high school orchestra lesson plans

Help Your Students Learn The Essentials About The Instruments Of The Orchestra In A Fun Way!

Printable Music Lesson Plans Module 15 prepared ready-to-use lessons with all materials

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This is really written for around a junior high level, but we did not make this information too specific so that it can be relevant in both elementary and high school levels, depending on each school situation. We are not here to tell you what is appropriate for whom – you can decide that for yourself!

Here is a breakdown of the lessons included in this module:

Lesson 1: The Orchestra Overview

Lesson 2: the conductor, lesson 3: the violin and viola, lesson 4: the cello and double bass, lesson 5: the flute and piccolo, lesson 6: the oboe, english horn and bassoon, lesson 7: the clarinet, lesson 8: the saxophone, lesson 9: the trumpet and the horn, lesson 10: the trombone and tuba, lesson 11: untuned percussion, lesson 12: tuned percussion, lesson 13: keyboard instruments, lesson 14: the harp.

Lesson 1 The Orchestra Overview

This lesson covers seating positions, the instrument family names, and a description of how the different instrument families make sound. It is an ideal introduction to musical instruments for fundamental music lessons.

The Fun Sheet contains a crossword, plus a “Match the Instrument to its Family” game.

Lesson 2 The Conductor

This lesson covers the role of the conductor, and how he works with the orchestra. The lesson also describes some simple beat patterns (duple, triple and quadruple), so the students can actually learn to be conductors!

The Fun Sheet contains a “find a word”, plus a name scramble of some famous conductors.

Lesson 3 The Violin and Viola

As well as covering the basics of the Violin and Viola such as the number of strings, the parts of the instrument and its history, the lesson also includes a description of basic playing techniques, including vibrato and pizzicato.

The Fun Sheet contains a “scattered parts puzzle” where students will need to be able to identify the various parts of the string instruments to put them together.

Lesson 4 The Cello and Double Bass

The Cello and Double Bass lesson covers the differences between the remaining members of the string family, and provides listening ideas for identifying the Cellos and Double Basses in the orchestra.

The Fun Sheet contains a fun scattered words activity, plus a decoding activity where the students will find the names of three famous cellists. We’ve included links to videos where they can hear and see these cellists playing.

Lesson 5 The Flute and Piccolo

In this lesson students will explore high sounds coming from the Flute and Piccolo, as well as learning about all their parts. The lesson plan contains some great directed listening activities to help the students become familiar with the sounds of the Flute.

Lesson 6 The Oboe, English Horn and Bassoon

The more unusual and interesting instruments in the orchestra provide a great resource for students. Its not boring at all when students “make” an oboe from a drinking straw and learn about the vibration of a double reed instrument.

Directed listening (from Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev) is tied in with activities on the Fact and Fun Sheets

Lesson 7 The Clarinet

In this lesson plan there are some ideas for long term projects about clarinet players, as well as links to hear them play and recommended listening to hear the Clarinet in action.

The Fun Sheet contains a word search and a name scramble where students will have to become familiar with a lot of interesting facts about the Clarinet.

Lesson 8 The Saxophone

Yes… we know that the saxophone is not really a “full time” member of the classical orchestra, but it is such an important instrument in Jazz and Concert Bands in schools that we felt it should be included with its own lesson here.

The students will learn lots of interesting facts about the history of the Saxophone, and its place in modern music.

Lesson 9 The Trumpet and the Horn

The brass instruments are very important to learn about, as one lesson we’d all love our students to have is not to go around calling a Trombone or Tuba a “Trumpet” later in life!

In addition to the facts about the instruments the lesson plan includes a fun game to help students learn the parts of the Trumpet and Horn.

Lesson 10 The Trombone and Tuba

Instead of the usual facts and details, this lesson plan sheet for this lesson includes a fun game called the “Trombolympics”, which may well be needed by the time the class gets up to this lesson!

The Fun Sheet contains a word search, plus a “fallen phrase” game where students will learn interesting facts about the Trombone.

Lesson 11 Untuned Percussion

Most school students are familiar with the drum set. However, it’s important for them to learn about the percussion instruments that are in the orchestra and how they relate to classical music.

The Fact Sheet contains some clear pictures of all the instruments, and the lesson plan has ideas to bring percussion instruments to life in the classroom.

Lesson 12 Tuned Percussion

In the tuned percussion lesson students will learn the differences between Xylophones, Glockenspiels, Marimbas and Tubular bells, as well as learn all about Timpani (the only drum of definite pitch)

Your students will have fun cracking codes about tuned percussion instruments, and will find out how to make a “paperphone”

Lesson 13 Keyboard Instruments

Piano, Harpsichord, Pipe Organ or Celesta, they are all covered here, as are listening examples featuring each instrument.

A game is included in the lesson plan to make learning about the keys on the keyboard fun for keyboard players and non-musicians alike!

Lesson 14 The Harp

The Harp might be an obscure instrument, but one that is worth focusing on from a technical point of view, as you can discuss the effect on sound when the length of a vibrating string is changed.

The parts of the Harp are identified in the Fun Sheet, which brings it all back together to the fact sheet.

Bonus #1 PowerPoint Slides ready to go!

Are you lucky enough to have a digital whiteboard or data projection system in your classroom?

I never was when I was teaching. My schools only had old fashioned whiteboards (and sometimes even blackboards!) however if you are lucky enough to have the modern technological aids note that this product is made to work with them.

digital projection system

Bonus #1 is a complete set of PowerPoint slides that are set up with all the Fact Sheet information, laid out in a logical way, so that you can click through the presentation and talk about the instruments in your classes.

