Time fillers are necessary and important. Sometimes a lesson takes less time than we think. Other times, it’s necessary to have a time filler if students are struggling with behavior on a game. Sometimes the classroom teacher is late even when they dropped their students off early. Either way, sometimes, we need time fillers. Here are five time fillers for music class that teach a concept.
Write the Room
I’ve talked about the importance of Write the Room before and why it’s a great activity to include. Not only that, but it takes students TIME. This is great to pull out when you need more than 5 minutes and having a write the room activity at the ready for each grade level is always a nice way to fill time. Students work on their own, and it can be an activity for early finishers for extra practice.
Check out more about Write the Room here.
Play Alongs
This is a great time to use them. Not only can you find one to reinforce a concept or topic you’ve been working on, they are super engaging and easy to pull up quickly. There are so many play alongs out there and while I’ve dabbled, there are some big time play along creators. You’ll definitely have to do some prep work with this though. There are a LOT of options: boomwhackers, body percussion, scarves, other percussion. You’ll need to know what you need to have at the ready.
If you are looking for a LOT of options, check out these channels:
- Amy Burns https://www.youtube.com/@awillisburns
- Musication https://www.youtube.com/@musication
- Mr. Henry’s Music World https://www.youtube.com/@MrHenrysMusicWorld
- Swick’s Classroom https://www.youtube.com/@SwicksClassroom
- Ready Go Music https://www.youtube.com/@ReadyGOmusiceducation
- NewNew Channel https://www.youtube.com/@newnewchannel
- Soaring Scarves Academy https://www.youtube.com/@soaringscarvesacademy2871
- Elementary Groove Tracks https://www.youtube.com/@ElementaryGrooveTracks
- Mr. G’s Boomwhacker Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MrGsBoomwhackerChannel
Music or Not
These are great, engaging time fillers. These 5 different games cover a wide range of concepts: composers, opera, jazz tunes, symphonies, and instruments, and different options work for different grade levels although you can always expand on the activities by highlighting the musical concept covered. The point isn’t to get them all correct, but to rather open the doors to discussion, further lessons, and more. They can be played with or without the digital component so you can pull them up quickly! Check out the Music or Not games here.
Worksheets
I hate to say it, but worksheets are good time fillers. And they can help reinforce a concept. They are perfect if you need a filler activity that is not for a whole class. Having a small file with some time filler options per grade is a good idea. Just like play alongs, there are a LOT of options!
- Crosswords
- Color by note/dynamics/solfege/rhythm/note name
- Composing
- Instrument identification
- Listening worksheets if you’ve done listening that day
- Note name identification
- Tracing worksheets
- Honestly, dozens more. There are tons of options for worksheets
Check out all the worksheets I have in my store here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/mrs-stouffers-music-room/category-worksheets-434270
Books
If you have a class library, this is perfect. Let students look at a book, or do a read aloud for the whole class. Perfect to introduce musicians, composers, and other cultures. I
Need inspiration? Go to www.thelutimatemusicedbooklist.com
I hope this has given you some ideas for when you need a time filler!
