click "Back to Game and Building Board" and put the rhythm they just received on the board. As for the rhythms they earned, you can cut out rhythms, write them in dry erase, or have a student keep tabs on the side. Students will now say, sing, or play the rhythm back. Then we repeat! See how it gets progressive? ;) ...until the mine! There are 5 mines in each game, and once the mine is hit, it's GAME OVER! At the end, you can tally up how many beats the class amassed (which is great if you can allow student to add it up as the game has half, quarter, and pairs of eighth notes). Compete against other classes, or themselves! There are 10 files in the pack and each one is completely different (all the rhythms are mixed up and of course, so are the mines) Have fun with this! I keep lively music in the background and have the kids on lummi sticks to play the rhythms back. Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment!

Based off the hit Windows 3.11 game we all knew and loved, Solfege Sweeper is a progressive game where one slip can end you up on the dreaded mine! This will have your kids reading and mastering solfege in NO TIME! Students will see a grid of 40 squares on the home page. Each square contains either a link to a solfege syllable.... or a mine :) I select one student at a time to pick a number. I'll then click on the number and it'll advance to the designated slide. If it's a solfege syllable, we add that solfege syllable to the Building Board on the home page. The teacher will click "Back to Game and Building Board" and put the solfege syllable they just received on the board. As for the solfege syllable they earned, you can cut out the included syllables (make a bunch of copies!), write them in dry erase, or have a student keep tabs on the side. Students will now sing the solfege syllables back in order. Then we repeat! See how it gets progressive? ;) AND what a great way to do a composition. Heck, you should get your piano involved too! ...until the mine! There are 5 mines in each game, and once the mine is hit, it's GAME OVER! At the end, you can tally up how many syllables the class amassed. Compete against other classes, or themselves! There are 5 files in the pack and each one is completely different (all the syllables are mixed up and of course, so are the mines) Syllables included are DO, MI, SOL, and LA. Have fun with this and let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment!

Get your kids reading notation with this rockin' assortment of body percussion! Each line is denoted with with claps (A part), snaps (B part), pats (C part), or stomps (D part) and the notation is displayed in color coded boxes. Students play these body percussions back after the teacher counts them in. In the package is a powerpoint file and PDF, and contains 20 different slides of 4 beat and 8 beat passages with quarter, eighth note, and rest patterns. Ideas include splitting the class into 4 parts, having the students switch body percussion, or even having students use an IWB to drag the body percussion signs around. The uses are endless. Put some rhythmic music on in the background to get things rollin'. Have a great time with this and if you have any question please feel free to leave a comment!

Was that Presto or Largo? Staccato or Tenuto? Forte or Piano? Use "Who am I" to reinforce the music terminology you've been working on in your class! After a brief review, 6 musical examples will be played with all examples ascribing to either Presto or Largo, Staccato or Tenuto, and Forte or Piano. Students can do this in a variety of ways: -- On whiteboards and dry erase markers -- Through collaborative grouping or partner activity (using pre-cut cards as an idea -- On a SMARTboard or brightlink -- As a race (maybe boys vs girls, side A vs side B) After the example is played, you can advance the slide in the powerpoint to reveal the answer! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the Q&A or email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com!

Introducing your students to musical form? It's just Formality may be the answer! After a short introduction and review about musical form (with a video illustrating musical examples), 8 form examples are played Students are to identify the form by using the letters "A", "B", and "C". Some are easy, but some can get really challenging! They'll see a blank slate on the screen with the number of letters in the form. All form examples are a maximum of 3 measures (so you can even teach this to your little ones!) Students can write it on whiteboards, use cut out cards, use an interactive SMARTboard/Brightlink pen, collaborative grouping -- it's up to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the Q&A section or email me: jasonlitt@gmail.com Have fun!

Got a box full of percussion instruments? Work on rhythm reading together with the kids in creative fashions! In "Out of the Box!", 4 separate lines hold 4 different classroom instruments -- tambourines, rhythm sticks, hand drums, and maracas. These instruments are all assigned different 4 beat rhythms and focus on quarter notes, quarter rests, eighth notes, and more techniques throughout the presentation. To get everybody playing, shaking, and grooving, I place four stations throughout the room filled with the associated instrument. I then have a group of students rotate through the instruments throughout the activity so they can all get a feel of each instrument (no more "you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit...") Win-win! You can run in the way you wish! You can have the students perform an ostinato by repeating the 4 beat measure, or have them read it in a canon, or just do it all together as suggested! Or... you can have students write their own composition if you have an interactive whiteboard! How cool! Included are the powerpoint file (completely editable and expandable with images embedded in) and PDF file as a static presentation. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them. Have a great time!

