99 Music Workstations You are Going to Love

I love using workstations in my classroom.  I wanted to share a list of some of my favorites, but I think I got a little carried away.  Here are almost 100 workstations that I love with links and explanations.  Enjoy!

Coloring

Color by Note  These activities are fun for students an allow them to show what they know by coloring their answers.  Some of these activities may take more than 10 minutes.

Writing Prompts   Perfect for workstations!  Students write an answer, a paragraph or a story based on the prompts.  Use regular paper or Chrome books and Google Classroom!

Composer Coloring Sheets  Although I often use these while listening to music, they work great in a workstation.  Even the big kids enjoy this!

Primary Writing Prompts   Younger students that may be pre-readers, need to be able to express their ideas with words and pictures.  These primary writing prompts provide space for both.

My Book of Mary Poppins. As a review after we have watched the movie (or portions of it), we color these books that highlight some key items in the movie.

Instrument Coloring Sheet This is probably pretty obvious.  Coloring sheets for instruments or for groups of instruments in their families are great for workstations.

Music Memory Book This is best when used at the end of the school year.  I usually have students work on the books for about half of a class period.  Next class, they finish them as one of the stations that I have set up.

Roll and Cover worksheets  Easy peasy.  Print and set in a workstation with some crayons and some dice.  Actually I use one BIG die and the group shares.  Fun!

Composing

I find that it is really difficult to complete a composing project in the small amount of time that students have in a workstation.  So, instead of doing an entire project, these centers allow students to compose by arranging.  Take a closer look:

Body Percussion Composing  

Xylophone Composing

Recorder Composing

Dynamics and Tempo

Candy Corn -Dynamics  This seasonal workstation is simple to do.  Students complete a candy corn puzzle that contains a dynamic term, symbol and definition.  Then, they copy that information to a chart.

A Dab of Music Learning - Dynamics and Symbols  I love dabbers and so do my students!  The set focuses on dynamics and music symbols.  I usually plan 2-3 worksheets for one center.

Dynamics Punch Cards  I have quite a few hand held hole punchers and they come in handy for this station!  Take a closer look by clicking on the link.

Instrument Families

A Dab of Music Learning- Instruments   Another dabber activity set.  This set focuses on instrument families and provides many opportunities for students to show what they know.

Instrument Matching Game  Use pictures of instruments or print this set to use to have students match pictures of instruments with the names of instruments.

Mystery Instruments  One of my favorite activities. I tell students to be sneaky detectives and not tell any other groups what instrument they think is the mystery instrument.  They fill out a "case file" that records the clues they discover. At the one of the center rotations I open the bag and show the class.  Using a different instrument, you could do this many times.

Clip It-Instruments Edition   Just add clothespins to these cards for an engaging workstation that reinforces instrument names and simple rhythm patterns.

Read It, Trace It, Stamp It  This station requires some letter stamps and an ink pad.  Get the washable kind of ink pads.  Trust me.

Dip Tray Family Sort  Using an inexpensive dip tray from the dollar store, this station is a breeze to set up.  Read more about it.

Instrument Coloring Sheets  Use these to reinforce your unit on instrument families.

Instrument Family Punch Cards  Which of these instruments is in the brass family?  Punch your answers with a hole puncher.  Fun assessment.

My Book of Instruments  These take a little bit of time to copy and assemble but are great for small group work or workstations.  Do one family at a time or all instruments at the same time.

Instrument Investigations  This activity takes 15- 20 minutes so you may need to plan a day of longer workstations to make this go well.

Misspelled Instrument Punch Cards  I think it is important that students learn to spell instrument names correctly.  I don't always feel like I have enough time during instruction, so I love adding these punch cards to a workstation rotation.

Movement

Yes!  You can do a movement center!  Set clear expectations and add music (or not) and these activities work so great in stations.  Student love them too.

Scarves and Ribbons

Creative Movement/Freeze Dance

Music Go Rounds

Non-Pitch Percussion Instruments

Playing instruments is one of my students' favorite workstations and I understand why!  These station sets make playing instruments a pleasant and organized experience.  No, really.d

Rhythm Stick Reading Station
Rhythm Instrument Reading Station
Triangle Reading Station
Hand Drum Reading Station
Maraca Reading Station
Tambourine Reading Station
Cowbell Reading Station

Pitch

A Dab of Music Learning - Intervals  These dabber activities are great for upper grades.

