--- title: Teaching with Musicplay (23) description: Elementary music lesson planning, Teaching tips and updates from the Musicplay team! (23) --- [![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 ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-02%20at%202.41.31%20PM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [More Composition Ideas](https://blog.musicplay.ca/more-composition-ideas) Sep 14, 2014, 3:42:00 PM ### Creating a Rondo Why is teaching music so important for the students in our elementary schools? One of the reasons (and there are many!) is that we can help students develop creative thinking in our music classes. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/more-composition-ideas) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-02%20at%2010.45.50%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Summer Reading for Music Teachers](https://blog.musicplay.ca/summer-reading-for-music-teachers-1) Jun 27, 2014, 11:48:00 AM Summer Reading for Music Teachers [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/summer-reading-for-music-teachers-1) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-02%20at%201.10.19%20PM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Great Games for the End of the School Year](https://blog.musicplay.ca/great-games-for-the-end-of-the-school-year) Jun 19, 2014, 2:12:00 PM Great Games for your final Music Classes [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/great-games-for-the-end-of-the-school-year) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-02%20at%202.26.49%20PM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Tennis Ball Fun](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tennis-ball-fun) Jun 1, 2014, 3:29:00 PM Tennis Ball Fun and Relative Note Values Create a chart that includes a whole note, two half notes, four quarters and 8 eighth notes. This activity is from the resource, Rhythm Instrument Fun. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tennis-ball-fun) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Preschool Music Lesson, May 6, 2014](https://blog.musicplay.ca/preschool-lesson-may-6-2014) May 14, 2014, 12:13:48 PM **This class was taught to 3, 4, and 5 year old students in a Montessori school.   This was the second in  a series of 5 lessons that I’ll be doing with them.** [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/preschool-lesson-may-6-2014) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Preschool Music Lesson – April Week 3](https://blog.musicplay.ca/april-week-3-preschool-lesson) Apr 29, 2014, 12:13:41 PM I realize that I’m a week behind, but I’m going to teach April week 4’s lesson next week, even though I know it’s going to be May.  I wanted to teach the entire month’s lessons and it’s going really well. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/april-week-3-preschool-lesson) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Preschool Music Classes](https://blog.musicplay.ca/preschool-music-classes) Apr 27, 2014, 4:57:36 AM I’ve been working on a preschool curriculum this year, combining what I think are the strengths of John Feirabend’s First Steps, and the curriculums that use instruments more extensively – Lynn Kleiner, Music Together, Kindermusik.  My hope is that Musicplay Preschool will be an easy to follow curriculum that will encourage students to enjoy singing, listening, playing instruments, moving, and creating.  I’ve spent the past 2 years with the preschool students in my grandsons preschool.  The first time I visited, they introduced me as Hunter’s grandma, and so for two years I’ve been Grandma D to 24 three, four and five year olds in the preschool. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/preschool-music-classes) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Assessment Ideas](https://blog.musicplay.ca/assessment-ideas) Mar 19, 2014, 2:31:00 PM ### Assessment - Rhythm In Musicplay K-6, many assessment ideas are included. In this newsletter, I’ll highlight some easy ideas for assessment of rhythm reading and writing. Students in elementary school are most often able to read language and literature at a greater difficulty level than they can write. The same is true of rhythm. In assessing students ability to read and write rhythms, include assesment of both the ability to read, and the ability to write or notate a rhythm that they have heard. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/assessment-ideas) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-06%20at%2011.42.56%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Happy St. Patrick's Day!](https://blog.musicplay.ca/happy-st.-patricks-day-1) Mar 13, 2014, 12:44:00 PM ### St. Patrick's Day Jig Game Directions: Have the class form a circle. Choose one child to be a leprechaun. The leprechaun marches around the inside of the circle. At the end of the second phrase the leprechaun stops in front of a child. They join hands and they “jig” - left heel forward, right heel forward, etc. The children in the circle should do a “sailors hornpipe” at the same time (fold arms and jig in place). Now two children march in the inside circle. They choose two more partners and jig again. Continue with four, then eight, until the entire class has had a turn. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/happy-st.-patricks-day-1) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-06%20at%2011.50.20%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Jazz on Recorder](https://blog.musicplay.ca/jazz-on-recorder) Mar 1, 2014, 12:07:00 PM  Have your students been busy working on recorder karate belts?   In the Recorder Resource 1, the belt tests that I use are: White belt Song #8, Hot Cross Buns (theme or variation) Yellow belt Song #17, Skin and Bones Blue belt Song #24, Hush Little Baby Green belt Song #29, Ode to Joy Black belt Song #35, Jingle Bells [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/jazz-on-recorder) [21](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/21) [22](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/22) [23](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/23) [24](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/24) [25](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/25) ##### Sign up for email notifications. New blog post weekly! [Sign up Here!](https://marketing.musicplay.ca/newsletter-sign-up-form) #### Our Products - [MusicplayOnline](https://musicplayonline.com) - [Musicplay Store](https://store.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Downloads](https://downloads.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Workshops](https://workshops.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Help](https://help.musicplay.ca) Follow us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram