Listening is an important part of music education. But, I don’t know about you, my students don’t always want to just sit and listen to a piece of music. It’s important to plan engaging listening lessons in elementary music that will help us introduce students to various genres and composers of music and work on those active listening skills that transfer to so many other areas outside of the music room. In this blog post, we will explore some creative ideas for listening lessons that can be incorporated into your elementary music classes.
Musical Scavenger Hunt
Transform your music classroom into an exciting scavenger hunt adventure. Select a variety of musical pieces with different instruments, genres, or composers. Divide your students into small groups and provide them with a list of clues related to each piece. Encourage them to actively listen and identify specific musical elements or answer questions about the pieces. The first group to complete the scavenger hunt wins. This activity promotes active engagement and critical listening skills. You could do this in a couple of ways:
Paper & Pencil/Whole Group- Students get a worksheet with a choice bank of the pieces. You will play the piece and students have to write the song next to Clue #1. Students could work in groups or individually, but everyone moves at the same pace. Whoever gets the most correct wins.
Digital/Self-Paced- I love self-paced units and activities! Create a module in your Learning Management System. Then, each clue or piece is an assignment in the module that students have to listen to. Make sure when you upload the media to the assignment that the title is something generic, not the title of the piece. Students will look at the clue and pick from a bank which piece they think it is and writes it down, then move on to the next assignment in the module, which would be clue #2. Groups use one computer and each group would move at their own pace.
This could be a really fun sub activity, too, if students bring their own devices or you leave everything on a CD for the sub to play from!
Storytelling Through Music
Your students could incorporate storytelling in their listening lessons in elementary music. Select instrumental pieces or songs that convey a narrative or evoke vivid imagery. Play the music and ask your students to imagine a story based on what they hear. Afterward, encourage them to share their stories in small groups or as a whole class. This activity fosters creativity, and imagination, and develops the ability to express emotions through music. This is another good sub activity!
Some song choices for this could be: Fairies and Giants (Elgar), The Moldau (Smetana), Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns), Danse Macabre (Saint-Saëns), The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
Music and Emotions
Help your students explore how music affects mood and emotions. Prepare a playlist that features a range of musical styles and moods, such as joyful, sad, mysterious, or energetic. Play each piece and ask students to describe the emotions they feel while listening. Encourage them to express their thoughts through drawing, writing, or movement. This exercise allows students to develop emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to connect with music on a deeper level.
I also like to play film music for this. This video takes the opening scene from “The Lion King” and changes the music several times. It’s amazing how the music changes the feel of it!
Composer of the Day or Month
Something I have worked hard on the past couple of years was including a listening example in each lesson. I pick a new composer each week for us to listen to, and try to get composers from all over the world by the time the year is over. I organize everything in a Google Slides presentation for each grade level. On the week’s slide, I put a picture of the composer, their name, the year they were born, what country they were born in, the national language (if applicable) in that country, and some interesting facts about the country. I also have a small world map on the Google Slide that I put a small circle where we live and then another circle where the composer was born. I also like to look up the mileage between the two places and list how long of a flight it would be. It’s a great way to tie in social studies and geography!
My 3-5 students actually fill all of this out in an assignment on our Learning Management System. They bring their personal devices to class almost every week for their listening journal. I link it in a button on my music page so that it is easy to access. As they’re listening, they will type in information about the dynamics, tempo, timbre, and mood, and then they will describe what they like or didn’t like and give it a rating out of five stars. It’s fun to have something like a passport of all the places we have learned about over the course of the year!
Comparative Listening Lessons in Elementary Music
Introduce your students to various musical genres by engaging in comparative listening sessions. Choose pairs of contrasting pieces, such as classical and jazz, rock and folk, or pop and traditional music. Play each pair of pieces and ask students to identify the differences in instrumentation, rhythm, melody, and overall style. Discuss the cultural and historical context of each genre, encouraging students to explore the diversity of musical expression.
This could be another easy activity for a substitute teacher! Simply create a generic template to be printed or filled out on Google Forms, and leave the music either in an assignment on the students’ Learning Management System or leave a CD of music with basic information about each track.
Conclusion
Incorporating engaging listening lessons in elementary music class is a great way to work on active listening, musical vocabulary, creativity, and critical thinking skills. By using interactive activities, storytelling, emotions, composers, and comparative listening, you can spark curiosity and foster a deep appreciation for music that students may not listen to outside of your classroom. These ideas give a solid foundation for building a lifelong love of music. So, put on your favorite tunes and let the listening adventures begin!
What are some of your favorite listening activities? List them in the comments below, or hop on Instagram and DM me (@caffeinated.j) your favorite activities!