A Dab of Music Learning -Pitches   Drilling pitch names doesn't have to be boring.  These dabber activities are designed to be completed quickly.  That makes them perfect for workstations.  

Treble Clef Twister  There are many ways to do this, but essentially it requires a staff on the floor.  This could be one that you create with tape, one you already have on a rug or one that you draw on a plain shower curtain.  The link will take you to a sheet that I use as a spinner.

Musical Mneumonics  Another way to drill those pitch names is to have students create their own musical mnemonics.  

Bottle Cap Staff   I have collected hundreds of bottle caps from 2-liters of soda, water bottles, etc...  They make perfect note heads.  Take a closer look to see how it could work in a center.

Bottle Cap Pitch Sort  I also took some of those bottle caps and modge-podged some staves and notes on them.  Students sort them into piles based on their letter name.

Flashcards  - Yeah.  They are boring, but neccessary.  It seems that kids hardly ever use them anymore so maybe they will find them to be a novelty.

Worksheets   I know.  It sounds boring, but these worksheets are attractive and easily completed in the time that students have in a workstation.

Swat the Staff  Create a staff on the wall with tape.  Two students stand next to it, another calls out a letter from the musical alphabet.  The first one to swat the correct line or space wins!

Pitch Match Ups  Basically flashcards, but you match words spelled out by notes on the staff to the words.  Lots of fun designs.

Bop It/Simon Says  Melodic retention.  :-)

Reading

I almost always use my reading area as a stop in the workstation rotation.  Here are some links that might help you out with your reading area.

Classroom Library  Need some ideas for your reading area?  Check out this huge list!

Books for Primary Classes  This is a great list of books that your primary classes will love.

Men and Women of Jazz  Print and laminate the pieces of this bulletin board and include them at a workstation.  They contain short passages and students have time to read more than one during their center rotation.

Meet the Composers  Similar to the Men and Women of Jazz, this bulletin board set can become a reading station too.

Magazines - Do you subscribe to Music Alive or Music Express?  Leave a few copies in a crate and set it in the floor.  Instant workstation!

Rhythm

A Dab of Music Learning - Rhythm  Dab.  Dab. Dab dab dab.  Note values, musical math and more in this set.

Drawing Notes-lap packs  This link takes you to a blog post about Lap Packs.  I've used them with Kindergarten through high school.  For the littles, it is a great way to practice drawing notes.

Swat the Rhythm  We like swatting things in my classroom.  The link takes you to a few sets that I have created.  You can do the same activity with flashcards.  Lay them on the floor.  One student claps a rhythm that is on one of the cards.  The first student to swat the right answer, wins a point.  

Rhythm Blocks  Duplos and legos make great music workstations!  Check out this blog post to learn more.

Craft Stick Rhythms - Take craft sticks and use them to make quarter notes and barred eighth notes.  Students clap their "compositions" and then make more.

Roll and Cover  Roll and cover activities allow students to reinforce their knowledge of note names.

Musical Yahtzee  From Layton Music, this activity is great for small groups or workstations.  I laminate the score sheets when using them in workstations and add some music dice.  

Noodle Notes. I love pool noodles!  Learn about how to create noodle notes in this blog post.

Caterpillar Rhythms   Construction paper circles or paper plates become caterpillar bodies in this activity.  Add rhythm patterns or single notes on them and students build a caterpillar pattern.  The longer, the better!

Play Dough Mats  Laminate and just add play dough.  Students learn about notes and symbols through play.

Don't Break the Ice -take a Don't Break the Ice game and draw different notes on each block (quarter, half, barred eighths, 4 16ths, etc....).  Create a spinner with whatever note values you used.  Students spin and the tap out one block with that note on it until somebody breaks the ice.

Add it Up Rhythm Cards  Musical math!  This freebie can be used in many ways.

Note Value Punch Cards  This is another activity for hole punchers that can assess student knowledge.

