Home
Mission
Blog
Professional Development
Launchpad
Plans
Community
Help
Discover Music History: Fun & Challenging Bach Word Search Puzzle
By Agee and Row Classical Music Appreciation
Word search activities offer many benefits for students. They can help students learn new vocabulary, improve spelling skills, and develop problem-solving abilities. These word search activities are great for reviewing musical concepts in a fun and challenging way! Word search activities also make engaging brain breaks and bell-ringers.
One composer. Ten words. Three styles. Pick & print your favorite! Use a timer for a race through musical history or as an independent activity.
♫ "Study Bach. There you will find everything." - Johannes Brahms ♫
More Johann S. Bach Resources!
Johann S. Bach Bundle
Johann S. Bach Music Note Matching
"Adagio" Listening Sheets
Bach Fun Pack!
"Little Fugue" Listening Sheets
Bach Composer Pack
Bach Composer Activity Pack (Pre-K+)
Bach Family Bundle
Brandenburg Concertos Listening Sheets
► We know you'll love helping students create meaningful connections to classical music, so we are happy to share these free listening activities with you today!
Sharpen Student Word Skills: Fun & Challenging Music Word Search Puzzles
By Agee and Row Classical Music Appreciation
Word search activities offer many benefits for students. They can help students learn new vocabulary, improve spelling skills, and develop problem-solving abilities. These word search activities are great for reviewing musical concepts in a fun and challenging way! Word search activities also make engaging brain breaks and bell-ringers.
Fifteen musical terms are hidden within! Clef, sequence, theme, note, key, and more. There is one puzzle included with four color variations, including an ink-friendly greyscale design. Choose your favorite! Answer key provided.
► It can be hard to keep track of all the dates and eras in classical music history, so we created this freebie to help you out! Grab this six-page guide of composers sorted by musical period. Birthdates, birthplaces, and their famous compositions included. Get this instant download delivered right to your inbox!
Find the String: Fun & Challenging String Instrument Word Search
By Agee and Row Classical Music Appreciation
Word search activities offer many benefits for students. They can help students learn new vocabulary, improve spelling skills, and develop problem-solving abilities. These word search activities are great for reviewing musical concepts in a fun and challenging way! Word search activities also make engaging brain breaks and bell-ringers.
Fourteen terms related to string instruments are hidden within this word search! There is one puzzle included with four color variations, including an ink-friendly grey scale design. Choose your favorite! Answer key provided.
► It can be hard to keep track of all the dates and eras in classical music history, so we created this freebie to help you out! Grab this six-page guide of composers sorted by musical period. Birthdates, birthplaces, and their famous compositions included. Get this instant download delivered right to your inbox!
The "Big Kid" Rhythm Bundle (Grades 3-6) **30% OFF!**
By Jason Litt
Included in these rhythm bundle are 25 resources that you can utilize in grades 3-6. Games, dictation, worksheets, races, and more are in this bundle as the resources discuss longer rhythmic patterns, sixteenth notes, triplets, and long durations of rests.
Definitely a semester filler in here, terrific for reinforcing your 2nd half of the year with some of your upper grades, and with 30% off when bundled together, it's a sale you can't beat!
Rhythm Stick 6pack - Rhythm Read-a-Longs (20% off!)
By Jason Litt
Got Rhythm Sticks and that's all you got? Keep your kids busy from 2nd to 5th grade (and even older!) with Rhythm Sticks 6pack, an assortment of Rhythm Stick Read-a-longs!
In these resources, you will see the entire arrangements structured across multiple slides in coded colors with the corresponding repeats. There will be eight boxes that hold each beat along with one of three action icons.
Teach the entire thing line by line through a rote method and play through at the end!
St. Patrick's Bucket Drumming Bundle! - 20% off!
By Jason Litt
In this St. Patricks Day Bucket Drumming 4pack, you will get 4 great bucket drumming arrangements at 20% off when purchased all together
Included are the following Bucket Drumming arrangements for all of your little leprechauns to play with!
Arrangements are designed from 4th grade all the way up to middle school, so these are typically designed for some of the older kids.
For notation:
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish),
The X notation that is stacked with quarter notes are played as shots (think like a marching band snare drum -- playing the drum and stick simultaneously as a rimshot or on top of each other -- whatever will you get you the best accent!)
The X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
Star Wars Percussion MegaMix! (8 resources @ 15% off!)
By Jason Litt
In this Star Wars Percussion Megamix, you will get 8 great resources, a mix of bucket drumming arrangements, rhythm basketball, and rhythm stick read along at a 15% discount off of each one!
Arrangements are designed from 4th grade all the way up to middle school, so these are typically designed for some of the older kids.
