Fun Sequential Elementary Music Lessons to Develop Music Reading Skills
Fun elementary music lessons and activities that build on prioBuild music reading skills with sequential elementary music lessons – folk songs, games, Orff activities, and Kodály-inspired strategies.r learning are essential to teach young children to read music.
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Do you ever wish there were method books to teach music reading in the elementary grades? Current elementary music texts do provide quality repertoire but they do NOT have a sequential curriculum to teach music reading.
At best, the current music texts haphazardly address music reading skills. This leaves many elementary music teachers constantly searching for songs, lessons, and activities to teach specific music elements and skills. Without a structured sequence, it’s easy for music reading lessons to feel scattered or inconsistent from year to year.
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Instrumental Method Books
Beginning band and string method books follow a clear, intentional sequence. New concepts are introduced gradually, students get guided practice, and each skill prepares them for the next one. This structure helps young musicians build confidence as they learn to read and play with accuracy.
The Kodály approach offers a similar path for vocal music. It provides a framework that can be adapted to any elementary setting, giving teachers a practical way to introduce musical elements step by step.
An Eclectic Approach to Elementary Music Methodologies
I have used an eclectic approach that blends Kodály, Orff, and Dalcroze methodologies. This creates a well-rounded elementary music curriculum. However, the Kodály method, with its sequential song-based lessons, served as the basic foundation of my music literacy lessons for many years.
Developing Music Reading Skills with Kodály-Style Lessons
If you’re new to the Kodály approach, the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) offers a helpful overview. In short, the Kodály philosophy builds on the natural way children learn language – through listening, speaking, and gradually connecting sounds to symbols.
The repertoire centers around quality folk songs, which include playful games and interactive activities. The sequence builds step by step on what students already know.
Two of the main tools of the Kodály method are rhythm syllables and the solfege pitch-reading system. Together, they help students build a strong foundation in reading, singing, and understanding music.
3 Essential Steps of the Kodály Method
The Kodály approach outlines three phases that help students understand and internalize each new musical element:
Prepare – Present – Practice
Prepare:
In this phase, students first experience a musical concept. They sing, move, play games, chant, and build repertoire that highlights the element without naming it. This aural foundation is essential because it allows students to perform, feel, and understand the concept before seeing any notation.
Present:
Once students demonstrate an aural understanding, the new element is briefly named and connected to its visual symbol. This step is short and focused, introducing only one concept at a time.
Practice:
After the concept has been presented, students spend most of their time practicing it in many different ways: singing, creating, reading, writing, and applying the new skill in familiar and new contexts.
These steps are simplified here, but they form the backbone of the Kodály sequence. Teachers can learn more through training programs and organizations such as the Kodály Music Institute.
Movable Do
Kodály advocated for teaching movable Do (a system that helps students understand how pitch relationships stay consistent no matter the key). Many teachers hesitate to use it simply because preparing lessons takes time, and ready-made materials that teach movable Do are hard to find.
Teaching movable Do is important. When you teach familiar songs in different keys using a consistent pitch-reading approach, key changes become routine for students. This makes playing in various keys less intimidating for students learning instruments in band or orchestra.
Kodály Song Resources
If you’re looking for quality repertoire to support a sequential music literacy approach, there are several excellent places to start.
The American Folk Song Collection, hosted by the Kodály Center at the University of Redlands, is a wonderful free online resource with more than 500 indexed folk songs. You can search by concept, tone set, game type, and other useful categories.
Your local public or university library may also be able to help. Many Kodály texts can be borrowed through interlibrary loan, which is a great option if you want to preview materials before building your own collection. Some of the most common American resources include:
- Kodály Today Handbook Series by Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka provides an updated approach with repertoire suited for today’s elementary classrooms.
- The Kodály Method by Lois Chosky – a thorough historical overview of the method.
- 150 American Folk Songs to Read, Sing, & Play (Boosey & Hawkes) – a classic resource organized to follow the Kodály sequence.
- Sail Away 155 American Folk Songs to Read, Sing, & Play (Boosey & Hawkes) – a companion to the “150” collection, also sequenced for literacy instruction.
These resources simplify lesson planning by offering indexed skills, making it easier to select repertoire that targets the exact rhythm or pitch element you want to introduce or reinforce.
Do you start beginners with stick notation when introducing rhythm reading? See my take in this post: Stick Notation vs. Standard Notation.
Sequential Repertoire of Elementary Music Lessons
Developing strong music literacy skills in the elementary grades takes intentional planning. Students progress best when lessons build on what they already know, and each new concept is introduced in a logical sequence.
Creating this kind of structured curriculum on your own is absolutely possible, but it takes a lot of time to gather repertoire, plan activities, and organize materials in a way that builds from year to year.
Over many years, I created and refined sequential lessons to strengthen my students’ music-reading skills. What began as a way to organize my curriculum gradually became a large collection of lessons and activities that helped my elementary students grow into confident music readers.
Need a Lesson to Model?
If you’re just beginning to build a sequential music literacy path, it can help to look at a few sample lessons.
- Start by identifying the gaps in your current curriculum.
- Choose one song with a game or other activities that teach one specific music element.
- Build a short sequence of additional songs and activities around that music element.
When I created my own classroom materials, this is how I began. Over time, I built a curriculum with a logical sequence that helped students develop real music reading skills.
Take a look at my Kodály-style music literacy lessons.
Method “Books” for Elementary Music Really Do Exist!
Building music literacy takes time, but small, consistent steps make a big difference. When students begin each lesson with a familiar reading activity, they become more confident and independent music readers.
Developing lifelong music readers is a gradual process, but it’s also one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. With clear goals, thoughtful sequencing, and songs your students love, learning to read music can be fun for teachers and students! 😊
You can find more rhythm and pitch reading ideas here:
Elementary Music Literacy.
Related Posts
- 3 Simple Steps for Teaching Music Reading in the Elementary Grades
- 10 Tips to Integrate Music Reading into Every Elementary Music Class
- Elementary Music Rhythm Reading Standard Notation vs. Stick Notation
Meet the Author
Terri Lloyd is an experienced music educator with over 25 years of teaching in elementary music classrooms. She holds a Master’s in Education, an Instructional Technology Certificate in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor of Music. Her resources are designed to help music teachers develop students’ music literacy and performance skills while enjoying learning.
She presents music education workshops, develops curriculum, and writes for her blog. Terri is on the music staff at her church and leads a children’s program. She performs as a active community musician with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
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