Rap It Clap It Music Match It  This is an old faithful workstation for me.  Students match the syllables of themed words to simple rhythm patterns.  Perfect for a workstation.  I often do this activity with the whole group and use it in a workstation later.

Clip It Games  Clip it games require students to match words with a rhythm pattern that most closely matches its

Rhythm Pins w/Paint Chips  Cut the paint chips so that there are 4 boxes on them.  Draw single beat notes or rhythms on clothespins.  Students pin a measure on the paint chips, clap and repeat.

Candy Land (note differentiating)  Instead of using Candy Land for just color recognition, add music symbols, notes, pitches, etc... to the colors.  Fun!

Musical Jenga - Check out this awesome idea from the Music K-8 Idea Bank for creating a musical Jenga game.

Tracing Sheets  Get acquainted with notes and their values with these tracing sheets.  Great for younger learners.

Music Math Houses   I laminate these and use dry erase markers.  Students add up all of the musical math problems in colorful houses and check their own answers.

Note Knacks. These are great!  I have one student create a four beat measure and the others recreate it with the Note Knacks.  They are a little pricey, but worth it.

Dot Composing  This is a simplified way to compose using quarter notes, barred eighths or 4 16th notes.  Read more about it in this blog post.

Rhythm Blocks  Kelly Parrish from Rhythmically Yours makes these amazing rhythm blocks.  I use them for rhythmic dictation.  At a workstation, one student secretly creates a rhythm pattern and then claps it for their group.  The other students recreate that with their rhythm blocks.

Poison Rhythms. Using a lap top or table, I have students play poison rhythm just they way we do as a whole group.  FUN!  The link will take you to several different versions.

Vocal Stations

Vocal Explorations  -Vocalizations are a few workstation and let students be a little silly and creative.

Puppets and Books  Use puppets and some Wee Sing books at a station.  The goal?  SING!

Sticky Note Singing   Take a song that you are working to have memorized.  Cover part of it with a sticky note and try singing it.  Add another and try again.  Let your neighbor add the next one and try again.  It is a fun way to work on memorization and to get students singing at their center.

ABC Chart   This one is easy peasy to create.  Check out the blog post for a simple description of this activity.

Singing Sticks from Music Mom  These little singing sticks are great tools to reinforce Solfege or at my school to reinforce the pitch numbers of a major scale.  After using them with classes for a while, they can easily practice in workstation groups to sing patterns.

Singing Rocks   I love my singing rocks!  They really allow for improvisation and creativity.  After I have modeled this activity in class, students are able to do it in a workstation.  It is great to listen to them sing their imaginations out!

Blob Chorus - Ear Training  This is an app that is so fun that students don't realize they are learning!  Hurray!

STEAM

Xyloba   Engineer a marble run that plays a song with this awesome set!

Found Sounds  Collect some junk.  Put it in a box.  Let students become detectives, inventors and musicians.

Stikbot Animation  Animate a dance.  Choreography and green screen technology can create some amazing videos.

Spec Drums  There are so many ways to use Spec Drums in workstations:  exploration, composition, practicing simple folk songs and more!

Ozobots   Code these little robots to show the tempo changes of a piece of music.  Use the workstation time to have them practice creating paths that change speeds (or tempos!).

Makey Makey   My students always fight to be the first group at this station.  I add the instructions, a Makey Makey invention set and some random things for students to experiment with like fruit, play dough, hot dogs...whatever.  Students use these items to play a keyboard or drum on the computer.  I definitely recommend this activity!

Apps

There are SO many great music apps out there.  Here are a few that I think work really well in workstations.

Incredibox 

Staff Wars

Jazzy ABCs

Jazzy World Tour

Treble Cat

Rhythm Cat

Flashnote Derby

Miscellaneous

Music Interest Inventory Punch Cards   This is a fun addition to workstation rotations at the beginning of the school year.  You can learn a great deal about your students.

Talk About Tunes   I mean, they are going to talk anyway.  Why not make it musical?

Carnival of the Animals  -Use a day of workstations to review Carnival of the Animals.

Peter and the Wolf - This set lets you expand your Peter and the Wolf unit in some fun and creative ways.

