Veterans Day can be a big event for music teachers. Although this event doesn’t occur until November, if you are one of the many who are are expected to direct a show or ceremony honoring those who have served, you need to start getting ready early. Even if you don’t have to put on a big show, you may also have to deal with adjusted schedules to accommodate assemblies or special guests. If you are looking for some fresh ideas for Veterans Day, here are a few options.

If you are looking for a music classroom activity for Veterans Day, look no further than this Veterans Day Rhythm Write the Room Activity from Hutzel House of Music. Students will be up and moving around the room while they search for the cards and practice their notation and rhythm skills as they copy each rhythm and apply it to a phrase about the branches of the military. This is a great activity to help your students learn more about the functions of each of the military branches. 

OK… so now that we have Veterans Day in order, let’s take a look at some activities that are just all-around fun for the fall season! It’s always fun to acknowledge the seasons in our classrooms, and it really DOESN’T have to be tied to holidays! I have many students in my school community who don’t celebrate holidays, but their parents have always been accepting of seasonal activities, even taking their time to share how thankful they were that I provided fun learning opportunities for all students, regardless of their religious beliefs and cultural norms. Here are a few stand-out favorites!

Another fun composition activity is the Creative Story Compositions- Fall Fun from Jennifer at Music Educator Resources. This activity allows students to kick off the composition process in a creative way. There are three options to choose from. All three options encourage students to create a short story. They can write their story out and have options to improvise or compose music to accompany the story. There’s even a video option included that allows students to record their narration and music to moving slides. You can see samples of student videos on the product page.

Here’s a fun activity that I just came up with today after visiting the beloved Target Dollar Spot! These pumpkin bulletin borders are just adorable, and you get 15 strips for just $1! I immediately started to envision my kiddos creating their own rhythms on these bad boys… and then noticed these little mini-erasers that were perfect for the task! I will cut down the border strips into 4-pumpkin long strips, then give kids the chance to compose their own rhythms using the mini-erasers (60 count for $1) to show quarter note and eighth note rhythms. Then they can each bring their strip to this spiderweb table runner (also in the dollar spot for $3) and we can all perform their rhythms together as a class!

I guess those spider webs really lead us down the path that everyone is ready for towards the end of October… Halloween! The Music Crew has tons of great Halloween activities available… it was hard to choose just a few to showcase here. Hopefully these will be a fun addition to your classroom for some spooky options this time of year.

My students would never forgive me if I didn’t mention these two gems from I Heart Teaching Music- The Danse Macabre Guided Listening and Shake, Rattle, & Freeze! Skeleton Freeze Dance Activity are both favorites in my classroom! The Danse Macabre draws my upper elementary students in as they learn about the background of Camille Saint-Saens and the role of the Dance of Death in French Superstition. There is an animated listening map, guided listening worksheet, and a teacher’s guide included.

I’m a huge fan of everything I have purchased from Floating Down the River, and this pack is no exception! This 5 Little Pumpkins Song and Literacy Pack from Linda at Floating Down the River on the Ohio has tons of activities including a large and small reader for singing, a coloring book, visual aides, glove puppet figures, and even rhyming and math activities! My colleagues love when I support their subject matter during music class, and with activities like this, my kids love it too!

Wait… do you… hear something? That’s how I introduce my little friend, “Ghosty,” to my kindergarten and first grade classes. At first, they’re all like “No!” but then someone always says “Yeah! I hear it!” and then, they’re all in for the ruse. I go to my closet and bring out Ghosty, a shy friend who only likes to whisper in my ear. She loves to lead my classes in vocal play, though! I start by showing the kids the shape her mouth makes- perfect for singing- then leading them in vocal play (using the syllable oooh, of course) while they follow her path through the air with their voices going high and low like she does. After I’ve demonstrated, I will allow a few students who’ve been on their BEST behavior to take a turn helping Ghosty to lead the class. Would you believe it… sometimes she even whispers to THEM! Some of my favorite memories of music class come from this activity, when the kids tell me what she whispered in their ears when it was their turn to take the lead.

What else do we celebrate in the Autumn? Well, of course we have Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that does not have a specific religious connection. I feel comfortable singing Thanksgiving songs with my students regardless of their religious background.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving activities is one I just discovered last year- this Thankful Mini Listening Unit from Elementary Etudes is a great resource to really use music to explore gratitude. This uses the beautiful message of thankfulness to your students via Josh Groban’s powerful ballad “Thankful.” There are a variety of activities included that will work with students in grades K-5, so you can spiral this lesson through all of the grades you work with.