Indexing folk songs with Evernote

Indexing folk songs with Evernote

I just recently discovered how Evernote can be used as a really powerful tool to index, categorize, and improve productivity, so today I’m blogging about how to use Evernote as a way to categorize and index folk songs!

If you’re looking for more information about creating a song index in Excel, here is a video I recorded this summer:

Evernote is a free app which you can install on your PC or Mac, as well as your smart phone. The great thing about having it on more than one device is that the app will sync between devices.  You’ll also want to install the Evernote webclipper for whichever browser you use.

I love the Holy Names Kodaly site for researching folk songs, so I’ll show how to index folk songs using Evernote. I’ve heard of some people creating their entire folk song index on Evernote. I already have a folk song index in Excel, so I’m using it to simply index songs that are new to me, or that I’d like to add into my students’ repertoire. This is a great way to make sure you don’t forget to use newly discovered songs!

First, I searched on the Holy Names Kodaly site. My third graders are preparing low la, so I searched for low la songs by choosing “low la” for melodic concept, like shown below:

Then I looked through their list of songs. I love “Cedar Swamp,” but haven’t used it in a few years, so this is a great reminder to use it again! After clicking on the title, I clicked the Evernote web clipper, made sure “article” was selected, and then chose “add tag,” then typed “low la” and hit enter, as shown below. You'll see the tag "low la" has been added underneath where it says "add tag."

Since this song is also great for tika-ti, I added that tag as well.

After going through several more songs, I then opened up my Evernote on my Mac.

Then, I clicked tags, and can see all of the tags I’ve used so far.

If I click “low la,” then I can see the five songs I’ve tagged for low la (which include “Cedar Swamp,” “Song of the Snowflakes,” Sea Lion Woman,” “Choctaw Raccoon Game Song,” and  all from the Holy Names Kodaly site, and "Jubilee," from Beth's Music Notes.)

I still have a lot of work to do researching and indexing new songs, or songs I haven’t done in a while, but I can see this being a very useful resource! (And a special thank you to my friend Andrea Halverson-Forsberg, for explaining a few of these steps to me! Check out her blog here.)

How do you use Evernote? Feel free to comment below!

Adapting to a new schedule

Adapting to a new schedule

A year and a half ago, my music schedule drastically changed, from music twice a week for 35 minutes to music once every 5 days for 50 minutes (on an ABCDE rotation)...with some slight variations, which I'll talk about in a minute.

Needless to say, I was a bit tentative and scared. I was disappointed I'd be seeing the kids less. Almost my entire career, I have taught music to each grade level twice a week for 30-35 minutes (with the exception of Kindergarten, which was once a week for 35 minutes.) Now I had to see pretty much everyone ONCE a week? How could I get through all of my concepts? Would they still retain the information as well? Would my 1st graders be able to pay attention for 50 minutes? Here is what my schedule actually looks like, what I love, what I don't, and how I have adapted.

The bones of my schedule:
Last year, I saw Kindergarten once or twice a week for 25 minutes...depending on the week.
1st and 2nd grade came once a week for 50 minutes during one semester and twice a week for 50 minutes during the other semester (but during one semester, some classes were coming once and the others were coming twice, and then they flip-flopped! Is your head spinning yet?)
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade came once a rotation for 50 minutes, but once every four weeks, they had an extra music class.
This year, it's a bit more streamlined! Kindergarten comes once a week for 35 minutes. 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade come once a rotation for 50 minutes. And 3rd and 4th graders come twice a rotation...but once a rotation they come to me, and the second time they go to my colleague. We have worked out a great system, though, where one marking period she teaches all the traditional lessons, and I teach the extension lessons, and then we switch.

What I love:

I have to say, I never realized how much I had to rush through my 35 minute lessons until I had 50 minutes and could actually breathe. Like, have conversations with kids about what they did this weekend, or have time to get into a deep conversation about rhythm or melody or the purpose of a barline.

I LOVE the ABCDE rotation. You know how the classes you have on Monday and Friday get way behind every other class because of how many Mondays and Fridays you miss? That doesn't happen with ABCDE rotations, because if you miss on a Friday due to no school or a snow day, and Friday was supposed to be a C day, Monday becomes a C Day, and those kids still get music. Woo hoo! The only time you have to worry about kids getting behind is if you're sick, there is an assembly, or there is a 2-hour delay.