Star Spangled Banner   I use this every singing year with 3rd or 4th grade.  It is a great way to learn more about our national anthem, help students memorize it, learn the vocabulary and more.  I always plan a couple of class periods to do all of the stations in this kit.

Whew!  What a list!  If you loved these ideas, PIN THIS for later!

 

Music Assessments with Seating Charts

Not every educator faces the challenge of authentic assessment for hundreds of students a week like specialists do.  Some of my teaching friends see up to 200 or more students a day.  WOWZA!  In one school district I taught in, my administrator required 6 assessment grades per quarter.  I'm sure this worked well for classroom teachers, but I only saw my classes 8-9 times a quarter.  Who gives an assessment after 50 minutes of instruction?  It was then that I devised a plan for daily grades.

Using a seating chart template that I had created for my classroom setups, I adding a means for recording a participation grade and a daily grade.  I'm not a fan of participation grades.  It feels like I'm saying "Just do as you are told and you'll 'get' an A."  What I discovered is that occasionally I needed that participation grade to record to meet the requirements from my administrator.  Not what my kiddos NEEDED to be assessed on, but what I was being required to submit.

As this idea evolved I decided that I could take my student learning objectives (SLOs) and use those as a means of daily assessment without too much of a hassle.  The reality is that I was constantly using informal observation and formative assessments in the form of exit tickets and that I could make this work in my classroom.

I have multiple copies of these seating charts with the daily grade rubric and participation rubric right on them.   I sort them by class and then place them in  a three-ring binder in the order that I will see them on the schedule.  For example, all Monday classes are in order and then Tuesday and so on.  This makes it easy between classes to turn to the next class and just add the date and be ready to go.

At first I sorted by grade level, but didn't like the way I was still flipping through my book to find the class I needed.  Sorting by grade level may work for your classroom and schedule.

My seating charts function as my attendance book and partial grade book.  I add the date to the large box on the left and if a student is absent, I mark A in the corresponding box with the student name.  When setting this up, I include a color coded system to remind me about students that I may need to make special accommodations for including alternate activities or extra time for assignments.  In my district we have very few students that opt out of activities based on their religion so if I have a student that can't participate in holiday or patriotic activities, I'll mark that to remind myself to alter the activity or provide another one for those students.

I've tried to simplify this system every year.  Currently unless a student has a less than perfect score I do not record it on the seating chart.  If a student was in class and consistently displayed evidence of mastering whatever skill were working on then their box for that day is empty.  When I transfer grades to the computer it's less clutter to look at.

Look at the example below.  Phillip Washington has been in class all four days and earned all of the points each day.  He has four empty boxes.  Hillary Zenith below him has a similar report except on September 11, she earned 2 points instead of 3 on mastering the skill that day.

In addition to daily grades I also record grades that I take during class time on the seating chart.

Note:  This examples were created to look like sheets that I have used in my classroom, but I have made up the names to protect my kiddos' privacy.

My seating chart functions as a partial grade book because I don't write down every grade on the seating chart and then copy them into the computer.  I grade papers and enter them into the computer directly whenever possible.  Some activities like echo singing attendance, simple rhythm detection or performance are recorded in the seating chart as I take attendance or go down the row or whatever.  If we do a worksheet in class and grade it together, I may quickly record the grade and pass them back out.  I write this in my book because it is faster than pulling up my grade book program.

 I use rubrics for almost every performance event that I grade.  I post the scoring guide or print each student a copy so that they know how they will be graded.  The rubrics (above and below) are just a few of scoring guides that are available in my Ready To Use Music Rubrics.  It's 118 pages of scoring guides and data tracking tools that I've been using for years.  Click HERE to download the set.

Ready to try tracking assessments with your seating chart?  Download this FREE set of seating charts.  Several varieties are included and because this is a PowerPoint file you can manipulate the pieces so that it is perfect for your classroom.

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Assessment in Music Class -What Do You Hear?

Can I confess something to you?  I have no idea how any of my elementary or junior high teachers came up with a grade for me.  Not a single one.  Did they just "give" me a grade?  Did I do something to earn it?  Was there every any real assessment?  I don't think so.  I think that I got an A because I was a good kid that did what I was told.  Of course, that must mean that kids that didn't do that would have received a different grade.  Is that crazy?  Have you been guilty of that?

