Rhythm Theme Elementary Choral Program

I don't do themes for my concerts very often- I find it too restrictive most of the time for me to get the perfect songs for my elementary choirs- but I just finished planning my upcoming spring concert with the theme of "rhythm" and I am so excited about it I had to share! If you are looking for a chorus program for your elementary choirs, or just some good selections to add to your concert, these are great options!

For context, I have one elementary chorus that meets during the school day as a pullout class with 5th and 6th graders. I have around 65 students in the group in the group this yea, and I always try to choose songs over the course of the year that include parallel harmony, a capella singing, solo opportunities, and a mix of traditional choral and pop songs in multiple languages. They sang an a capella song and songs in 3 different languages with some parallel harmony and only a few solo opportunities for our winter concert so I'm focusing on including more parallel harmony and solos in the spring.

Here are the songs I chose:

Feel Good Feeling by Blessing Offor

Rhythm of Life arr. John Leavitt (2-part)

Rhythms of One World by Gary Fry (2-part)

Gang of Rhythm by Walk Off the Earth

And a few others I considered that I also love:

Oye la Musica by Jay Althouse (2-part)

Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson

I am planning to use backing tracks for all of the songs except for Gang of Rhythm- I have colleagues in my building who play instruments so I'm hoping to have them play with us for that one!

If you want to read more about how and why I use pop songs in elementary chorus, here are two posts on that (with a running list of all the songs I have done):

I have only done a couple of other concerts with themes like this- here are those 2 song lists if you're looking for more great pieces to do with this age group:

And you can catch up on all my posts related to all things elementary choir here, including rehearsal procedures, warmups, teaching strategies for introducing parallel harmony, lesson planning, and more. I hope this is helpful for anyone looking for selections for their next concert!

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Top 10 Posts from 2023

I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with other music teachers around the globe through my little corner of the internet, and it is such a good feeling when readers connect with something I've written. Each time a new calendar year rolls around, it's gratifying and fascinating to me to see which of the posts I wrote the past year have been read the most. So we're looking back on 2023 today to see which posts made the top 10 list- have you seen them all?

10. How I'm using a storage bench as extra closet/ dresser space in my bedroom 

9. Lesson warmup activities to practice steady beat

8. Four different song lists for Music In Our Schools Month® Song Brackets

7. Dance playlist 2023 (perfect for field day, slideshows, dance games, and more)

6. Elementary choral concert program around the theme of "Stars" 

5. かえるの合唱 (Kaeru no Uta): Japanese frog song lesson plan

4. Three common behavior consequences music teachers need to stop using

3. The #1 thing we all need this year (it's agency)

2. Lesson plans using the Puerto Rican frog song "El Coqui"

1. Music In Our Schools Month® 2023: "Music Is All of Us" Song Bracket

Thank you all for reading, interacting with, and supporting this page. Having the opportunity to interact with other music teachers, and the platform to share my thoughts and ideas, has been such an amazing creative outlet and source of encouragement for me! I can't wait to see what 2024 brings us. Happy New Year!

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Elementary Music Teacher January Jumpstart

I know it can be hard to think about going back to work when you're enjoying a relaxing winter break snuggled on the couch under a blanket, so today I thought I'd share all of my top tools and ideas to make your life easier as you head back to school, from calendars and organizational tools to lesson ideas and management tips. Hopefully this will help you be able to focus on the joy of seeing your students again and less on the dread of returning to a pile of work!

1. Lesson Ideas for January

For me January actually kinda plans itself. I always focus on reviewing all the main concepts I introduce in the beginning of the year- rhythm and pitch concepts in particular- and include lesson material centered around new year's celebrations and winter themes. I promise you, all of these ideas have been big hits with my students year after year and they are highly effective for reinforcing and learning key concepts. And if you want a little extra help putting all the lessons together with each grade's plans written out and all the materials put together for you, you can grab the January curriculum set here and check it off your list in one click!

2. Behavior Management Reset

If you had a tough time with difficult/ disruptive behaviors in any of your classes at the beginning of the year it can make it particularly difficult to think about going back (I know because I've been there). Just know that it is never too late to implement new procedures or systems to help your classes run more smoothly and help foster a positive classroom environment! If you left for winter break feeling dissatisfied or discouraged about your classroom management for one or all of your classes, here are my top recommendations for procedures and systems to implement midyear and hit the reset button, both general strategies and ideas to address specific issues. If you want to set up any of these systems quickly without having to make visuals and materials from scratch, here are the posters and visuals I use ready to print and go!

3. Organization

I know for me, January is when I get the urge to organize, purge, and streamline everything! Here are my favorite organization ideas for the classroom, planning, and home life to help get your life in order and take away so much stress! And of course if there are 2 things that I think play the biggest role in relieving stress and keeping me from dropping all the balls I have in the air, it's my planner and my K-6 general music curriculum. Trust me, if you are really serious about making your life easier to focus on what matters most, those are the two biggest "bang for your buck" things you can get.

I hope you find something here to help make back to school a little less intimidating and a little more exciting. If there's something else you're feeling anxious about or just wanting to improve that you don't see an answer for here, let me know in the comments and let's talk! 

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Meaningful Ways to Encourage Teachers

If you haven't heard, teaching is hard! And at this point, a jeans pass is not going to cut it to make teachers feel better about their jobs- we need real, systemic changes in policies, pay, budgets, and so much more. But I also know that is a long game that is going to take a lot of time and group effort, and many of us are looking for ways to help teachers feel supported and appreciated in the meantime while we work on that! Whether you are a teacher like me trying to support your colleagues, an administrator wanting to show your appreciation for your staff, or a parent or other community member wanting to support your local teachers, here are some things you can do now that don't require a big social movement or a massive budget but also won't feel trivial or trite.

I've written about each of these ideas in more detail in their own separate blog posts- click on the images to read more about each one.

1. Start a teacher shoutout book

2. Set up a place to share "wins" in the staff lounge

3. Set up a water station for staff

4. Find opportunities for affirmation

5. Get them a gift they'll truly appreciate

6. Adjust your language 

Bonus ideas specifically for administrators/ school leaders:

I hope this gives you some practical ideas if you've been wanting to do something to show teachers your appreciation but felt helpless to do so! And teachers, if you have other ideas you've seen that help teachers feel encouraged, supported, and appreciated please leave them in the comments.

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