I love the consistency of the schedule. Most of the time, all of my classes for the week are on the same exact lesson, which is amazing!

What I don't love:

Although with the ABCDE rotation does even classes out a bit, I still see them for less time than I did before. This year, though, they did change it so that all 3rd and 4th graders get music twice a rotation (1st graders get art twice, and 2nd and 5th graders get P.E. twice.) So maybe in the end, it evens out! I am still very aware of less time, though, and constantly have to check to see where I'm at concept-wise and if I can cover everything I want to...and if they will be ready for it!

Which leads me to what else I don't love...I have noticed less retention. It's not as bad as I feared, but there still is at times less retention.

How have I adjusted?

As I wrote about above, because of the longer classes, I've been able to have more thoughtful conversations with students, which is great! I took a course called "Making Thinking Visible" through my district, which is based off of this book by Ritchhart, Church, and Morrison. I've been able to implement thinking routines, and am hoping to do this more and more. 

At times, I have to "catch" a class up to where all the other classes are, because they had a holiday party during their special, or we had an assembly, or I was sick. I used to occasionally do this with my former schedule, but I tried to not do it often, because in my mind every lesson is important and shouldn't be skipped. However, with music only once a week, I am very mindful of all the concepts and skills I still need to cover with them...and the schedule is so streamlined that it's easier to keep everyone on the same lesson if I can. So sometimes I do something my friend Matt calls "Frankensteining a lesson"...I piece together a part of this lesson and a part of that lesson and I catch them up!

I am now much more streamlined in when I write lesson plans. Previously, I wrote lessons as I needed to, which was at times a bit confusing. But now, on the A day, I don't lesson plan, I just teach the new lessons and see how they go. On the B day, I write Kindergarten and 1st grade for the next rotation. On the C day, I write 2nd and 5th grade. And on the D day, I write 3rd and 4th grade. Then on the E day, I make sure I have all the materials I need for the following week, print my lessons up, and type up my agenda.

Instead of throwing in a few more singing games to tag on 15 minutes to the lesson, I've added more variety to the lesson. Students might be playing instruments, doing creative movement, reading a book, or delving into a listening lesson. The variety seems to work really well. It's also much easier to do a more time-consuming activity, such as dictation on dry erase boards, composition, etc.

Before this new schedule, I was definitely purposeful in my planning, but now I feel like I'm even more purposeful. Only seeing most of the kids once every five days, I have to make sure that I get through everything I need to, that they know the songs they need to know, that they are retaining the information, etc.! Even though I already have year plans (which you can learn about here), I find myself sitting down every couple months to really look at what each grade level will be learning over the course of the next several weeks.

By adapting to this schedule and making these changes, I really feel like I've made it work for me and my students. Have you had to adapt to a block schedule like this? How has it worked for you? Feel free to comment below!

Five favorite pins of November

Five favorite pins of November

Hi everyone! Since it's November, so here is my five favorite pins linky party!

Here is my list for this month; just click each picture to view that pin. Also check the end of the blog post for a fun Pinterest contest!

#1: Dalcroze Eurhythmics Exercises

I just created a new Dalcroze-inspired board, and was excited to pin this to the board! These exercises could easily be used in the general music classroom as  way for students to internalize beat, improve inner hearing, and more!

#2: Composing with stickers

I just pinned this to my new board, Composing in the Music Room. What a fun way to have students write on the staff! 

#3: Land of the Silver Birch, Canoe Song, and Counter-Melody

I have done Land of the Silver Birch and Canoe Song as partner songs, but have never heard this counter-melody with it. Beautiful!

#4: Drum Circle Ideas

Elizabeth from Organized Chaos wrote a really comprehensive blog post about doing drum circles in your music classroom. SO helpful!

#5: In the Hall of the Mountain King movement activity

I know Halloween is over, but this is so fun! (And who says you can only listen to "In the Hall of the Mountain King" during Halloween??) 

For more pins like this, follow me on Pinterest, and check out this great blog post by Lindsay Jervis about other music pinners! Also make sure to see other great pins by viewing the link-up below!

Have a wonderful November!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanksgiving in the Music Room

Thanksgiving in the Music Room

Since Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away, today I'm going to blog about my favorite Thanksgiving activities for the music room.

Thanksgiving this year happens to fall on my birthday, so I'm feeling especially festive. :) Here goes!

Turkey rhythms

I wrote this blog post about using foam turkey feathers and paper plates to build rhythm turkeys. Here is a picture of my students working on it. It was a fun group activity and a great way to practice ta and ti-ti! You could use it with any rhythmic concept.

Grateful

I found this book on Pinterest last year, and finally got around to ordering it for next week's classes. It features a beautiful song by Art Garfunkel, and illustrations by John Bucchino and Anna-Liisa Hakkarainen. Excited to use it as a way to discuss meaning of lyrics, discuss what it means to be thankful/ grateful, and improve listening skills! (Note: I first ordered the book on Amazon, but it's out of stock, so I then reordered it on Books-A-Mllion. You can see the link by clicking on the picture of the book below):

Native American music

Native American can be taught any time of the year, but if you're looking to do a unit on Native American music, Thanksgiving is a great time to do so! I just finished researching and creating sets about the Chippewa, Iroquois, and Ottawa tribes, and it was musically so interesting to look at the similarities and differences in the songs, when looking at songs from specific tribes. I found quite a few gems that are great for teaching low la, like this song, which is from the Chippewa/Ojibwe tribe:

I just found this website that has several great links and resources for teaching about Native Americans during Thanksgiving in a culturally responsive way.

The bundled set below includes several songs like the one above, slideshows to help teach musical concepts from the songs, as well as background for each tribe, including customs, geography, and more; you can also buy the sets individually by tribe.

Looking for more Thanksgiving activities for your music room? Check out this Pinterest board:

Looking for more games and activities for Thanksgiving? Check out these:

       

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What I've learned about interactive notebooks

What I've learned about interactive notebooks

This year, I embarked on the journey of trying out interactive notebooks with my students. (You can read about why I started the notebooks in this blog post.) So far, I've been able to try them out with my third graders, and because this is so different from anything else I've done with my students, I thought I'd share my initial thoughts. Here is what I've learned so far about interactive notebooks:

1. Be prepared.

Before your students can walk into your room and begin their interactive notebooks, you'll need to prepare your room. I had thought about how to store my notebooks; here is a picture of my bookshelves and magazine racks from IKEA:

Up until a few days before my students used the notebooks, though, I hadn't thought about how to store the scissors, glue sticks, and crayons. Thankfully, I had bought these jungle-themed bins from Target, having no idea how I'd use them (oh, Target dollar section, how I love you so!) Here is a picture of students working on their notebooks with the bins in sight.

You'll also want to think about how many bins you need, and how you'll hand them out. I had students work in small groups of 4-5 and share the scissors, glue sticks, and crayons.

Another note, as you can see from the picture above, is that the notebooks can get pretty messy. However, I was really impressed by how quickly students could clean up in a matter of minutes! Maybe they are used to doing this in their grade-level classrooms?

2. It's okay to spend time coloring.

I fretted about this a bit as I watched students color for twenty or so minutes. I'm selfish with my time with them, and a few thoughts ran through my mind, like "They could be singing right now!" and "They could be preparing ti-tika right now!" But then I watched how relaxed and happy they were as they colored, and I thought of the articles I'd read about how coloring can relieve stress, and I thought, "Maybe this isn't so bad." The coloring doesn't last that long (it was mostly for the cover page) and aren't kids working ALL THE TIME in school? Is it so bad that they color for a little bit in my room and get to relax?
All right, guilt averted.

3. Have extension work available.

Some kids work faster than others, something I was reminded of as they worked. My third graders were working on the half note lift-a-flap page from my third grade interactive notebook set, so I quickly created another half note lift-a-flap page with different rhythm patterns, and those ready for students who got done sooner than others (and will soon be adding extra pages to my third and fourth grade interactive notebook sets for that very reason.) I also let those who finished both pages play their patterns on an instrument of their choice. It's good to have options for your early finishers so they are not twiddling their thumbs!

4. Be ready to take student suggestions!

Pretty soon after we began work on these, I had a student suggest that they were able to create their own songs and put them into their notebooks. Um...brilliant! So this is my next project with them. That way, they can glue down their work as they go, and I can easily see their progress!

5. It's different...but good!

Interactive notebooks are definitely a different kind of learning than my typical lessons. There is no whole-class singing, no games, no activity on the SMART board, etc. BUT they are still a valuable teaching tool. Students are making sense of what they've learned in an interactive and different way. I'm excited to continue this journey!

Looking for interactive notebooks for the music room? Try these:

    

       

Have you used notebooks in the music room? Feel free to comment below with what has worked for you!

Technology Tips for Choir

Technology Tips for Choir

As I started my choir this year, I incorporated technology in a way that hadn't before with choir, to save time and be more efficient. Today, I thought I'd share those strategies in case it helps save time with your choir!

Sign-up with Google Forms

Before I started recruiting for choir this year, I had a conversation with my friend Matt, who also directs a choir at his school. He mentioned that he was using Google forms to sign up students for choir, and I was so excited to try it with my students! In the past, I've always had students fill out half a sheet of paper with their information (like name, teacher's name, grade level, etc.) and then I collect all of the half sheets and enter the information into an Excel spreadsheet. Matt's idea, though, was ingenious, as it saves SO much time! Instead of them handing you a half sheet of paper which you then have to enter, I simply include a link in the parent letter home which they then go to, fill out the information, and then it pushes it to a Google spreadsheet with all of the necessary information. Brilliant!
You might try a URL shortener so you don't have a super long web address to share with parents. I've used Bitly, and just found out about tinyurl, in which you can customize the short web address.

Sign-in with Google Forms

Once my students are all signed up, it's time for the first rehearsal! In the past, I've had students sign into choir on attendance sheets posted outside my door. This works fine, but I have to admit that one of my least favorite tasks is to take the sheets off the wall, then enter the information into an Excel spreadsheet. I loved using Google Forms to have students sign up for choir, so thought I'd try it for sign-in! I am lucky enough to have eight i-pad minis in my room, so I use them to have students sign in. I split up the kids by their grade and first letter of their last name, so the 3rd graders whose last name starts with A-L go to one iPad and the third graders whose name starts with M-Z go to another iPad, etc. I have signs posted by each iPad, so students know where to go. Here is an example of the form I use. To create this, in Google drive, I went to "new," then "form," then added the question "What is your name," chose multiple choice, and typed in student names. To add more student names, click "click to add option." Then, when you're done editing, click "done."

After I created each form (you might have several, depending on how you chunk up your students), I then had to get it to my iPads. Instead of worrying about going to Google forms on each and every iPad, I instead made a QR code for each form and printed out this list of QR codes for easy access. Then, before each rehearsal, I scan each respective QR code on each iPad and the sign-ups are ready to go! If you don't have as many iPads as I do, you could make longer lists (like one per grade level), and put one on your iPad, one on your smart phone, and one on your computer and have each grade level or group go to the respective device. The Google form pushes it to a spreadsheet, and your information is all there! Instead of taking down the attendance sheets and entering into a spreadsheet, if you do it this way, you already have all the information you need!

I've created this Pinterest board with more ideas for choir:

Which technology tips have worked for you with your choir or musical ensembles? Feel free to comment below!

Sub Plans for the Music Classroom

Sub Plans for the Music Classroom

We've all been there...we get sick in the middle of the night, or our kids get sick in the middle of the night, and we are scrambling to put together sub plans. It's not fun to put together sub plans when your loved ones or you are sick, especially when we often have to plan for a substitute to not have any music background! A few years ago, after finding some sub tubs on Pinterest, I decided to make a sub tub for myself, so that I could be prepared in ANY situation with solid sub plans that could work with any sub! Here is what worked for me:

I bought my sub tub from Target (you can purchase a similar one here.) Here is the outside of my sub tub:

...and here is the inside of my sub tub:

Here is a closer look inside the sub tub:

File folder with general information

I put the following information into this folder: Introduction to my classroom (and a thank you to the sub!), information about any duties I have, information about fire, tornado, and safety response drills, routines (such as restroom, star student, etc.), discipline plan, seating, record-keeping, and my schedule. I also have a section about how to use my SMART board and my iPod, as well as where to look for student health concerns (more on that in a minute!)

Sub plans by grade level

I have file folders that each say a grade level (one for K, one for 1st, one for 2nd, etc.) In each of these folders, I have a few sub plans that could work for that respective grade level. In each folder, I included sub plans that I created from these two sets below:

            

There are also some freebies on TeachersPayTeachers that could work for the grade-level folders; some you will need to add directions to (as well as additional activities), some you could put into a folder on the desktop of your computer so they could open and use, and some you could print and file! Click on each picture to download each file.