I guess that is one of the reasons that assessment has been so important to me.  I've created hundreds of rubrics, sat through dozens of assessment workshops for math and reading teachers trying to glean everything I could and challenged other music teachers to show me how they plan for authentic assessment.  I've learned that there is a wide variety of strategies for grading or assessing students in music class.  I've seen elaborate data tables and heard others say "I just give them an S, no matter what."  Whaaaat?  I've tried to find a balance based on how often I see my students and what I want them to be able to do when they leave my classroom.

Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite tools for assessing rhythm skills.  I call it ear training, but it isn't exactly what I remember doing for my Ear Training classes in college.  I use these assessments most often with 3rd through 6th grades but they could be adapted for use with younger and older students.  When I taught high school band I used this type of assessment all of the time.

Check out this video to see how I use my What Do You Hear set of worksheets.  You can download them HERE if you are interested in trying them out in your classroom.

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Introduction to Exit Tickets

Exit tickets are quickly becoming my favorite way to assess what students have learned in class.  In the districts I have taught I see my elementary students once a week for 50 minutes.  Once a week.  *sigh*  That just isn’t enough time!  The students spend more time in the bathroom each week than they do in music class.  With increasing pressure to collect data and no increase in time, exit tickets have been a life saver.

 What are exit tickets?

Exit tickets, exit slips, exit interviews or whatever you want to call them are short snapshots of student learning.  This kind of formative assessment process provides information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are still happening.  They can be submitted on regular paper, orally, on index cards or on specifically made templates. 

Exit tickets completed by 3rd graders toward the end of our instruments of the orchestra unit.  From when I said "go" to when the walked out the door, this took 7 minutes for 22 kids to complete.  This includes time to get supplies and put them up.

 Well, yeah but what is so great about exit tickets?

They let teachers know what students have understood and retained.
Have you ever had a class leave and thought “Wow.  They didn’t get that at all!”  I have.  I’ve spent the evening fretting about what I would do next time and how I would present it differently, how we could practice it so that it made sense and wondering if they would even remember any of it.  Sometimes my assessment was right on.  They needed a bit of remediation as a group and another class period to go over the material.  Other times I’ve been flabbergasted at what they remembered.  They really DID get it, but just didn’t give me any evidence.   With exit tickets, I can ask a simple question like “What is harmony?” or “Tell me three facts about Beethoven.” Their response takes only minutes and I know what they have retained.

 They help students reflect on what they have learned.

Unlike regular classroom teachers, music teachers see their kids one time a week or one time a day (for JH and HS).  My students may not have time to reflect on what we have covered.  We are lining up and heading out the door quickly.  I don’t assign homework in music so I can’t really give them a follow up assignment or activity to complete.  I wait a week and then review.  With exit tickets, students can reflect on what they just learned while it is fresh in their mind.  I think this helps them remember and retain what we have talked about.

They help us and students identify strengths and weaknesses. 

Often our assessments are through observation and the thought of grading a ton of worksheets makes us what to shove a pencil in our skull.    With exit tickets I can quickly see who has an understanding of the material.  Students will be able to identify material that they understand or need more help with.  One of my favorite things to do with exit tickets is to ask students to complete their ticket and then place them in three different piles:  “Got it!”  “Sorta.” and  “I need more practice!”

 I’ve seen clever pins where teachers have created different ways to organize this with folders, mailboxes, bins and trays.  I haven’t invested in this yet, but love the idea!

They teach students to think critically.

Students get to analyze what they’ve learned.  Depending on the prompt for your exit ticket, they may also get to apply it to a new situation.  I love to give students ownership of their learning.  Once I have created the expectation of completing an exit ticket at the end of class, some students think about that during instruction time.   One student even said “I don’t think I understand.  I’m gonna write that on my exit ticket so I remember to ask you about it later.”  Be still my music teacher heart!

Exit tickets allow you to collect data over a period of time in a time-saving way.

