Literacy Based Music Lesson Plans

What you need to know, to be able to guide your children/students through musical exploration and skill building, using picture books as an anchor.

For People with no musical experience, knowledge or, talent.

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Introduction
  3. Active Listening Skills
  4. Pitch Training
  5. Musical Movement
  6. Joy of Music
  7. Music as a Social Act (Games)
  8. Musical Creative Freedom & the Creative Process
  9. An introduction to Diverse Musical History and Traditions
  10. Lesson Plans & Book Lists

The components of the outline above will be released over time, as each segment is added to it will be announced via Instagram.

Introduction: Can you really teach Music without “Knowing” Music?

There are a lot of seasoned Music teachers reading this right now shaking their heads, saying “No! Students need a qualified and experienced music teacher and a holistic and comprehensive music program in place!”

Well that sounds lovely but, in the real world most schools do not even have a qualified music teacher on staff. The reality is that classroom teachers and parents with no musical training are tasked with this great responsibility of introducing students to music and having a huge effect on the child’s long term musicality. (No pressure, or anything.)

Let’s not dwell on the depressing state of public education, so here you are, you need to teach music, but you don’t know the first thing about it. You may even feel you are a bad singer and would really rather not sing in public. So what do you do? Where do you start?

Rather than choosing random expectations from the curriculum, focus on big skills and attitudes towards music. The actual curriculum expectations are incredibly flexible, and in the lessons I will provide for you in this series, the expectations will be included, but your main focus should always be the big picture.

Basic Skills and Ideas to Focus On:

Appropriate for Toddlers/Preschool/ K-8 (See individual lessons for adjustments)

  1. Active Listening Skills
  2. Pitch Training
  3. Musical Movement
  4. Joy of Music
  5. Music as a Social Act (Games)
  6. Musical Creative Freedom & the Creative Process
  7. An introduction to Diverse Musical History and Traditions

To explore and build all of these major skills I have listed, you do not need to be able to read music, you do not need to be a good singer. It is entirely possible to do this, to set students up with many of the skills and attitudes they are going to need to be successful musicians and musical people down the road! You can do it! I am going to break it down for you, in a way that is manageable, and fun.

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