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Improvisation in Early Elementary General Music. This article explores how to improvise with your young students, starting with rhythm and then moving on to pitch. There are several singing games referenced with explanations on how to play and how to relate it to improvisation. This article breaks down the process of teaching improvisation and takes the initial fear out of it.

Video lesson: Little Liza Jane This link is a video of Dr. Robert Amchin as he demonstrates the teaching process for "Little Liza Jane." Amchin posts videos of his elementary music classes in his Youtube channel.

This site includes resources, curriculum, and blog posts designed primarily for elementary general music. A few resources for choral, band, and private studio are also available. Blog posts include many practical topics and issues faced by music teachers such as strategies for working with special needs students, technology, and mental health of teachers. Many of the blog posts feature a video that includes a question and answer segment addressing specific questions from teachers.

This is a list and explanation of several rhythm games for use in the elementary classroom. Some of the games are, Poison Rhythm, Pass the Ball, and "I have, Who Has". There are also suggestions on how to use heart charts, boomwhackers, and how to include children when playing a game where someone is "out".

This is a blog that focuses on elementary music education, specifically songs and games that teach simple musical elements. The blog is very well organized and easy to access.

A recorder resource for beginning through advanced players to be used in the elementary general music classroom. This website has dozens of songs organized by difficulty and separated into "belt levels" for recorder karate. Each song has a recording and brief description of the interesting features.

This series of articles contain TONS of ideas for using iPads and other technology in the general music classroom. She asks what is the real use for technology - and has surprising answers. Her students also provided much fodder for thought that she shares here.

This website lists several resources for songs and sheet music, music history, Orff resources, music theory, and music projects for students in the general music classroom.

Great website that offers lesson plans, software and resources as well as a blog on music education.  

Can't go wrong with Carnegie Hall Can create individual student accounts or set up as classroom

This website is styled in a "kid friendly" manner. It provided fun, age appropriate theory games, and a simple, yet informative, time line of composers.

This website is styled in a "kid friendly" manner. It provided fun, age appropriate theory games, and a simple, yet informative, time line of composers.

Brought to the internet from PBS Kids, Chuck Vanderchuck is a cartoon kid who dreams big when it comes to music. Along with his band-mate, Ramona and their dog Zepplin, the trio explore styles of music, compose songs, explore sounds, have jam sessions and allow an interactive inside look at famous musicians and composers in their locations around the globe. Builds music vocabulary, music history and overall exploration of various genres. Styles include: Salsa, Jazz, Country, Hip-Hop, Rock n' Roll, Blues, Classical, Reggae. Good with IWB. Offers teacher and parent resources. Can create a free account and log in anywhere to progress through the game-like environment of Chuck Vanderchuck.

This is a site where students can hear radio shows from the station of the same name as the site, hear instruments demonstrations, play musical games, and review terms from a musical dictionary. Teachers can also benefit from this site by taking advantage of its lesson plans and other teaching resources.

Great website for elementary music class. Easy to understand composer biographies, good music, fun games and a wonderful way to access classical music information.

Classics for Kids is a site that allows children to further learn about composers, music, play games that reinforce rhythms, note names, and improvisation.

Wonderful free resources to teach recorder. Links for students and teachers. There is a music packet that can be downloaded. Introduces recorder wonderfully.

Great elementary music exploration site!

SFSKids is an interactive website for kids. This website offers listening, playing, performing, conducting and composing opportunities. 

This website has a lot of websites (broken down by stage 1, 2, and 3) for students to explore creating and learning about music. The only issue I have is that many of the websites don't work anymore. However, there was at least one website in each stage that I could find useful. Another resource for smartboard.

This website has a lot of websites (broken down by stage 1, 2, and 3) for students to explore creating and learning about music. The only issue I have is that many of the websites don't work anymore. However, there was at least one website in each stage that I could find useful. Another resource for smartboard. 

Interactive music education games for students to play. Great for centers. Categorized by concept.

An amazing site for all instrumentalists that includes audio/video demonstrations of most woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and keyboard instruments. Examples of articulation, timbre in different registers, mutes, vibrato, special effects, and more are provided.

A great interactive way for students to learn the instruments of the orchestra, as well as fretted strings, without sitting through a lecture. What fun this would be as a scavenger hunt for the students with QR codes.

This site has amazing videos that demonstrate quality technique or a wide range of instruments.

This is a flash-based musical game site that has several different activities that are appropriate for elementary students. The site is very engaging for that age student and easy to navigate.

This is a cloud-based music education software with lesson plans, project ideas, audio, video, games, and other special activities to assist teaching new content from note values, line and space identification, world music, and other content.

Curriculum for music classes through grade 8.

Here are some excellent ideas for introducing various tempo and rhythmic patters to students of grade levels K through 5. The examples go over steady beats, eighth not patterns, and dynamic changes of loud and soft. The first few examples do not specify grade levels but the later examples do. The grade levels are highlighted in yellow.