Brace yourselves…
Every teacher knows that December is one long stretch of craziness before a long break.
Classroom teachers are trying to finish units before breaks, cram in parties, events, concerts, and whatever else under the sun they possibly can before that last day in December before break.
So what is a music teacher to do when the kids are restless, the time is short, and you have a TON to review?
GIVE. IN.
This doesn’t mean let the kids run amok. This means to find fun ways to get what you need to DONE.
This is where the Elementary Music Teacher’s Guide To Surviving December comes in. Read on for some engaging ideas for the month of December.
Rhythm & Solfege Practice
Play a racing game: I make my kids a pack of cards for the concept they are practicing.
Each kid gets a full set and I divide them into a few teams. Each full set is numbered by set on the back so that if they get mixed up, they know what bag the card goes in
I will sing a solfege pattern (with the solfege names the first time they do it, without later on), and the first student to bring the card to me wins a point for their teams.
Pro-tip: I make the students get in a line to bring me things because there is always more than one student bringing something up.
If you do this, you won’t end up with cards in your face, and you will know for sure who was first.
New Solfege Concepts:
Take a favorite holiday song and isolate a phrase.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:
1st phrase: MSLD’
Winter Wonderland:
First 2 phrases: MS
Great MRD at the end of the chorus “walkin’ in a winter wonderland.”
If you work in a school where you can use religious songs:
Silent Night:
SLSM patterns
Joy to the World:
Major scale
We Wish You a Merry Christmas and O Christmas Tree:
Low Sol
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen:
Minor scale
Away in a Manger:
Sol-based descending scale
I Saw Three Ships:
Low Sol anacrusis AND a great example of 6/8
Hanukah, Oh Hanukah:
Low La
I Have a Little Dreidel:
Fa, Isolated SMSM pattern
Folk Dances & Movement
Create an instrumental play along to a song – Check out this AMAZING idea for The Nutcracker March I learned from my friend Joan Long a few years ago.
A: 16 + 16
4 Measures: rhythm sticks keep the beat
4 Measures: Jingle bells keep the beat (15 beats only)
Finger cymbals/Triangle – One loud quarter note on beat 4 of measure 8
A: 16 + 16
B: 8 + 8 + 8 + 8
2 measures – Red scarfs wave from high to low
2 measures – Green scarfs wave from high to low
2 measures – Red scarfs wave from high to low
2 measures – Green scarfs wave from high to low
A: 16 + 16
A: 16 + 16
B: 8 + 8 + 8 + 8
A”: 16 + 16 plus scarves – Scarves follow the melodic contour of the strings with big flourishes up in the air.
A”: 16 + 16 plus scarves – Scarves follow the melodic contour of the strings with big flourishes up in the air.
B: 8 + 8 + 8 + 8
A”: 16 + 16 plus scarves – Scarves follow the melodic contour of the strings with big flourishes up in the air.
A”: 16 + 16 plus scarves – Scarves follow the melodic contour of the strings with big flourishes up in the air.
Get Help From Others
Make it easy on yourself. I’ve made a HUGE list from some of my TpT friends of blog posts, activities and ideas for the month of December.
Winter/Snow:
Nutcracker:
Christmas & Hanukkah:
Get Moving!
And More
Give Yourself Some Grace
I know this is such a cliche thing to say lately, but it’s true as well. We can’t do anything. We can only do so much in a day, only do so much in an hour, in a lesson plan.
I hope the elementary music teacher’s guide to surviving December is helpful to you. If you found this helpful, you may also like my simple but effective teacher hacks to coming back in January.
You can do it!
2 Responses
I would love to see a clip of the video for the Nutcracker March piece with percussion and scarves. This is my first year teaching Elementary General Music and I gladly welcome ideas like these!
Working on it for this year!