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Free Boom Cards Video Tutorials – Resources for Elementary Music Teachers

These free elementary music teacher resources include short video tutorials to get started using Music Literacy Boom Cards with your students.

Do you need fun and innovative ways to reinforce and assess your students’ music literacy skills? We’ve got you covered with versatile no-prep activities that will enhance any elementary music curriculum. And, to help you get started, we’ve created short informative video tutorials that are geared specifically toward elementary music teachers. This short 5-part video series will revolutionize your music literacy curriculum!

Versatile Music Literacy Boom Cards provide higher-level abstract learning and assimilation opportunities. They can be an important tool to help develop your students’ music reading skills.

Best of all, Boom Cards are FUN! Your students will be motivated to “play” and learn in a game-like setting and to work to improve their scores. Elementary music teachers can receive 5 FREE Boom Cards decks when you subscribe to our email newsletter.

Free Elementary Music Teacher Resources to Develop Students' Music Reading Skills - 5 Video Tutorials

Video 1 – Are Boom Cards Beneficial for Your Elementary Music Classroom?

Absolutely! But the best way to tell you how sequential Music Literacy Boom Cards can help your students develop their music literacy skills is to SHOW you. The video below gives you a succinct introduction to what Music Literacy Boom Cards are and why you should add them to your educational repertoire.

YouTube video
What’s Covered in Video 1? Click to Jump to Any Spot.
  • 0:00 – Introduction
  • 0:37 – Misconceptions About Boom Cards
  • 1:24 – Rhythmic Dictation Boom Cards
  • 3:19 – Melodic Dictation Boom Cards
  • 4:35 – Common Student Mistakes
  • 5:12 – Melodic Dictation in Various Keys
  • 5:46 – Advantages of Using Boom Cards
  • 6:06 – Boom Cards are Very Economical
  • 6:39 – Differentiation is Simple
  • 8:10 – Conclusion

Video 2 – How to Get Started

Now that you have seen for yourself how valuable Boom Cards are, let’s get started with a free set. Open up another browser window and complete the steps below as we walk you through video 2. Pause the video as needed.

In video 2, we will . . .

  • Set up a FREE Boom teacher account.
  • Download your first FREE set of Boom Cards.
  • Assign the deck to your students.

Note: When you click to watch on YouTube, the live links are in the video description.

YouTube video
What’s Covered in Video 2? Click to Jump to Any Spot.
  • 0:00 – Introduction
  • 0:12 – Where to Obtain Boom Cards
  • 0:38 – How to Download and Redeem
  • 1:40 – Using Custom Categories
  • 2:10 – Download Free Melodic Dictation Set
  • 2:28 – Extract Documents from Zip File
  • 3:17 – Redeeming Boom Cards
  • 3:44 – Create Boom Teacher Account
  • 4:55 – Accessing Boom Cards in Your Boom Library
  • 5:09 – Assigning with a FastPlay Link
  • 6:37 – Boom Cards and Copyright
  • 7:05 – FastPlay Links Expire in 14 Days

Video 3 – From the Students’ View

Now that you have your FREE Boom account set up and a set of Boom Cards to use with your students, let’s see what the activities look like from the students’ view. You will also learn a workaround to obtain student scores with your FREE teacher account.

YouTube video
What’s Covered in Video 3? Click to Jump to Any Spot.
  • 0:00 – Introduction
  • 0:27 – From the Students’ View
  • 1:23 – So Mi Melodic Dictation Boom Cards
  • 1:52 – Students Should Correct Mistakes
  • 2:15 – Submitting Students’ Scores
  • 2:56 – Account Recommendations

Video 4 – Boom Cards as Whole-Class Activities

Boom Cards don’t have to be 1:1 activities with each student on a device. Using Boom Cards as whole-class lessons with ALL students answering EVERY question using manipulatives is my favorite way to use Music Literacy Boom Cards.

Pair Boom Cards with Simple Manipulatives

The best way to introduce your elementary music students to Music Literacy Boom Cards is as large group activities. Display the questions on a whiteboard as all students “write” their answers using simple manipulatives.

Both melodic and rhythmic dictation work well using commonplace manipulatives.

Developing Students' Music Reading Skills | Rhythmic Dictation Using Popsicle Sticks
Stick Dictation
Developing Students' Music Reading Skills | Rhythmic Dictation Using Duplo-Style Blocks and Paper Templates
Duplo-Style Rhythm Blocks
Developing Students' Music Reading Skills | Rhythmic Dictation Using Printable Manipulatives and Templates
Printable Rhythm Blocks

💡 Take a peek at various ways to use different sets of Music Boom Cards in the video below.

YouTube video
What’s Covered in this Video 4? Click to Jump to Any Spot.
  • 0:00 – Introduction
  • 0:25 – Rhythmic Dictation Boom Cards
  • 1:02 – Stick Dictation
  • 1:25 – Rhythm Block Manipulatives
  • 1:41 – Printable Paper Manipulatives
  • 2:03 – Recommended Teaching Process
  • 2:30 – Melodic Dictation Boom Cards
  • 3:19 – Rhythm Pattern Identification
  • 4:32 – Treble Clef Note Names

Video 5 – Differentiation is Easy with Boom Cards

One of the most significant advantages of our sequential Music Literacy Boom Cards is the ability to easily differentiate activities. Boom Cards allow music teachers to meet their students where they are.

Students may repeat the same set, step down to a simpler set, or work through a series of Boom Cards at their own pace. This gives advanced students who may be taking private lessons the ability to soar.

YouTube video
What’s Covered in Video 5? Click to Jump to Any Spot.
  • 0:00 – Introduction
  • 0:39 – How NOT to use Boom Cards
  • 1:02 – Various Ways to Use Boom Cards
  • 1:43 – Differentiating Instruction
  • 2:22 – More Ways to Use Boom Cards
  • 3:09 – Accessing FREE Boom Cards Decks
  • 3:34 – How to Contact Us

Develop Music Reading Skills With Sequential Series

All of the Music Literacy Boom Cards series below may be used as large group activities, as centers or stations, or as 1:1 activities where each student has their own device. They’re beneficial in the elementary music classroom, for hybrid or flipped classrooms, for homeschool, or in the private studio.

From Teachers Using Our Music Boom Cards

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎶 It can be particularly hard to find quality assessments for the aural skills that were included in this set. This is very convenient and easy to use for both teachers and students. Thanks.

🎶 What a wonderful way to review and practice ear training and dictation! I used it with both f2f and virtual students and they all loved it. They don’t even know I am assessing them since it is a fun game! The bigger kids get pretty competitive!

🎶 This is an excellent resource for distance learning as well as in-class review and reinforcement. This Boom Cards bundle has the basic Sol-Mi and increases through the solfege scale with the different sets. Students work at their own pace and can work through any set as many times as needed or wanted to grow more proficient. Each solfege “tone” is a different color so it’s visually helpful as well as aurally clear to listen to and build ear-training skills.

Developing Music Reading Skills Can Be Fun

Yes, Boom Cards can revolutionize your teaching and raise your students’ music reading skills. They add another dimension to help students master ear training and music reading skills. The activities are fun for students and they progress through a sequential path to develop music reading skills.

Similar to instrumental method books, each series provides concrete benchmarks all set in a challenging and motivating game-like setting. Pick up your free sets below and let’s get started. 😊


Free Elementary Music Teacher Resources

Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Newsletter to get your 5 FREE sets of Boom Cards sent directly to your inbox. Then, watch your inbox for more free elementary music teacher resources, tips, and techniques heading your way.

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.

More Ways to Connect – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.