Resources to Support Continued Learning During School Closures
Compiled by Wendy Barden, Music Education Specialist
Professional Development and Resource Programs
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MMEA is sharing these resources from the Perpich Center for Arts Education to support your transition to distance learning. Contact Wendy Barden, Music Specialist, with questions.
“As I was collecting ideas, one piece of advice that came up frequently with distance learning was to strive to maintain the relationships you’ve already developed with students. Relationships—critical to engagement, motivation, and/or achievement—can dissolve quickly without working face-to-face.”
I expect your administration is providing you with parameters for distance learning, and with that, I want to encourage you to take baby steps down this new path. Start small.
- What would it look like to have only one focus or activity per week?
- What is the purpose of the assignment (introduction, reinforcement, practice, assessment)?
- How can you address different processes from week to week (Create, Perform, Respond, Connect)?
- Can you make your “I can…” statement explicit so students know what they will know or be able to do by the end of the lesson?
- Can you bring in an element of fun or something out of the ordinary?
Elementary General Music
Mrs Miracles Musicroom Music Lessons During School Closures
- Drawing to Music (Grades K-1)
- Moods in Music (Grades 1-2)
- Symphony Orchestra Project (Grades 3-5)
- Instruments of the Orchestra (Grades 3-5)
- Note Naming on the Treble Clef Staff (Grades 3-5)
DSO Learn and Listen by Instrument
- Learn + Listen: Video, Instruments, Composers, Building Blocks of Music. Have students use the Instrument Investigation as they explore the instruments.
- Activities – How could you adapt the “Flat Beethoven” activity?
The library includes many live concert videos of The St Paul Chamber Orchestra. Check out their diverse list of composers and performers.
Have students listen to an excerpt multiple times. Use Descriptor Emoji Cards Elementary to describe the music and the piece they liked best.
The EduBlogger: Resources for Teaching Online During School Closures
A resource list updated daily.
These Activities may be used with online resources, and some may be used in another way that does not require technology:
- Move it! – Have students complete this rhythm composition. (CREATE)
- Descriptor Emoji Cards Elementary – Have students listen to a variety of music and choose 2 words to describe what they are hearing and 1 emoji to describe the feeling conveyed through the music. (RESPOND)
- Instrument Investigation – Have students use this page when they are exploring various instruments or instrument families of the orchestra. (FOUNDATIONS, CONNECT)
- CHOICE BOARD 3 of 5 – Complete this board to give your students choice in how they might achieve the learning target. I like the reflection questions on page 2, which could be applied to many other tasks. (FOUNDATIONS?)
- Rhythm Differentiation Tic-Tac-Toe – Pages 2-11 of this packet may be used as is if your students are working on half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes; half, quarter, and eighth rests. The tasks were created and placed in the Tic-Tac-Toe according to levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy shown on the TIC TAC TOE! TEMPLATE on page 1. Use the TEMPLATE to organize learning towards another target. (FOUNDATIONS, CREATE, PERFORM, and/or RESPOND)
- I’m a Musician! Activity Board – Work alone or with someone else in your family. Choose one row and complete all of the activities in that row. Another day, choose another row to complete. Have fun sharing your musical knowledge and skills!
- A Song a Day! – Each day this week, sing a song you know in a new way.
- Everyday Music Interview – Interview a parent or other adult to learn how music has been a part of their life.
- Flutes Around the World – Have students listen to flutes from around the world. Then, have them reflect on what flute they liked the best, and which flute they’d like to learn how to play!
- Music Class Charades – Play this game and share with your family some of the things you’ve learned in music class.
- Story Time Elementary: Part 1 – While you read the books listed in this activity (if you have them at home!), add sounds and write melodies to help tell the stories.
- Musical Sounds Scavenger Hunt – Find 5 objects around your house or apartment that make a musical sound. When you find a musical sound, write the name of the object in a bubble and practice making its sound with your voice.
- The Zany Blue Man Group – Watch the Blue Man Group perform on NPR Music and reflect on the music by answering a series of questions.
- It’s Good – Each day you work on your music assignments, finish one of the sentences about something good – terrific – amazing! that happened.
- Pass It On! – Share your music with others, and reflect on how it felt to share your music with another person.
- Story Time Elementary: Part 2 – While you read the books listed in this activity (if you have them at home!), sing words and make an instrument that can be played while you read along.
- Recorder – Groovin’ from Home – Groovin’ from Home is a set of short, step-by-step improvisation experiences created for beginning to intermediate recorder students. It’s a chance to play your recorder and make up your own music. Just follow the narrator and have fun!