Time is precious.  Every minute counts.  Exit tickets only take a few minutes of your class time but provide data that you can use to gauge understanding, screen for band and choir, use as recorded grades for report cards, refer to when referring students for special services and even to create a little portfolio of student work for parent teacher conferences.

Exit tickets completed by third graders during our instruments of the orchestra unit.  These tickets were used after our first class period of learning about the string family.

Okay!  I am ready to get started!

I use to use exit tickets on scraps of paper.  You know those copies you have left over when only 23 kids come instead of 27 and there’s no time to have them make it up?  I took all of those extra copies and cut them into fourths and put them in a basket.  We used those scrap pieces to write our exit ticket question, problem or comment on.

 Then I got a wild and crazy idea one snow day and I made prettier ones.  Still simple in design and concept, but just using a more profession form for the exit ticket improved the responses I received from students. 

Seriously.  Taking the same questions and putting them inside a little ticket graphic IMPROVED the responses I received from students.   They began writing in complete sentences.  They wrote more in each response.   They even ASKED to do tickets if I forgot or if we ran out of time.  Epic teacher win.

Tips for Making Exit Tickets Work

1.        Persistence
You’ve got to do them more than once.  Your students need to learn the procedure.  Exit tickets are not a “sit there and think and then leisurely write down your answer” kind of activity.  Plan a little extra time before doing your first set and describe your expectations.  Describe the procedure for getting supplies, putting them up and getting in line.  Let them know what success will look like.

2.        Have a Plan
I do many writing activities with students so they know the procedure for getting paper, pencils and clipboards and getting to work.  I place supplies in places that help traffic flow smoothly.  Don’t put everything they will need on one table.  Put the pencils and papers in one spot (away from the pencil sharpener if you can) and the clipboards 8-10 feet away.   Practice getting supplies in less than a minute.  Put a timer up and let students know that you don’t want running and pushing, but that you do expect them to be ready to work by the time the timer has sounded.

 Will students create a pile of their exit tickets and then line up?  Will they hold them as they stand in line and hand them to you on their way out?  (This way is great for checking for names!)  Decide what will work best for you and stick to it.

3.        Keep it Simple
This snapshot of student progress should take 2-4 minutes to complete.  Use one or two questions.  Write the questions on the board or on the papers they will get.  I have created exit tickets for many concepts so I just use what I already have on hand. 

4.        To Grade or Not to Grade
I do not need a recorded assessment for every class period.  I have talked to teachers that are required to have an assessment for every class period and can’t count observation as a means of assessment.  In this case I would use exit tickets as a recordable activity every time I used them.

Often, I just look through the exit ticket responses, make a few notes and toss them.  I have told my students not to expect their return.  If I grade them, I’ll return them.  This saves on time and paperwork.

Are you required to keep student portfolios?  These tiny assignments are perfect for that!

5.        Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
I’ve created several sets of exit tickets and they are a best seller in my store.  Not all of the sets are bundled, but many of them are and occasionally I’ll add to the bundle and bump the price up a dollar or two.  Here are some of the sets I have in my store:

Although I'm not teaching choir right now as a class during the day, when I did I often struggled with finding a way to assess students regularly without stealing rehearsal time.  These Choir/Singing exit tickets are perfect.  Questions about posture, technique and performances are included.

This instrument set is what I use with my 3rd graders every year during our instruments of the orchestra unit.  The samples above are from this set.

Many of my students study the "Star-Spangled Banner" each year.  These tickets work with a variety of grade levels.  

Recorders seem to take every minute of class time and every ounce of my strength to teach.  I belt test as part of Recorder Karate, but not every week. With Recorder Exit Tickets I'm able to assess students without a lengthy round of belt testing every time.

The Exit Tickets BUNDLE includes Treble and Bass Clef, Notes and Rests, Instruments, Tempo, Dynamics and Musical Opposites, Peter and the Wolf and a set of general exit tickets that you could use for a variety of topics.  This is a growing bundle.  Occasionally I will add another set to this bundle and bump up the price a little.  This set is great for getting started because it will let you try exit tickets out in a variety of lessons.

Whew!  That's a lot of information about exit tickets!  I hope that this empowers you to give exit tickets a try in your classroom.

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