Shaun the Sheep hits theaters this summer, and there's no better way to work on Solfege than "Sol Mi Sheep - Level One!". In Sol Mi Sheep, Shaun the Sheep, the Lambs, and the Farmer, help the kids identify where the Sol, Mi, and La lines are on the staff in a game format. Characters are placed on different solfege levels and students will sing back the solfege syllables as they see them. If the class masters the solfege example, the slide will advance and the high score will continue to elevate. Each character has an independent rhythm -- Shaun is a quarter note, the lambs are a pair of eighth notes, and the farmer is a quarter rest. The way I construct the lesson is I have all classes participate and record the highest score at the end of the lesson. I run this exercise about 2 or 3 minutes (it helps if you have a percussive background track running around 90-110 bpm) and let the students keep adding to their score. You'll notice that the more the activity progresses, the solfege examples become more lengthy and difficult. I keep track of the scores on a different powerpoint so the kids can see how they're progressing AND how they match up against other classes in their grade. Trust me, it gets pretty competitive! :) Included are instructions and the game in PDF and powerpoint format. All steps are a 2nd, so no La to Mi skips... yet ;) If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Happy Sol Mi La-ing!

Learning the values of quarter and eighth notes are a good solid foundation to start off, but when it gets to rests, understanding a beat of silence is a little different! In "Give it a Rest!" students are introduced to the quarter rest, which is a note, but a note of silence. They watch "Give it a Rest!" from Music K-8 and then are given an activity -- try to decipher where the rest occurs in a musical example. The students will be told how many beats are in the example and then a four beat percussive introduction is played. Students will be asked to dictate the quarter notes AND quarter rests in the musical example. The teacher can play this again for reinforcement (but for kids in upper grades, playing it only ONCE can be a challenge!). There are 12 examples, each one getting a little more difficult than the last! You can run this activity in many ways: - Student can write on whiteboards with dry erase markers - Pairs of students can team up in a race to spell it out - Use as a whiteboard/smartboard/IWB activity - Print out cards of quarter notes and rests and have them line it up on the floor - Any other way you find creative! Enjoy this with your class and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Are you as hungry as I am? Let's eat! Identify rhythms in proper nouns with this fun activity. Students will see a food (or foods!) and their corresponding word (or words!) and given two plates on each slide. Have the students identify the syllables in the food and match it to either rhythm on plate number 1 or plate number 2. After kids lock in their answer, advance the slide and reveal the answer! Most are eighth and quarter note rhythms, but some have eighth note triplets and 4 sixteenths group in the examples You can also play it as an assessment and have kids work individual or in teams. There's a powerpoint and PDF included in this package and there are 13 sets of foods go through and can last up to 30-45 minutes depending on what pace you go in the activity. Have a great time and of course, BON APPETITE!

A fun activity to play with kids of all ages! Check out these Italian names and guess whether it’s a PASTA or a COMPOSER! See how many you get right! Some of these are quite tricky while others are pretty obvious :)

TIME to identify rhythms! A clock will appear with rhythms attached to the times of the clock. You will play a short 4 to 6 beat musical example for the kids, and they will have to identify which rhythm (or which time on the clock!) matches the example being played. 10 examples (including sound files, a powerpoint and a PDF) outlining pairs of Eighths, Quarter notes, Half notes, and Quarter Rests are included in this engaging lesson your kids. You can play it as a class, boys vs girls, or individually -- up to you! Have fun and if you have any questions or comments, leave 'em below! :)

Ready to talk about Forte and Piano in any of your grades? Boom it up, Dynamically! will get your kids reading dynamics like a pro!

First, we start off with an introduction to Forte and Piano with a clip from Music K8's animated series (included in the zip file), and then get into the game:

Students are issued boomwhackers (all colors!) and dynamics are shown on the screen. Sometimes just 4 dynamics, sometimes 6, and even up to 8. The teacher points to the dynamic (optional) as the kids play along on their boomwhackers while the background music (included) helps them keep on beat! After the students master the dynamics, the teacher advances the slide and dynamic shifts get a little harder each time.

There are 9 rounds to challenge your kids over a course of 2 lessons, 4 lessons, or however long you wish

Round 1 - 4 Beats
Round 2 - 6 Beats
Round 3 - 8 Beats
Round 4 - With Quarter Rests in 4 Beat Patterns
Round 5 - With Quarter Rests in 6 Beat Patterns
Round 6 - Two Part Split (C,E,G + D, F, A, B)
Round 7 - Two Part Split 6 Beat Patterns
Round 8 - Two Part Split 8 Beat Patterns
Round 9 - Three Part Split

Three tracks at various tempi are included (slow for the little kids, and medium and fast for the bigger kids)

Have a ton of fun with this and let me know what you think!

Quarter and Eighth Note pairs are the foundational elements of elementary music -- let's work on our aural skills with **Rhythm Lineup 2.0!

**Students will have a baggie of cards (or alternatively they can write them down on a whiteboard or make their own cards) and hear a rhythm played. They will have to use their cards and place the cards down on the floor in the order that they are heard.

After the example is played, I usually give them another listen to 'check their work' or go back and fill in the missing gaps. Then on the next powerpoint slide, the answer appears one beat by one beat. Check your answer and celebrate if you got it correct!

Can be applied for distance learning as well! Kids can just use sticky notes and write down three eighth note pairs and 4 quarter note pairs and play along!