Secondary Music
Some of these websites have interactive activities for students, others provide material on which you could create your own set of questions.
If you are writing your own questions, consider using ones that are open-ended:
- Copy one sentence from the reading that seems important and explain why it seems important to you.
- Write one question you have about information in the reading. Try to find the answer to your question.
- Write about one thing _____________ and ______________ have in common.
- Write about two ways _____________ and ______________ are different.
- Write one sentence to connect information you learned here with something you already knew.
- I used to think ________________, but now I think __________________. Explain.
- What did you notice? What else did you notice?
NAfME Classroom Jazz Appreciation Month
- Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz Fundamentals Series
- Exploring Jazz: Jazz Fundamentals from Jazz at Lincoln Center
Beginning March 16 and continuing each day for the duration of the Met’s closure, an encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series will be made available from 7:30 pm EDT until 3:30 pm the following day.
The library includes many live concert videos of The St Paul Chamber Orchestra. Check out their diverse list of composers and performers.
- Listen to an excerpt multiple times. Use Descriptor Emoji Cards Secondary or Listeners Tic-Tac-Toe to describe the music and research the composer and role or context of the music.
BandDirector.com Four Things Band Directors Can Do
- Check out these four e-learning activities and the multimedia resources to carry them out
Phenomenal Women in Music History
- Learn more about one of more of the women on this list
- Who else should be added to the list?
These Activities may be used with online resources, and some may be used in another way that does not require technology:
- Make a Playlist! – Create a playlist for an intended purpose. Reflect on how the music communicates the mood you want to set.
- Create New Instrument! – Draw a new instrument, make improvements, and describe its characteristics.
- Creating with Ben Folds – Watch a video of Ben Folds composing a song with the National Symphony Orchestra. Explore and analyze the steps Ben Folds uses to compose his music.
- High School Concert Bundle – Listen to recordings of your concert music and complete a series of activities and questions based on your listening: evaluate performances, research information about the composer/historical context of the piece, develop a warm-up exercise based on your music, and record/perform an excerpt that best reflects your skills,
- Abstract Music – Create and perform music based on symbols.
- Locke & Brule – Study traditional and contemporary music of MN American Indian tribes and communities.
- Meet Mikayla “Koffee” Simpson! – View Koffee’s Tiny Desk concert multiple times and choose 3 of the tasks to complete, which include describing different elements of her song: melody, beats, phrasing, diction, etc.
- Blue Man Group Tiny Desk Concert – Watch the Blue Man Group perform on NPR Music and reflect on the music by answering a series of questions.
- Melody of the Qeej – Learn about the qeej, an instrument of the Hmong culture, by reading, watching a performance, and writing.
- That was a “good” performance! – As you watch a recorded performance, focus on either performance etiquette or performance skills. For each of the three characteristics under etiquette or skills: write one sentence to give your overall opinion of that characteristic, and write a second sentence that gives an example to support your opinion.
- Moods through Music – Identify expressive elements a composer might use to convey mood.
- Music, Feelings – Describe how you are feeling each day and types of music you like to listen to when you feel that way.
- Pass It On! – Share your music with others, and reflect on how it felt to share your music with another person.
- Practice Reflection – Reflect on your practice sessions.
- Band – Groovin’ from Home (Part 1) – Groovin’ from Home is a set of short, step-by-step improvisation experiences created for beginning to intermediate band students. It’s a chance to play your instrument and make up your own music. Just follow the narrator and have fun!
- Band – Groovin’ from Home (Part 2) – Groovin’ from Home is a set of short, step-by-step improvisation experiences created for beginning to intermediate band students. It’s a chance to play your instrument and make up your own music. Just follow the narrator and have fun!
- Strings – Groovin’ from Home (Part 1) – Groovin’ from Home is a set of short, step-by-step improvisation experiences created for beginning to intermediate orchestra students. It’s a chance to play your instrument and make up your own music. Just follow the narrator and have fun!
- Strings – Groovin’ from Home (Part 2) – Groovin’ from Home is a set of short, step-by-step improvisation experiences created for beginning to intermediate orchestra students. It’s a chance to play your instrument and make up your own music. Just follow the narrator and have fun!
- America the Beautiful – Interpret and connect music to personal experiences. Use information and musical elements from the charts provided to support your opinions when answering reflection questions.
- Girls Rock – Read the e-book Girls Rock! Amazing Tales of Women in Music and use the chart provided to name two women who share each characteristic.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda – Read about and watch performances of Lin-Manuel Miranda and answer questions about his music.