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March is here, and Musicplay Online has everything you need to celebrate! Our St. Patrick’s Day unit offers tons of song choices, movement activities, composition ideas, and more. Plus, don’t miss our fun Musicplay Madness song bracket activity! Whether you're looking for festive tunes or creative classroom activities, we’ve got you covered for a musical and memorable March!
Song #96 - Musicplay Pre-Kindergarten
The Irish Washerwoman is a traditional Irish jig whose melody is familiar to many people in Ireland, the British Isles, and North America.
Click on the image below for a video sample!
Teaching Suggestions:
Movement: Play the recording and have students mimic your body percussion. Invite them to create new movements for the class to copy.
Playing: Use unpitched instruments to play along with the recording, which gets progressively faster with each repetition.
Listening: Discuss the tempo changes and ask students to identify whether the music stayed the same speed or changed.
Create and Play: Have students create body percussion or ostinatos on unpitched instruments to accompany the song.
Click on the image below for a video sample!
Teaching Suggestions:
Have the class form a circle. Choose one student to be the leprechaun, who will march around the inside of the circle. At the end of the second phrase, the leprechaun stops in front of a student, and they join hands to “jig” (left heel forward, right heel forward, etc.). The students in the circle do a “sailor's hornpipe” (fold arms and jig in place). Next, two students march inside the circle, choose two more partners, and jig again. Continue with four, then eight, until everyone has had a turn.
Ireland or Leprechaun Theme
This activity offers interactive resources and worksheets that guide students in writing melodies using different tone sets or notes. It includes various levels and options, all with an Ireland or St. Patrick’s Day theme.
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Musicplay Madness is back and better than ever! Here's how it works: Every Monday through Thursday, we’ll post two reels—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Vote for your favorite by commenting or reacting to our posts, and play along with your students in the classroom.
You’ll find these fun brackets in the Games and Centers section on MusicplayOnline. Plus, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
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with Music Room Reads
Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 @ 4:30-5:30 MST (60 Minutes)
A recorded version will be available if you are unable to watch live.
This session will share practical strategies and ready-to-use activities that meaningfully incorporate picture books into the music room. Discover how music and storytelling can lift all voices with engaging lessons you can implement right away for rhythm work, vocal exploration, movement, and classroom instrument activities.
Learning Objectives:
• Implement ready-to-use lesson ideas that integrate music and storytelling into rhythm work, vocal exploration, movement, and classroom instrument activities.
• Adapt picture-book–based lessons to meet the needs of diverse learners and different grade levels within the music room.
• Use storytelling intentionally to promote student voice, cultural representation, and meaningful musical expression.
• Design or modify music activities inspired by picture books to support
We wanted to take the opportunity to share some updates from the team: