Fun Back-to-School Music Activities for the First Days of School
Welcome your students with fun and engaging Back-to-School music activities in your elementary music classroom.
Help your students settle in and have a fun Back to School season. Welcome them back with fresh interactive Back-to-School music activities that will have them hooked from the first day of school.
Check out a few of the activities below to get your students actively engaged singing, moving, playing, and learning music skills on the first days of school and beyond.
What’s in this post? Click to open the Table of Contents
Teach Music Classroom Rules in a Fun Interactive Way
Who says that learning rules and procedures has to be boring? Why not set your rules to rhythm patterns? Then you can learn and practice classroom rules using body percussion, Orff instrument activities, Boomwhackers, and more.
Need to see more? Take a look at this 4 Fun Ways to Teach Music Classroom Rules blog post with detailed directions and video demonstrations.
Are you strapped for time? Download our FREE Music Rule Rhythm Posters. Or, maybe you need a more extensive, customizable rule learning sequence for grades K-5? These Music Rules Orff Rhythm Activities include ready-to-go lessons which may be extended over 4 class sessions. That is some fun classroom rule review!
What Other Teachers Have to Say About Music Rules Rhythm Activities
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rachel – I love how this helped my students remember our classroom rules while teaching them rhythms! Genius!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you for the work you put into this so! The Kafooty is silly and the kids like this as well! I really like the incorporation of instruments. There are so many ways to use this and you’ve added so much in there from a fun and easy-to-understand rubric, as well as how to differentiate and pace out the lesson for all grade levels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Natalie Y. – There were so many activities I did with my students using these rhythm rules!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Andrea H. – I really like this resource a lot, and I am looking at your other resources because of how organized this was!! I also like that I am able to change around the rhythms so that I can match the PBIS rules for my building. It was a little tricky to do this, but I am getting the hang of it, and your resource is very editable and customizable. The students are engaged and I look really organized in the process!! 🙂
Welcome Students with Fun Music Mixer Movement Activities
Your students have missed their friends and new students need a little help getting to know the other kids in their class. Music Mixer movement activities get students singing, moving, and interacting positively with each other on day one. See this blog post for details and tips to design your own music mixer activities.
Do you need a couple of ready-to-go Music Mixers that you can use year after year? These are perfect for Back-to-School season, after a school break, or when a new student joins your class.
Click to preview these easy-to-use Music Mixers. Each includes a different original song with an mp3 accompaniment track.
Elementary Music Curriculum Focus
There is so much to teach and little time! Don’t ignore music literacy as you are planning your yearly and monthly curriculum outline. Use a lesson plan template to schedule music reading activities naturally at the beginning of each class and teach fun lessons and activities that students look forward to. This takes careful planning and sequential lessons that build one upon another and introduce only one new element at a time.
Our time-saving Music Reading Activity Bundles can also serve as assessments. Included in these easy-to-use bundles. . . .
- PowerPoint classroom presentations which may be used with Google Slides.
- Iconic and standard notation.
- Student Learning Targets written as clear, concise student-centered “I can” statements.
- Games and activities designed to reinforce learning.
- Instrumental performance activities.
- Digital online Easel Activities which may be used as assessments, centers, or classroom activities.
- Printable Take-it-Home pages to share and extend learning at home and more!
Click to “Follow Mi” on TpT so you’re notified when new resources are posted.
The Fall Holidays are Right Around the Corner
Have you thought about celebrating Oktoberfest? Does your community have a local celebration? If so, consider having one of your elementary grades sing at the festival. Oktoberfest is a less well-known celebration that makes a nice addition to your elementary music lessons.
Oktoberfest Activities for the Elementary Music Classroom
My students have gotten to sing at our community celebration for several years. Singing with a real polka band has been one of the highlights of the year.
We have always ended our set with the “Ducky Dance” (or Chicken Dance). Students would bring their entire families out to the “dance floor” in the street. This is a fun way to end our performance and involve families!
Bonus – Dancing with their family made it easy for me to dismiss students in the midst of a large crowd. They were already matched up with their families and ready to be dismissed at the end of our set.
It’s hard to find school-appropriate Oktoberfest activities. Click to preview our Differentiated Oktoberfest Music Activities with a German Folk Song, Orff accompaniments, Boomwhackers notation, hand clap activities, a history of Oktoberfest, and more.
Don’t speak German? No problem. Two screencasts are included to teach German counting to 10 and the pronunciation for the simple German folk song.
Crowdfunding Platforms Can Help
TpT has a crowdfunding platform to help teachers raise money for classroom resources. They have also partnered with DonorsChoose. Talk to your administrator and consider starting your class fund at one of these helpful sites.
**Always get prior approval before beginning any type of fundraising.
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Prioritize Your Classroom Needs and Develop a Plan
Wow! There is a lot to plan for at the beginning of the year. It can be overwhelming. But, you do NOT have to reinvent the wheel every time.
Need help finding the perfect song to teach a specific music element? This easy-to-use Elementary Music Literacy Resource Guide includes a detailed “at-a-glance” index of music elements which makes finding the ideal activities simple. This helpful resource includes MANY FREE as well as paid resources.
Hook Your Students
Choose Back-to-School music activities that engage your students and guide them to interact with each other in a positive manner. The first day of school sets the tone for the whole year. Prioritize and plan. Take it one step at a time friends.
Best wishes for a FABULOUS school year! Let me know how I can help.
More Fun Lesson Plan Ideas
- Elementary Ideas and Activities for September
- Elementary Ideas and Activities for October
- Two Free Interactive Elementary Activities Your Students Will Love
Meet the Author
Terri Lloyd is a former elementary music teacher with over 25 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor of Music, a Master of Science in Education, and a Technology Certificate in Instructional Design.
She is currently active in music education through blogging, workshops, and curriculum development. She serves on the music staff at her church and volunteers for an after-school children’s program. Terri is an active musician in the community, performing in a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and various events.
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