Less than $5 Middle School Music Activities (by price, high to low)

We're BACK and for 2022 in the follow-up to the #1 selling "Identify Form in Pop Music" series, we now bring you....

Part EIGHT!

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 (as always, kid friendly 100% CLEAN!) while learning about musical form!

The lesson begins with an introduction to popular music and how the music is formulated by the artists songwriters. We talk about the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro, and include 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 collisions (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 2-4 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. This works great if you're putting kids into groups of 2 or 3 as they try to figure out the form of the song.

It's 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 2022 hit list:

• Enemy, Imagine Dragons
• Something in the Way, Nirvana (from The Batman)
• Good 4 U, Olivia Rodrigo
• We Don't Talk About Bruno, Encanto
• Easy on Me, Adele
• Butter, BTS
• Cold Heart, Dua Lipa/Elton John
• Ghost, Justin Bieber
• Heat Waves, Glass Animals
• Bad Habits, Ed Sheeran

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com

Have fun, kids LOVE this!

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All the previous versions can be found here:

Identify Form in Pop Music

Identify Form in Pop Music PART TWO

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

Mastering the “Call and Response” technique just got a bit more automonous! Sit back and let the music be freely created with “Call it the Response” for Orff Instruments!

In this lesson, student swill hear a “Call” which is the first part of a musical phrase. They will then play a “response” which completes the short musical phrase. Their response may be a certain number of beats or maybe a certain rhythm (could be same or different than the call)

There are 8 different exercises for your kids to give their response on Orff Instruments (or even auxiliary percussion instruments or boomwhackers, the possibilities are endless!).

Each exercise has a percussive backing track with the "Call" built in (played by marimba and xylophone, so you as the teacher aren't responsible for making it up yourself!) and varies in tempo from 100bpm to 110bpm and covers V7, Pentatonic, IV chords, and bourdon notes.

Get creative with “Call it the Response!”

The all-encompassing Solfege mastermix!

Solfege Back-to-Basics includes 55 separate solfege etudes which range from 3 to 6 solfege syllables all arranged colorfully on a 5-lined staff!

Below each exercise has highlight syllable names so your students can focus on the syllables that will be displayed on the screen

Sing along with this ear training exercise, accompany the students on piano, or just perform it acapella!

There are 7 levels included in this powerpoint from 3 solfege syllables all the way to 7

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments -- ENJOY!

Working on identifying genres with some of your older students? This one will be a breeze with **GenreMania!

**Students will be given a short example of a genre of music, which is a category of a musical composition. Genres are in different eras, different styles, and different sounds!

Select the genre from a multiple-choice list of which you think is the genre that best describes the piece that you’re listening to. Some are easy, some get a little more difficult.

The answer will illuminate on the following screen after the example is played. There are 15 musical examples students will be able to listen to. You can run this as a class, individually, or even assign it as a Distance Learning option!

Have a great time with this and let us know how it goes in the comments :)

With “Rhythms Around the Horn”, students will see four rhythm squares on the powerpoint (or PDF), all of them containing different rhythms.

For starters, have the entire class perform rhythm 1 (with instruments, vocalizing, clapping, patting, etc), then rhythm 2, then 3, and then finally 4.

After students understand the rhythms, then you can have the rhythms all be performed several different ways...

• Assign an instrument to each number and have them repeat their rhythm
• Example: #1 will be shakers, #2 will be tambourines, #3 will be hand drums, #4 will be guiros
• Example: #1 will be bass xylo, #2 will be soprano xylo, #3 will be alto xylo, #4 will be glockenspiel
• Example: #1 will be C and D boomwhackers, #2 will be E and F boomwhackers, #3 will be G and A boomwhackers, #4 will be B boomwhacker
• Assign an instrument to each number and have them rotate throughout the numbers (1, 2, 3, 4)
• Assign an instrument to each number and have them repeat the rhythm 2 times, 4 times (or however long you wish) and move to the next number to do the same thing
• Assign all instruments to start at the beginning, but at different times (a canon or a round).
• Example: Instrument 1 will play #1 first, then #2 consecutively, then the second instruments begin on #1 when the first are on #2, and so forth
• Go backwards, 4, 3, 2, 1
• Or maybe a free for all – have students pick their favorite number and repeat

There are 4 levels of rhythms all with increasing difficulty

• Quarters and Eighths
• Half Notes
• Eighth Note Rests
• Triplets

Have a great time with this!