Included are 10 examples with brass and woodwind instruments. Have a great time!

Can your kids tell the difference between what rhythm is shown and what rhythm is played? Test it out with To Tell the Truth!

Students will see a rhythm on the screen and then a rhythm will be played. Does the rhythm played match the rhythm on the powerpoint? Students will use popsicle sticks (or whiteboard or can do it individually at the screen) to show their answers and the answer will then appear on the screen as you advance in the powerpoint - True or **False!**8 musical examples are included with 4 beat all the way to 7 beat patterns of Quarter and 2 paired Eighth Note rhythms.

In Spooky Rhythms, right in time from one of your favorite October holidays, students will see a character, item, or a semblance of something from Halloween

They will then view a series of pumpkins with rhythms on them (all combinations of quarter notes and two eighth note pairs) and will have to identify which pumpkin matches the character displayed on the powerpoint.

Have the students select the answer and the correct pumpkin will turn green (maybe it's ripe)

There are three levels

1. One or two Halloween characters/items with 2 pumpkin choices

2. Multiple Halloween characters/items along with 4 pumpkin choices

3. Spooky Rhythms ReMix -- 1 pumpkin rhythm and 3 multiple choice characters/items

You can assign to distance learning and have the students select the 1st, 2nd (or 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th pumpkin) or play it in class (side vs side, boys vs girls, individually, or all together!)

Have a spooky time with this ;)

With Halloween (or in general... anytime is good) around the corner, Candy Rhythms are a tried and true way to engage students to introduce them to aligning syllables. Mix it up a little with Candy Rhythm Matchup!

In this lesson, students will see a rhythm on the board that matches the name of some of their favorite candies. They will then have a choice between 2 or 3 different candy brands and will have to choose the best match for the rhythm shown

The answer is outlined in green on the following slide. You will get 10 rhythmic examples in this mini-lesson

Have a great time (and avoid those cavities)...

A game that will keep your students entertained, engaged, and competitively charged with identifying chord quality, here's One "Minor" Imposter inspired by "Among Us"!

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IN ONE MINOR IMPOSTER, YOU WILL LISTEN TO 2, 3, 4 EVEN 5 CREWMATES PLAY MAJOR CHORDS ONE BY ONE. ONE OF THE MAJOR CHORDS IS ACTUALLY NOT THE MAJOR CHORD PERFORMED!

YOUR TASK IS TO DECIDE WHICH CREWMATE IS THE IMPOSTER BY SELECTING THE CREWMATE WHO PLAYED THE MINOR CHORD INSTEAD OF THE MAJOR CHORD

HERE WILL BE ONLY ONE CREWMATE WHO IS THE IMPOSTER

____________________________

In each example is a piano/guitar/harpsichord mix with different background percussion tempos to keep the kids engaged. Each crewmate, lined up on the powerpoint (1, 2, 3, etc) will be representative of the musical example played.

Included in this resource are

• Mp3 examples embedded in each question (15 questions)
• A printout where you can replicate and cut out cards (if you want the students to place on the floor or hold up to show which one was the imposter)
• 3 levels of rhythms with 3 crewmates (2 major crewmates, 1 minor imposter), 4 crewmates (3 major crewmates, 1 minor imposter), and 5 crewmates (4 major crewmates, 1 imposter)

Have a terrific time with this while your kids study chord quality!

No need to have drums, recorders, or even auxiliary instruments for this one! If you don't have access, are traveling to rooms, or want to give a change to your curriculum try "Body Percussion Warmups"!

There are 10 warmups in each level with CLAPS, SNAPS, STOMPS, and SNAPS, all indicated on the powerpoint slide. Count your kids off with a few prep beats and watch them go!

Also terrific for reading in some of the younger grades who are not familiar with standard notation and need a warmup to reading using these icons.

Use the included background tracks (90bpm to 110bpm) or put on your favorite music so the kids can jam along!

Here are the 4 levels:

• Level 1 - Quarter Note Rhythms
• Level 2 - Quarter and Eighth Note Rhythms
• Level 3 - Adding in Quarter Rests
• Level 4 - Six Beat Rhythms (with Quarters, Eighths, and Quarter Rests)

In this rhythm reading exercise for Boomwhackers, up to 5 boomwhacker colors will appear on the screen (an assortment of notes from the octave, red, orange, yellow, lime, green, purple, and pink)

Each color has a different rhythm and the color will be assigned to that rhythm and repeat as many times as necessary.

When you advance the slide, the rhythms and colors change around, giving everyone an opportunity to play a different rhythm and at a different time during the game.

You can play this a few ways

• As is with everyone playing at once
• In a round (having the 1st color go 4x, then 2nd color add on 4x, 3rd, etc)
• Call and response (have 2 or 3 play first, then have the other remaining students play)
• Have the students read down EVERY rhythm regardless of color (go clockwise or counterclockwise)
• Some play forte, some piano
• With or without music or accompaniment tracks

Included are instrumental accompaniment tracks but feel free to use your own! There are 16 different variations of rhythms and Boomwhackers colors in this resource

Have a great time with this!