For notation:
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish),
The X notation that is stacked with quarter notes are played as shots (think like a marching band snare drum -- playing the drum and stick simultaneously as a rimshot or on top of each other -- whatever will you get you the best accent!)
The X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
For the Rhythm Basketball:
Your students will each have a basketball (can be regulation size or smaller) and bounce their ball on the ground each time they see an ornament icon. Each ornament icon is denoted as a quarter note. The rests are in between each ball for the students to hold the ball. Any smaller ornaments (grouped in two) will be played as 2 eighth note pairs and students will have to lower themselves a foot or two to dribble eighth notes on the floor
There's also a "pat" icon with a hand below the ornament icon itself, so you will have the student hold the basketball in one hand and pat the ball on the beat
Imagine Dragons Percussion MEGABundle! (@ 15% OFF 17 RESOURCES!)
By Jason Litt
In this Imagine Dragons Percussion MEGABundle, you will get great resources, a mix of bucket drumming arrangements, rhythm basketball, rhythm stick read-alongs, and body percussion at a 15% discount off of each one!
WHY IMAGINE DRAGONS?
Arrangements are designed from 4th grade all the way up to middle school, so these are typically designed for some of the older kids.
For notation:
All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish),
The X notation that is stacked with quarter notes are played as shots (think like a marching band snare drum -- playing the drum and stick simultaneously as a rimshot or on top of each other -- whatever will you get you the best accent!)
The X notation (with a down stem) are played as stick clicks above their head (or you could apply it to a tambourine or other auxiliary instrument)
For the Rhythm Basketball:
Your students will each have a basketball (can be regulation size or smaller) and bounce their ball on the ground each time they see an ornament icon. Each ornament icon is denoted as a quarter note. The rests are in between each ball for the students to hold the ball. Any smaller ornaments (grouped in two) will be played as 2 eighth note pairs and students will have to lower themselves a foot or two to dribble eighth notes on the floor
There's also a "pat" icon with a hand below the ornament icon itself, so you will have the student hold the basketball in one hand and pat the ball on the beat
EOY SURVIVAL Kit! -- 10 resources @ 15% OFF!
By Jason Litt
It's the end of the year... and we're in survival mode. Need no prep solutions to make sure your 5th graders haven't checked themselves out and need engaging games and activities for some of your other students? Check out the EOY Survival Kit, 10 hand picked and proven resources to keep your kids busy during the last few weeks of the year... and when purchased in the bundle here, you get 15% off of each one! Feel free to peruse the resources and use them as you wish either for the end of the year or even anytime of the year. Have a great time, you'll get through this! :)
Cup Rhythms MEGABundle! - 15% OFF!
By Jason Litt
In this Cup Rhythms MEGABundle, you will get 12 great Cup Rhythm Arrangements that span various genres (Pop, Rock, and Movie Themes) so you kids can make some percussive sounds together all semester long!
Cup rhythms are terrific for your students of all ages! Inexpensive plastic cups from the dollar store, Target, or others make excellent substitutes for percussion instruments and in unison played together, solidifies steady beat, rhythm acuity, and gets everyone playing as an ensemble!
Notation is as follows:
Back-2-School RHYTHM MegaBundle - 8 resources @ 15% off!
By Jason Litt
Gearing up for August and September and need to infuse something rhythm games, activities, assessments for your intermediate level kids? Look no further than the _Back-2-Schoo_l RHYTHM MegaBundle with 8 separate resources @ 15% off when purchased here together!
From body percussion and movement activities to center games and ensemble games played as a class, you'll never run out of things to do your first few months :)
Check out the products below to see if they fit into your curriculum and let me know if you have any questions!
Tubano MEGAPACK! - 20% off of 14 resources!
By Jason Litt
In the Tubano MEGAPACK! you get 14 great Tubano drumming arrangements all prices at 20% off when purchase here together!
These range from easy to difficult and are great for all ages, either taught by rote or taught by reading.
With 14 different arrangements from 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8 at various tempi you prescribe, the fun never ends! :)
SUPER Rhythm Basketball! - 40% OFF NEARLY 50 ARRANGEMENTS!
By Jason Litt
You're looking at it! An entire year (or MORE!) worth of Rhythm Basketball arrangements!
When bought all together here, you save over 40% of 48 arrangements of Rhythm Basketball from Movies to Holidays to TV shows to Pop Songs to Cartoons and MORE!