Something different in our #1 Selling "Identify Form in Pop Music" series, a THROWBACK to the greatest decade of music (dependent on when you were born of course!) ;)

Identify Form in the 80s!

The lesson begins with an introduction to popular music from the 1980s and how the music is formulated by the artists songwriters. We talk about the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro, and include 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 collisions (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. This works great if you're putting kids into groups of 2 or 3 as they try to figure out the form of the song.

The 1980s hit list:

• Don't Stop Believing, Journey
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper
• We Didn't Start the Fire, Billy Joel
• Come On Eileen, Dexy's Midnight Runners
• Conga, Gloria Estefan
• Uptown Girl, Billy Joel
• I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Whitney Houston
• Mr. Roboto, Styx
• Thriller, Michael Jackson

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment email me at jasonlitt@gmail.com

Have fun, kids LOVE this!

______________________________________

Looking for the modern Identify Form in Pop Music? All the previous versions can be found here:

Identify Form in Pop Music

Identify Form in Pop Music PART TWO

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

Working on identifying genres with some of your older students? This one will be a breeze with **GenreMania!

**Students will be given a short example of a genre of music, which is a category of a musical composition. Genres are in different eras, different styles, and different sounds!

Select the genre from a multiple-choice list of which you think is the genre that best describes the piece that you’re listening to. Some are easy, some get a little more difficult.

The answer will illuminate on the following screen after the example is played. There are 15 musical examples students will be able to listen to. You can run this as a class, individually, or even assign it as a Distance Learning option!

Have a great time with this and let us know how it goes in the comments :)

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!

TREBLE CLEF FOUR CORNERS!

· To play Four Corners, ensure all students understand the lines and spaces of the staff (bottom line E to top line F).

· Number each side of the room 1, 2, 3, and 4 (or alternatively, color code it green, blue, red, or purple with floor tape)

· They will hear a 9 second timer. Students will have a chance to walk to one of four corners and stay there for the duration of the round.

· On the next slide, the treble clef notation will appear in each corner and you will see a letter name from the Treble Clef Staff

· The students will have to guess which treble clef notation it is by showing it with their fingers (1, 2, 3, or 4)

· The teacher then reveals to the students which treble clef note it was (#1, #2, #3 or #4) and the students who are in that corner are OUT!

· Keep repeating until no kids are left!

Included are 12 examples (you can switch it up each time and do different notation each time), the 9 second timer embedded in the powerpoint file, and instructions

Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with a throwback to the 1960s with The BEATLES smash hit "Hey Jude"!

There are three all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!

All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and 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)

Here's the track so you can play along...

https://youtu.be/7qMls5yxP1w

Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!

Terms of Use:

All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.

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*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!

Need a challenge for your upper elementary (or even middle school kids) for aural theory? Try these 20 great audio examples in the Solfege Listening Challenge!

Students will listen to the first reference note (Do, Sol, Mi, etc) and then listen to an additional note (or two notes) following the first reference note. They will then have to select the answer which they think they heard from a multiple choice selection of solfege syllables

The next slide in the series will reveal the correct answer by illuminating the borders green.

I typically play this with my class by having the students select the "bottom" or "top" answer or "1st" "2nd" or "3rd" answer. You can always replay the audio if the kids need another listen (some of these are tricky)

Have a great time with this, it's a terrific way to assess!

Need to connect with your kids with clean music that is sure to hit all of your percussive goals? Involve them in bucket drumming with the smash tune from "The Jungle Book" in "I Wanna Be Like You", covered by Fall Out Boy!

There are three all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 4 or 8 times). Then, apply it to drums!

All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and 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)

Here's the track so you can play along...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEcOZf4Nb5M

• Note: This arrangement is in cut time, so it FLIES! May want to reduce the speed on YouTube when playing along, or work your way up to it! :)

Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!

Terms of Use:

All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.

__________________________________

*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!

Now with digital worksheet to support distance learning!

This product features an engaging back to school Music Talk activity that will have your new students thinking, writing, speaking, and moving on the very first day of school. In this activity, they must choose between 6 different quotes about music and articulate why the quote aligns with their own perspective using a particular song to explain their opinion. Use this lesson every year to set the tone for what you expect in class; it is a great way to gain insight about your students' current attitudes toward music while getting to know one another with a higher level thinking activity. We have also recently added a digital version of the Music Talk worksheet to support distance learning and cut down on paper.

