Music Freebies Round Up

Let's face it, most music teachers spend hundreds (I've even heard thousands!) of their own money each year on resources for their classroom.  It is one of the reasons that I am so glad that I found TeachersPayTeachers.  I love the affordable resources that were created by teachers like me.  

I've compiled a list of some great freebies that I think you'll love in this post.  I hope that you'll try them out and follow all of these amazing music educators there.  You can follow them (and me!) by clicking the green star by the name of the store.  When you do this you'll get occasional notifications via email when they add new resources.

History and Composers

The Big Apple Dance Craze of 1937 by Sally Utley of Sally's Sea of Songs
How did I live this long without knowing about the Big Apple?  Your students will be just as delighted as I was!  This PowerPoint file is linked to several amazing videos.  You'll want to add this to your yearly lesson plans.

John Williams Foldables by Kim Maloney from Music Teacher Resources
I am such a fan of John Williams and so are students that are introduced to the magic of his music.  This set of foldables is perfect for the classroom or private studio.  With ample opportunities for research and writing, this freebie is great for cross curriculuar integration.

Favorite Folk Songs: Looby Loo (Teacher Toolkit) by David Row of Make Moments Matter
I love, love LOVE David's amazing collections of folk songs.  They make great bulletin boards and great tools for introducing songs.  After using several of them, my students were more than disappointed to learn that our next song did not have the "cool slide show" to go with it.  LOVE that!

Composer of the Month Johannes Brahms  by The Bulletin Board Lady-Tracy King
I love celebrating composers of the month with my students and I created this series of composer bulletin boards and writing activities to use.  Since I used the kits for Kindergarten through 6th (and for a few years 7th and 8th grades), they were designed to used accordingly.  Grab this one (normally $5.99) for free!

Instruments

My Book of Instruments  by The Bulletin Board Lady-Tracy King
I'm always looking for ways for my youngest learners to write in music class that don't take up our entire time together.  This book is my solution!  We can do a page or two on an instrument that we are studying and continue to add to it as the year goes along OR I can leave it for a sub and they leave with a beautiful book to take home.

Rainbow Ukulele Starter Kit by Shelly Tomich of Pitch Publications
So, a few years ago in the midst of 20 snow days at home, I ordered a ukulele.  I did not do well.  LOL.  I think that Shelly may have convinced me to try again!  This is a great way to get started with the uke.  You'll probably want to check out her post about choosing a great instrument too.

Recorder Black Belt System by Linda Seamons of Floating Down the River
Learn about Linda's recorder program and get tons of music to use with your learners.  She starts with C and A instead of the traditional BAG.  This freebie is filled with many great ideas for teaching and organizing.  I wish I had this twenty years ago!

Brass Instrument Races (Aural Identification) by Chrissy Hutzel from Hutzel House of Music
This is such a great idea!  In this freebie your students are asked to listen to an unidentified instruments (sound files included) and then race to identify it by retrieving a card.  FUN!

Orff Instrument Labels by Stacie Bates of The Bates Clef (I love that name!)
Do you love the look of camo?  You are going to love this set of Orff instrument labels!  Make sure your instruments are decked out with these free printables.

Melody and Singing Activities

Fishin' for Melody by Linda McPherson
I am a BIG fan of centers in music class and this free download sets you up for four (Yes.  I said FOUR!) recorder stations.  It's easy.  It takes little explanation.  It's brilliant.  Did you hear me? Go get it!

Kindergarten Music Lesson Plan Day 1 by Lindsay Jervis
I've said this for years and years "I knew how to teach music after graduating from college, but no one taught me what to do on that first day!"  This detailed and engaging lesson plan does just that.  Songs and activities and a great sequence are laid out in detail.  Try this freebie and you may want the entire year!

The Adventures of Sophie Solfege - Sophie Climbs the Ladder by Angie Kelton of i heart teaching music.
This is a clever (and quite adorable) way to introduce lines/spaces and solfege to your students.  You are probably already acquainted with Sophie Solfege, but if not this is the place to start.

First Grade Music Lesson  by Aileen Miracle
This is a fun and engaging lesson for first grade!  It is actually a sampler from a much larger work, but this is a stand alone lesson plan with great ideas, a detailed plan and several songs and activities.

Fall Vocal Explorations by Anne Newman
Warm up with these fall vocal explorations.  These slides are laid out in beautiful autumnal colors and would be a great way to start class.

Copy, Transfer, Transpose (sol mi set) by Debbie O'Shea from Crescendo Music
Such a difficult skill, such a great freebie to help!  With these worksheets, students transpose sol and mi to different places on the staff!  Although this is probably intended for younger students who have just learned sol and mi, I can see it being handy for older students too!

"Come Along and Sing with Me" (2 part round) by Sandra Hendrickson of Sing Play Creatively
This catchy little round is laid out perfectly for your Kodaly classroom.  You get the sheet music, solfege and pitch names version as well as a file to introduce it.  WOW!

Peter and the Wolf Vocal Explorations by The Bulletin Board Lady-Tracy King
This is a great set to use for vocal explorations at workstations (or as part of your Peter and the Wolf workstations).  It's a great way to warm up a group before singing and it is a fun (and silly!) way to review the characters in PatW and the instrument that plays their theme.

Rhythm

Rhythm Whack-a-Mole by Cara Coffey of MiscellaneousMe
Okay I must admit that I haven't played this game with students yet, but I have about 20 different props for whacking!  LOL.  Cara has put together a simple, but ridiculously fun game that you'll want to download today.

Engine Engine Number Nine by Anne Meleski of Anacrusic
Working with ta and titi?  You'll enjoy this bright and colorful download of "Engine Engine Number 9" that works on quarter notes and barred eighth notes.  Working from lyrics, then steady beat and then rhythm, this is a great plan.

16th Note Worksheets by Jamie Parker
I'm always looking for print and go worksheets to use with my students.  This sampler of 16th note worksheets is great!  You'll get worksheets for "Dinah", "Old Brass Wagon" and one that works great for ear training.

Rap It, Clap It, Music Match It  by The Bulletin Board Lady-Tracy King
This has to be one of my primary students' favorite activities!  Students say (or rap) the pictures, clap them and them match them with rhythms.  The worksheets make assessment a breeze!  This is a freebie, but be sure to check out the entire line of Rap It, Clap Its in my store.

Rhythm Clap Backs by Jennifer Foxx of Music Educator Resources
What's a rhythm clap back?  Well, you know.  It's a rhythm that you clap back!  This freebie has 5 different rhythms represented iconically and a worksheet.  Such a smart idea!

Measure Tiles by Nancy Otto of The Rested Musician
This game is essentially music dominoes and it's FREE!  A great resource for music workstations or to use during a reward day, you'll want to print and laminate this one and use it for many years.

Don't have time to grab all of these fabulous freebies now?  PIN this list and grab them later!