Elementary Music Lessons to Start the Year Fresh – January 2025
Do you need fun activities for your elementary music class? These multitasking elementary music lessons teach music literacy skills and more.
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January marks the beginning of a fresh year with new opportunities and a chance to reset. Whatever the past year may have looked like in your elementary music classroom, now is the perfect time to take a positive approach and plan for success. Welcome the new year and make your music classroom an inspiring and joyful place for your students.
You are the key to a thriving elementary music program. While recent years have brought unique challenges, starting this year with a clear plan and engaging elementary music activities can help you rise to those challenges and create meaningful musical experiences for your students.
Let’s get started!
Look for Ways to SIMPLIFY and STREAMLINE
Less is more when you teach FEWER more EFFECTIVE activities. Choose a few highly effective activities and focus on quality over quantity. Spend more time teaching and practicing these activities so students can perform them independently. Use “add-on” activities to keep lessons fresh and keep students engaged.
With thoughtful planning, you can create meaningful lasting learning and positive memories for your students in your elementary music classroom!
What’s in this post? Click to open the Table of Contents
My Favorite Quote of All Time
My favorite quote of ALL time is from Maya Angelou. It is a mantra that I try to live my life by.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Maya Angelou
Isn’t that what we want our students to do? As teachers, we are always learning too. We often learn more than our students. If some past lessons have not gone well revamp them or find new resources, ideas, and activities. Analyze what areas you need to improve and “do better”. This is all anyone can ask.
January Holidays and Observances
There are a LOT of holidays and observances during January! The most important is Martin Luther King, Jr. His actual birthday is January 15, but this year it will be celebrated nationally on January 16.
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 4 – National Spaghetti Day/National Trivia Day
- January 5 – National Bird Day
- January 6 – Epiphany – Three Kings Day
- January 13 – Korean American Day
- January 15 – Martin Luther King’s Birthday/Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- January 18 – Winnie the Pooh Day -The Birthday of A.A. Milne
- January 19 – National Popcorn Day
- January 20 – National Penguin Day
- January 21 – Squirrel Appreciation Day/National Hugging Day
- January 23 – National Handwriting Day
- January 24 – Compliment Day
- January 26 – Australia Day
- January 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
- January 28 – National Kazoo Day/National Lego Day
- January 29 – National Puzzle Day/Chinese New Year
Weekly Observances
- January 12-18 – Letter Writing Week
Monthly Observances
- National Mentoring Month
- National Hobby Month
- Hot Tea Month
- National Oatmeal Month
- National Soup Month
My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This sweet story is written by Martin Luther King III with the storybook video posted by Literally Cultured.
Celebrate the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This song is one of my favorite elementary music lessons! The versatile activities are appropriate for any time of year for the classroom or performance.
Oh, Freedom is a differentiated lesson for grades K-5. The resource includes leveled Orff accompaniments and two short biographies of Dr. King, one for early elementary and one for upper elementary grades.
The 4-part Orff accompaniments include differentiated ostinato patterns simple enough for even the youngest early elementary students and advanced patterns that will challenge more accomplished upper elementary students.
Fun Winter Rhythm Instrument Play-Along
This winter play-along by Elementary GrooveTracks is simple enough for grades 1-2 and the background vocals will engage upper elementary grades too.
Enjoy!
Storybook to Read & Sing
Lessons based on storybooks are always favorite elementary music activities for students and teachers. Ten on the Sled, by Kim Norman provides a different version of the old favorite Ten on the Bed. The storybook is perfect for early elementary students. Students in upper grades will enjoy creating Orff accompaniments.
Instrumental Activities
- Create Orff ostinato accompaniments for song.
- Play the So, Mi, Do patterns to match the melody when the characters fall off the sled. . . . then
- Students rotate to a different instrument for the next verse.
Keep the song going without stopping between verses.
This storybook provides a FUN structure for students to be creative. See this post for more ways to use Children’s Storybooks in Elementary Music.
Start the New Year Fresh – Focus on Music Literacy Skills
Yes! Music reading lessons can and should be among your favorite elementary music lessons. Why would you want to settle for anything that wasn’t a favorite?
Do a quick inventory of your music literacy resources. Are there areas where students need extra reinforcement? Are there gaps in their learning? Check out the sequential Music Reading Activity Bundles below designed to develop students’ music reading skills through performance-based activities.
Included in these NO-PREP guided music reading resources
- Iconic and standard notation
- Printable Take Home sheet music pages
- Games
- Instrumental activities, and more.
Click to preview the bundles that best meet the needs of your students.
Favorite Elementary Music Lessons are Always Interactive
Do your students need to practice and build their rhythm reading skills? These Interactive Rhythm Flashcards are differentiated into 8 levels for grades K-5. Level 1 includes ICONIC reading while levels 2-8 use STANDARD notation and build sequentially.
Take a peek at this post for 10 FUN Ways to Use Interactive Rhythm Pattern Flashcards. This helpful post includes ideas to seamlessly integrate DIGITAL Rhythm Cards into your lessons while keeping activities fresh and engaging. And these ideas work for standard printable rhythm cards as well.
Free Rhythm Clip Cards with a Winter Theme
This FREE Primer Set of Rhythm Clip Cards is perfect for your early elementary kids. Students are engaged as they listen and identify the rhythm patterns they hear.
Clip It Cards are Perfect For. . . . .
- Practice
- Review
- Assessment
- Group activities
- Centers or stations
Easy Prep: Print a classroom set on cardstock and laminate them for use with multiple classes over many years. See Fun Rhythm Activities for Elementary Music for more ways to use clip cards.
Need a more challenging set of clip cards? Click to see the COMPLETE leveled Winter Clip Cards Set.
Squirrel Appreciation Day – January 21
Yes, we are supposed to appreciate those little critters that hang upside down and eat all of the birdseed out of our feeders. Oh well, they are hungry too!
Any time of year is a good time to learn the song “Hop Old Squirrel“. If you haven’t learned it yet, what better time than around Squirrel Appreciation Day? I LOVE this song and game. More importantly, kids love it too!
This DIFFERENTIATED guided music reading lesson includes activities for MULTIPLE GRADE LEVELS.
You CAN Make Your Corner of the World a Better Place
We’re all at different stages in our professional and personal journeys. Some have been teaching for many years, while others are just beginning their first year in the classroom. We’ve all faced challenges and moments of discouragement along the way. My hope is that this has provided you with inspiration and fresh ideas to begin the new year feeling motivated and ready to succeed.
You never truly know how far your influence can reach. You have the power to make a difference in your corner of the world and beyond. Wherever you are in your teaching journey, embrace it wholeheartedly.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then do better.”
Maya Angelou
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Meet the Author
Terri Lloyd is a retired elementary music teacher with over 25 years of experience. She holds a Master’s in Education, an Instructional Technology Certificate in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor of Music. Her resources focus on helping music teachers develop students’ music literacy and performance skills while making learning fun.
She is currently active in music education through presenting and attending workshops, curriculum development, and blogging. Additionally, she serves on the music staff at her church and leads a church children’s program. Terri is an active community musician, performing with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
Need More Lesson Planning Ideas?
- Designing Black History Lessons for Elementary Music
- Black History Music Lessons – Blend History and Music Skills
- Integrate Music Reading into Every Lesson
- Elementary Ideas and Activities for February