--- title: Teaching with Musicplay (18) description: Elementary music lesson planning, Teaching tips and updates from the Musicplay team! (18) --- [![musicplay-logo](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/musicplay-logo-2.png?width=2701&height=877&name=musicplay-logo-2.png "musicplay-logo")](http://musicplay.ca) Open main menu Close main menu # Teaching With Musicplay ##### Sign up for email notifications. New blog post weekly! [Sign up Here!](https://marketing.musicplay.ca/newsletter-sign-up-form) Select Category Assessment Blog Posts Boomwhacker Bucket Drumming Choral Classroom Management Games and Centers Holidays and Special Days Lesson Planning Literacy and Music Programs and Musicals Recorder Vocal Development What's New with Musicplay [Blog Posts,](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) Lesson Planning ### [Dynamics Lesson Plan for Spring](https://blog.musicplay.ca/dynamics-lesson-plan-for-spring) Apr 2, 2017, 6:15:20 AM **Dynamics Lesson Plan for K-5 Music Classes** [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/dynamics-lesson-plan-for-spring) [Blog Posts,](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) [Assessment,](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/assessment) Lesson Planning ### [Musicplay K-5 Synopsis – What Does Musicplay Teach?](https://blog.musicplay.ca/musicplay-k-5-synopsis-what-does-musicplay-teach) Mar 31, 2017, 6:44:57 AM I had an email question from a teacher this week. She needed to give a synopsis of what she teaches in each grade to her principal. She asked if I had a synopsis of what’s taught in Musicplay, and I had never written it in this format. So here’s the synopsis. Of course how much you’re able to teach depends on the time allotted for music, the experiences your students come with, and a myriad of other factors. With Musicplay you treat the teacher’s guide like a menu – choose the song, choose the activities. If you do all the “core” activities, you will complete what’s in the synopsis with your students. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/musicplay-k-5-synopsis-what-does-musicplay-teach) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Is Teaching Harder Now than it was 40 Years Ago?](https://blog.musicplay.ca/is-teaching-harder-now-than-it-was-40-years-ago) Mar 26, 2017, 7:08:05 AM **Is Teaching Harder Now than 40 years ago?** [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/is-teaching-harder-now-than-it-was-40-years-ago) [Blog Posts,](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) Classroom Management ### [Bullying in the Music Room](https://blog.musicplay.ca/bullying-in-the-music-room) Mar 14, 2017, 4:44:07 AM March 11, 2017 Musicplay Newsletter [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/bullying-in-the-music-room) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-28%20at%209.35.44%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Ukulele Tips and Tricks](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ukulele-tips-and-tricks) Feb 5, 2017, 9:46:00 AM Ukuleles are back - and they're better than ever! Teaching ukulele can be a ton of fun for you and the students.  Why ukulele?  (instead of guitar) [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ukulele-tips-and-tricks) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-23%20at%2010.19.48%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Differentiated Recorder Instruction](https://blog.musicplay.ca/differentiated-recorder-instruction) Jan 22, 2017, 10:14:00 AM Recorders are one of the best ways to teach students melodic reading. The instrument is inexpensive, simple to produce a sound, and students are very motivated to learn.  (at least at the beginning of the unit) . However, playing recorder requires good fine muscle co-ordination which can be very difficult for some students. This newsletter addresses some of the ways that you can modify recorder instruction for your special needs students. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/differentiated-recorder-instruction) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-30%20at%201.30.27%20PM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Holiday Songs for Recorder - Free resource](https://blog.musicplay.ca/holiday-songs-for-recorder-free-resource) Nov 16, 2016, 11:40:00 AM ### Holiday Songs for Recorder Free Resource and Updates   [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/holiday-songs-for-recorder-free-resource) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Singing Games & so much More!](https://blog.musicplay.ca/singing-games-so-much-more) Nov 13, 2016, 1:37:00 PM Singing Games are a rich source of repertoire for our elementary classrooms. In most singing games, a simple melody is repeated many times. It's that repetition of the simple song that helps children to internalize the beat, rhythm, and melodies. Many repetitions will help your students match pitch. Many repetitions help your ESL students to learn the language. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/singing-games-so-much-more) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [She's taught for 55 Years! Advice for Music Teachers](https://blog.musicplay.ca/shes-taught-for-55-years-advice-for-music-teachers) Oct 16, 2016, 6:11:00 PM ### Advice for Teachers by a Veteran Teacher   [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/shes-taught-for-55-years-advice-for-music-teachers) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-30%20at%205.17.57%20PM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Fun in a Minor Key](https://blog.musicplay.ca/fun-in-a-minor-key) Oct 2, 2016, 6:26:00 PM I loved Halloween when I was a kid - maybe even more than my birthday or Christmas. But the world has changed and with our diverse school communities, not all classes and not all schools celebrate Halloween. What I've tried to do in Musicplay is to provide songs that have the "flavor" and "sound" of Halloween without including lyrics about ghosts or witches. Alternate words are provided for other songs. Fun songs in a minor key are inclusive for those kids who celebrate Halloween and those who don't. The Bony Skeletons is a new song in Musicplay PreK (pt 1). It's online at http://musicplayonline.com/ and is available in the Book/CD as well. When I did this with my preK class, it was May, and they loved the song. One of the students suggested being zombies, so we added a zombie verse. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/fun-in-a-minor-key) [16](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/16) [17](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/17) [18](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/18) [19](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/19) [20](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/20) ##### Sign up for email notifications. New blog post weekly! 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