This is a #buyitforLIFE sale! One and done and they're all yours! :)
By Jason Litt
Five jamming Boomwhacker arrangements for your classroom! Each Boomwhacker is assigned an 8 beat rhythm, most different than others. This gives kids opportunities to reinforce their own rhythms while playing in an ensemble. If you want to explore a different method, you can split half of the class on one rhythm, and the other half on a different. You could play them in a round, canon, explore different dynamics, loop it -- the possibilities are endless! And with 5 different compositions, you'll have the freedom to explore without getting tired of the same arrangement. This can also be used with non-pitched and even pitched percussion. Included is a 5 minute African drum groove to get your kids going. Have fun -- here comes the boom!
By Jason Litt
For your printouts and powerpoints, this pack of notation has everything -- Wholes, Halves, Quarters, Eighths, and Sixteenths. The notation is vectorized and transparent, so it will fit alongside any background in powerpoint There are word files with notation templates included as well, if you'd like to print multiple of one note You can use these to make flash cards, rhythm building, and much more!
By Jason Litt
Getting ready to teach your kids about intervals? Try a fun new flash card game named Inspector Interval! In this powerpoint is a brief overview of intervals. Step by step instructions are given on how they are built, and more importantly, how they are identified. Throughout this powerpoint, there are over 100 random flash cards with intervals on a treble clef staff with an accompanying blank box. I usually have my students compete against each other (boys vs girls, top risers vs bottom risers, etc) to see who can name the interval the fastest. The winner stays up and competes against the next student in class and the one left standing at the end is deemed the winner! Included are two powerpoint files: Inspector Interval 2nd-7th: Only with 2nd thorugh 7th intervals Inspector Interval Unison-Octave: Full intervals (with descriptions for Unison and Octave intervals, and how to identify them) All the slides have animations attached them and should work on Microsoft Powerpoint 2007 and above. In addition, the "jazztext" font is included (with installation directions) as your system may not have the file already on it. Have a great time with this, kids get SUPER competitive! :)
By Jason Litt
If you're working on meter in your classroom, here's an engaging lesson that'll test your students' math skills! In Sign of the Times, we do a brief introduction of meter (from there on called" Time Signature"). After the introduction, we talk about how measures (musical sentences) are formed and how composers have the freedom to write different beat patterns in music. The lesson in PDF format (also included is the video along with an editable powerpoint file) continues with illustrations of 4 types of time signatures, and gets into the game format -- a measure with combinations of quarter, eighths, whole, and half notes will appear in the staff and students will have to guess the time signature. On the next slide, the answer will appear. I like to do this boys vs. girls -- they have to use their quick thinking to add up the beats! Some are easy to moderate, but as we progress it gets a little harder! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment... that's the sign of the times!
By Jason Litt
Use these notation printouts for students to compose their own rhythms. Included are Wholes, Halves, Quarters, and Eights, along with their corresponding rests. All notes have borders which can easily laminated then cut
Identify Form in Pop Music - Part TWO!
By Jason Litt
The #1 selling "Identify Form in Pop Music!" has multiple follow versions! In addition to the Original Version, you can download Part THREE (2015), Part FOUR (2017), Part FIVE (2018) Part SIX (2019) and Part SEVEN (2021) below:
Identify Form in Pop Music PART THREE
Identify Form in Pop Music PART FOUR
Identify Form in Pop Music PART FIVE
Identify Form in Pop Music PART SIX
Identify Form in Pop Music PART SEVEN
________________________________________
Redone and remodeled from the beginning to end with more colorful layouts and updated music, the 2014 follow-up to the #1 selling "Identify Form in Pop Music"... here's part TWO!
Kids love their pop music, right? Want to integrate it into your classroom? This is great lesson to do with 4th and 5th graders that lets them listen to their favorite pop music while learning about musical form!
The lesson begins with a video introduction to form and then talks about elements of pop music and how it ascribes to a specific form. We talk about the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro, and include (different from the 2013 version) the collision and the channel and then go onto our activity.
I cut out cards... a whole bunch of intros, verses, chorus, bridges, outros, channels, and collisons (or you can do it with a whiteboard/marker, or even as a unison class response) and give them to each student, then have have the kids sit on the floor. I then play an mp3 of a song which has 10 second clips of each of the sections (there is about a 2 second gap in between each clip and all clips are safe for little ears -- no profanity!) and have the students identify them by spelling them out on the floor in front of them
A great compromise to having your kids listen to their music and still satisfy a 4th and 5th grade standard in identifying the structure of music!
The 2014 hit list:
Best Day of My Life - American Authors
Burn - Ellie Goulding
Neon Lights - Demi Lovato
Let it Go - Idina Menzel (this will SURELY get your class sold!)
Happy - Pharrell Williams
Counting Stars - OneRepublic
Pompeii - Bastille
Light 'em Up - Fall Out Boy
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com
Have fun, kids LOVE this!
By Jason Litt
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!