Walk and running cards to practice ta and ti-ti:

Walk, Running, and Jump cards to practice half note, ta, and ti-ti:

Recorder composition cards to practice B, A, and G:

Cinderella at the Ball, to practice ta and ti-ti:

From Lindsay Jervis' store, a sub plan with a book (which you would have to purchase):

From Amy Abbott's store, a fun ta and ti-ti game:

And here is a great freebie from Pitch Publications, which you can use to type up your sub plan information and lesson plans!

Themed sub plans

This is a new project for me this year, to create sub plans which have the same theme from K-5, to make the substitute teacher's day a little bit more cohesive! I have a separate folder in my sub tub for each set, so that whether I am using a visual from the set or the sub is, they are easy to access. Here are two themed sets I have created:

        

Sub plans for later

In this folder, I've filed any sub plans that my students just aren't ready for yet. For example, I have some lessons to practice ta and ti-ti, but since it's October as I write this,  my first graders don't know ta and ti-ti yet. I've put those plans in my "sub plans for later" folder so I can rearrange the tub throughout the year!

Health concerns

In this file, I include any information I have with student health concerns, but I organized it by day to help out the sub. In my notes, I ask the sub to check the concerns for that day. Most of the concerns aren't an issue, as they are food allergies, but if there is an issue such as epilepsy or a severe allergy, I definitely need the sub to know!

If there is no sub...

We have had a sub shortage in my district--not just for music teachers, but for all the teachers! Our policy is simply to cancel a special on that day if there is no sub, but sometimes classroom teachers just need to sit down and get things done during what would have been their planning time. So I have a video that could work for K-2 and another video for grades 3-5, in case the classroom teacher just needs a break. That way, they don't have to create more for their kids to do on the spot, and they can get some things done...AND at least the kids will learn something about music that day!

Materials

In the picture above, you see some books in my sub tub. If any of my lessons require materials, like picture books or a purse for the song "Lucy Locket," I put them in my sub tub for easy access.

And now for a few items not in the sub tub itself...

Substitute Need-to-Know Packet

I stumbled upon this packet this year and LOVE it! It looks like this:

It has all of the general information at a glance the sub will need! I leave it on my desk at all times just in case something happens, so they know who to ask, a general idea of what the day looks like, etc. You can purchase it from Chalk and Apples by clicking on the picture above.

Folder on computer

If you have any digital files, mp3's, etc., it's helpful to keep a folder entitled "Sub plans" on the desktop of your computer. Just make sure your desktop is not super cluttered so the folder is easy for your sub to find and open!

Here is a Pinterest board I just created for sub plans in the music classroom; I will be adding more to it soon:

I hope this has been helpful for you as you create your own sub tub. Feel free to comment below with any more ideas or questions!

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

Assessment in the music classroom can be tricky. Many music teachers only see their students once a week--and sometimes even less--so fitting in quality curriculum, engaging songs and dances, games, books, and more needs to be balanced with assessing students' musical growth. Today I'm writing about seven things to consider when assessing in the music classroom.

Why am I assessing?

Your first response might be, "Because I have to!" Many of us do have to report grades, but what if you didn't have to? Why would you do it? Your answer might be because it provides you with data about students, it helps improve your own teaching, it helps improve their learning, it helps you differentiate, etc. There are a lot of valid answers, but it's still valuable to think about it.

Which assessments will I use?

This will vary from year to year and marking period to marking period. Will you listen to students sing individually? Will you have them dictate rhythmic patterns with dry erase boards and markers? Will you have them compose their own piece with known solfa and rhythms? Whatever the answer is, it's helpful to plan ahead for those assessments so you can make sure your students are prepared. I write my assessments into my year plan (for more info on a year plan, see this video). Although I might change the assessments I've planned, it at least gives me a starting point.

Which standards will I assess?

If your standards are like my state standards, there are a lot of them! You may have heard of the term "power standards," which refers to the standards that you consider the most important. When deciding on assessments, it's helpful to start with power standards and branch out from there. Assessing power standards first doesn't mean that you won't teach or assess the other standards, it simply puts importance on the standards which are the most necessary for students to understand.