Product includes:

• Comprehensive Lesson Plan
• "Music Talk" Worksheet
• 6 Corresponding "Music Quote" signs to hang up around your room
• Digital Worksheet to support distance learning for use with Google Drive - newly added!
• Detailed instructions for accessing digital resource

Though this lesson plan is ideal for the first day of school, it can be used all year long without modification.

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Also, check out these great products to start your school year off strong by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐Music Quote Posters

⭐First Day of School Powerpoint

⭐Study Hall Expectations Powerpoint Presentation

⭐Back to School / Open House Brochure

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

Need to connect with your kids with your hits (and have your cake and eat it too?) Involve them in bucket drumming with the classic hit from the 2002 smash movie "Top Gun: Maverick" in "I Ain't Worried" by OneRepublic!

There are three all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated in groups of 3 times and 1 time)

All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and 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)

Here's the track so you can play along...

https://youtu.be/mNEUkkoUoIA

Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!

Terms of Use:

All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.
__________________________________

*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!

Need to connect with your kids with their pop music through general music? Involve them in bucket drumming with the rousing hit that'll get everyone dancing in Gloria Estefan's hit from the 80s (we all know and love) "Conga"!

There are four all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats (most are repeated 2, 3, or 4 times). Then, apply it to drums!

All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and 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)

Here's the track so you can play along...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gXj8Gcp31w

Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!

Terms of Use:

All images/photos/clip art in this resource were created by me.

__________________________________

*** Looking for more BUCKET DRUMMING resources? *** Find them here!

A game that will keep your kids entertained, engaged, and competitively charged, here's SOLFEGE IMPOSTER inspired by "Among Us"**!

_________________________________________**

_IN SOLFEGE IMPOSTER, YOU WILL SEE MULTIPLE CREWMATES ASSIGNED WITH DIFFERENT SOLFEGE HAND SIGNS.
_

_YOUR TASK IS TO DECIDE WHICH CREWMATE IS THE IMPOSTER BY SELECTING THE CREWMATE WHO IS HOLDING UP THE WRONG HAND SIGN

THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE CREWMATE WHO IS THE IMPOSTER?

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_
Included in this resource are

• 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)
• Solfege Hand Signs
• 3 Levels of Solfege Identification (3 crewmates, 4 crewmates, multiple syllables)

Have a terrific time with this while your kids study and reinforce solfege!

Right in time for your Christmas instrumentalists, we present to you the Michael Buble's smash hit, "Christmas (Baby, please come home)" for BUCKET DRUMMING!

There are four all-color coded slides along with the form identifiers listed next to each phrase. Discuss form with the students and teach them (by rote) the rhythms on the powerpoint with the corresponding repeats. Then, apply it to drums!

All regular notation is to be played on the buckets (or drums, or ground, however you wish), and 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)

NOTE: Remember, all paired eighth notes are swung and there are also a few triplet patterns in here as well to get those alternating hands going!

Here's the track so you can play along...

https://youtu.be/mBycW6iu8GM

Have fun with this and let us know how it goes!

End of Year "Music Talk" Activity for Chorus, Band, or Music Class

This resource features an engaging "Music Talk" activity that will have your students thinking, writing, speaking, and moving all in one class period during the last week of school! In this activity, they must choose between 6 different quotes about music from famous figures like Taylor Swift and John Green and articulate why the quote aligns with their perspective on music. I use this lesson at the end of every year to see how my students' perspectives on music have developed and matured throughout the school year. This is perfect if you are looking for an engaging lesson plan during the one of the toughest weeks of the year!

Product includes:

- Comprehensive Lesson Plan

- "Music Talk" Sheet for students to fill out

- 6 Corresponding "Music Quote" signs to hang up around your room

Though I utilize this product during the last week of school, it really can be used all year long. I hope that it is as successful in your class as it is in mine!

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This is a terrific tool to work on meter either face to face or as a lesson in Distance Learning! Students will learn and review about Time Signatures before listening to short examples of a piece of music in either 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8 time.

Students will then have to select the appropriate meter for the example being heard. You can play this student vs student, side vs side, individually, or even as a distance learning assignment!

12 musical examples (from Mozart to Aerosmith) are included with this lesson -- some examples may even surprise you :)

Have a great time with this!

With "Meter Reader", students will see a 4/4, 3/4, or 2/4 meter with typical rhythms inside the measure.

There will be an empty box within the measure and students will have to figure out which corresponding rhythm completes the measure.

There are 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 examples with quarter, whole, eighth and half note rhythms and rest patterns and also dotted quarter and half note rhythms.

There are multiple ways of assessment -- play as a class, individually, or team against team!

Have a great time with this!