--- title: Teaching with Musicplay (25) description: Elementary music lesson planning, Teaching tips and updates from the Musicplay team! (25) --- [![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) ### [November Assembly Ideas](https://blog.musicplay.ca/november-assembly-ideas) Oct 31, 2013, 4:16:12 PM November 11th is Remembrance Day or Veteran’s Day.  There are some really good selections in Musicplay.     Musicplay 1 – Just One Candle [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/november-assembly-ideas) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-21%20at%2010.23.16%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Halloween and October Fun](https://blog.musicplay.ca/halloween-and-october-fun) Oct 20, 2013, 11:25:00 AM Halloween was my kids and now my grandkids favorite holiday of the year. However, not all families celebrate Halloween. How can you enjoy the Halloween spirit without excluding any of your students? [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/halloween-and-october-fun) [Blog Posts,](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) Vocal Development ### [Developing the Child’s Singing Voice](https://blog.musicplay.ca/developing-the-childs-singing-voice) Sep 28, 2013, 6:46:42 AM  **Developing the Child’s Singing Voice**     *I recently read this question on a music teachers facebook page:  I’m teaching grade 1 and 2 music. I had 2 of my classes for the first time today and did some call and response tone-matching activities. I was shocked to find that 75% of the students could not sing in their head voice. At least 40% of those students couldn’t reproduce so-mi in a singing voice at all! Any ideas on where I start to help these students develop singing/head voices?*  In this newsletter, I’ve got some suggestions for warmups, vocalizes and activities to get your kids matching pitch. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/developing-the-childs-singing-voice) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Profile%20Picture%20Musicplay%20Minutes.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Vocal Warmups](https://blog.musicplay.ca/vocal-warmups) Sep 10, 2013, 11:08:00 AM ### Voice Care for Music Teachers It's back to school all across Canada and the US, and one of the first questions I received in my email inbox came from a teacher who had already strained her voice. There are many voice care suggestions online and most of us know the basics: [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/vocal-warmups) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-21%20at%209.18.04%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Back to School Body Percussion](https://blog.musicplay.ca/back-to-school-body-percussion) Aug 16, 2013, 10:28:00 AM This will be a challenge for your Grade 4-5-6 students, but you could use just the chant with Grade 1-2-3 and have them develop some ostinatos to perform with it. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/back-to-school-body-percussion) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Rhythm Instrument Fun](https://blog.musicplay.ca/rhythm-instrument-fun) Aug 2, 2013, 1:00:04 PM [![Rhythm Instrument Fun!](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Kids-with-instruments-1024x682-1.jpg?width=625&height=416&name=Kids-with-instruments-1024x682-1.jpg)](https://denisegagne.com/rhythm-instrument-fun/kids-with-instruments/) Rhythm Instrument Fun! When you have an activity using non-pitched percussion or rhythm instruments, it can get noisy and out of control if your children don’t know or don’t follow your procedures. When giving out instruments, I explain to the class that I’m going to put the instrument on the floor in front of them and they are to wait until everyone has an instrument and I tell them it’s OK to pick up and play. The analogy I use is if you go to a fancy restaurant, you don’t start gobbling your food the second it’s placed in front of you. It’s polite to wait until everyone has their meal, and then you all start eating at the same time. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/rhythm-instrument-fun) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Profile%20Picture%20Musicplay%20Minutes.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Flashcard Attendance](https://blog.musicplay.ca/flashcard-attendance) Aug 1, 2013, 9:59:00 AM ### Does anyone use a quick, fun, or interesting way in which they take attendance each music class? This question came up on our Musicplay Teacher's Facebook Group and many suggestions for musical ways of taking attendance were given! [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/flashcard-attendance) [Blog Posts,](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) Classroom Management ### [Classroom Management](https://blog.musicplay.ca/classroom-management) May 12, 2013, 3:32:37 PM **Music Classroom Management**   We want music class to be something the kids look forward to, and it’s a very active learning environment.  How do you maintain the “fun” yet have your students behave in a way that allows for maximum learning. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/classroom-management) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-21%20at%208.32.44%20AM.png) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Music Classroom Management](https://blog.musicplay.ca/music-classroom-management) May 12, 2013, 9:47:00 AM We want music class to be something the kids look forward to, and it's a very active learning environment. How do you maintain the "fun" yet have your students behave in a way that allows for maximum learning. [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/music-classroom-management) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Old Mr. Rabbit](https://blog.musicplay.ca/old-mr-rabbit) Apr 29, 2013, 12:54:20 PM | Game Directions: Two children make a bridge with their arms raised. All the other children walk in a line through the bridge. On the word “cabbage”... | | --- | [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/old-mr-rabbit) [23](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/23) [24](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/24) [25](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/25) [26](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/26) [27](https://blog.musicplay.ca/page/27) ##### 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