How will I keep track of the data?

In the past, I've used everything from printed out class lists (like the ones found in this set), to iDoceo, to Numbers. This year, my district is now using Powerteacher. Although it's taken a while to learn the program (as I have to learn it well enough to train the staff at my school), it's been a really awesome way to input grades, as it pushes all the grades to the report card. Such a time saver!
I do sometimes use the Powerteacher app on my iPad to enter grades on the spot, but I've also loved using this small little notebook to write down observations, grades, notes, etc. So helpful for when I sit down to input grades!

I put the teacher's name and the assessment on the top of each page, then write down whatever I need to. Once I record the data into Powerteacher, I put a diagonal line on the page so I know the information has been recorded.

Will the assessment be formative or summative?

Some assessments will help guide your instruction and the students' understanding, while others will be used as a "final grade," or a grade to report to parents. Decide which assessments will be formative and which will be summative before assessing, and this will greatly help your thought process. You might adapt as you go--I've decided to change some summative assessments to formative once I realized that students weren't grasping the concept as well as I thought they were, so that I could provide more practice.

How will I grade the assessment?

Whether you use a plus, check, or minus system, or a detailed rubric, you'll want to consider how the assessment will be graded. I often use a 1-4 rubric, and either have the rubric attached to the lesson, or included in the lesson procedures. If you're looking for sample rubrics for the music room, check out this set.

How will I help those students who are struggling?

In past years, I simply helped kids by mostly targeting weaknesses in a whole group setting. However, over the past few years, I've really tried to focus on providing individual intervention whenever I can, typically during centers. I wrote this blog post about providing intervention to students struggling with rhythm. I will soon be doing this with third graders struggling with reading re patterns on the staff, and am looking forward to the one-on-one time with students to help improve their understanding.

What other issues do you consider when assessing students? Feel free to comment below, and thanks for reading!

Listening lessons for Halloween

Listening lessons for Halloween

With Halloween coming up very soon, today I'm writing about some of my favorite listening lessons to use for this fun time of year! There are lots of "spooky" pieces of music that are perfect for Halloween! Here are a few of my favorites.

"In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg:

This is one of my all-time favorite pieces! The story itself, of Peer running away from the trolls and the Mountain King, is very engaging, but then the music really draws students in. So many musical concepts can be taught through the piece: tempo and dynamics, as it starts slow and quiet and gets faster and louder throughout, crescendo, steady beat, and quarter rest.
You can listen to the piece here:

Katie and Lindsay from Cowgirl Compositions created this awesome set that includes a Powerpoint as a listening map to this piece:

I also included a dance to "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in this set:

"Danse Macabre" by Saint-Saens:

This piece is definitely fit for Halloween, as it is about a fiddle player (otherwise known as "Death") who calls skeletons from the grave to dance. The harp at the beginning of the piece plays 12 times--striking midnight. You can hear it here:

You could use this piece to study different instruments, to discuss the imagery of a piece, and to practice 3/4. It would be a great piece for them to practice their 3/4 conducting pattern!

"Night on Bald Mountain" by Mussorgsky

This is another great piece for imagery! The theme of the piece is derived from a play called "The Witch," written by a friend of Mussorgsky's. Here is a performance:

The theme of the finale could be used to practice tam-ti, or dotted quarter/ eighth, as well as eighth rest. You can purchase a slideshow for that listening lesson here.

"This is Halloween" by Danny Elfman

I had to include this song...because I am a HUGE Danny Elfman fan, and of course, I love "Nightmare before Christmas." Here is a video of the song:

On top of it just being an awesome song, you could use it to practice tika-ti (2 sixteenths/eighth), as there are plenty of tika-ti's, and the theme goes like this:

This is Halloween, (ti-ti tika-ti)

This is Halloween, (ti-ti tika-ti)

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! (tika-ti, tika-ti, tika-ti, tika-ti)

"Monster Mash"

This is just a fun, old-fashioned song! Here is a video of the lyrics:

Here is a great book you could use with the song (click the picture to view it on Amazon):

Whether or not kids have heard this song, it's a great addition to any Halloween lesson!

Looking for more Halloween ideas for your music classroom? Check out this Pinterest board I recently created:

What are your favorite Halloween listening lessons? Feel free to comment below!