We’ve even supplied the editable PowerPoint files, so if you have Microsoft PowerPoint or a compatible program you can edit them to your own specific needs.

If you don’t own PowerPoint Microsoft provide a free “PowerPoint player” which you can download free of charge to display the content (Your computer may already have this installed.) microsoft powerpoint presentation included

Bonus #2 Printable Flashcards To Match the Instruments Covered

We’ve created a special set of printable flashcards to accompany the instruments discussed in this module. These can be used for some of the games included in the lesson plans, as well as for making up your own games or as a recognition game to bring it all together.

These flashcards are printable in either large format (half page) or small format (approx 2”x4”) sizes, and include two versions – one with and one without the names.

Bonus #3 Unlimited Updates And revisions

Like all our products here at the Fun Music Company we provide unlimited updates and revisions for the period of the license.

Think about it – this is way better than buying a conventional book. If we update something you’ll hear about it via email or the members area, and you’ll be able to download the corrected worksheet.

Sometimes, errors happen. Its unavoidable, and because the lesson plans contain links to other internet content (such as Videos and other resources) it is possible that these might change. This is outside of our control. For this reason, unlimited updates and revisions are really important so that you can be in touch with us and the other music teachers around the world utilizing these resources.

Bonus #4 Completion Assessments

If you’re teaching this unit you may need a completion assessment or final test or exam to find out how well the students learned the content. You may need formal assessments to fulfill the requirements of your school or education department authority.Because these units are used for many different year levels we have provided a choice of three different assessments:

Do you have to do teach this module in the specified order?

Absolutely NOT! You can teach the lessons in whichever order you wish. You may even choose to omit certain lessons if they don’t suit your particular situation.

Answered your question? Click here to get started

How long is each lesson?

It is up to you to decide how many of the activities you will use and for how long each activity will run. We don’t have a set format for these lessons.

How much material is included?

Generally each lesson plan is one page of ideas, each Fact Sheet is one page, and each Fun Sheet is one page. We did this for simplicity, and so that your students can file them away easily in their books or folders.

What are the terms of the printing license?

We will give you the legal stuff of course, but the long and the short of it is that you have the right to print out as much as you need for your teaching. The only restriction is that you can’t re-sell or share the license with anyone else. That’s just common sense really!

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What is an Orchestra?

Hosted by Associate Conductor Vinay Parameswaran, this series teaches the fundamentals of an orchestra, the role of the conductor, and the unique sounds and personalities of the instrument families.

Choose Your Instrument!

Let musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra guide you as you choose your musical instrument! Listen to their stories and tips for getting started.

Gather ‘round for Storytime with The Cleveland Orchestra, where musicians read their favorite story books.

Musical Storytelling: The Art of Poulenc

A man and woman meet and fall in love on the busy streets of Paris, but their lives are changed forever by the antics of a friendly cat.

Music Explorers

Join Major Scale and Ranger Rhythm on a musical adventure learning about the instruments of the orchestra, one at a time! Learn how the instruments make their sound, what they’re made of, and other fun facts.

New Voices, New Music

These 3 works are part of a series designed to increase cultural understanding and awareness of important social issues, and was supported by the Cleveland Foundation.

Cleveland Orchestra Musician Performances

Immerse yourself with performances with musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra.

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Unlock the magic of orchestral music. Led by Dr. Rose Breckenridge, music lovers can sit-in on virtual lectures and guided listening sessions from the comfort of their homes.

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Coloring Pages

Be creative with your own colorful take on Severance and the many instruments of the orchestra!

Instrument Family Charts

Get to know the many instruments of the orchestra, broken out by their musical family!

Score Cover Stories

Read some of the past cover stories from the annual Cleveland Orchestra Newspaper, The Score.

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Easy Instruments of the Orchestra Lesson Plans

Elementary students love learning about different instruments! Whether you’re teaching in person, hybrid, or online, here are some great resources for teaching timbre and the instruments families of the orchestra.

If you’re planning a teaching unit on the instrument families, be sure to bookmark this page for quick access to all the links and ideas!

Instrument Families Lesson Plan Ideas & Activities

Elements of Music – Teaching about the orchestra instruments is so much more than just being able to identify the instruments by sight. There are many aspects of the instruments of the orchestra that will help students learn other aspects of music:

• Timbre – Learning to identify different instruments by their sound.
• Sound Production – Identifying how instruments are grouped based on how their sound is actually produced
• Pitch – Identifying the correlation between the size of an instrument and the range of notes that it plays

Teach Conducting – Conducting is a wonderful skill that ties learning about tempo, dynamics, and steady beat into your families of the orchestra lessons for a more complete music unit.

Use video of orchestras playing – Elementary students love watching the instruments in action. There are tons of amazing orchestras with surprisingly full YouTube channels, many with performances geared especially to children. A quick search will find you tons of great examples.

Try using movie scores – If you’re looking for some trendier music samples to listen to, try looking up movie scores. Kids love playing “name that movie”.

Links for your Instrument Family Lessons

Symphony Storytime – These adorable 10-min episodes are perfect as either an introduction or ending to your music class – they’d also be great as edutainment during snack time. Each one shares a story featuring accompaniment by an instrument from the orchestra, followed by a Q&A with the instrumentalist and a demonstration. My primary classes love them and they have sparked some great conversations about different instruments.

Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures – The Young Person’s Guide To the Orchestra – This online game features the entire Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten and teaches lots of great details about different instruments and the instrument families. It works great as a class activity on the smartboard, or can be assigned to individual students as a center activity or while working remotely.

Videos for Teaching Instruments of the Orchestra

Backstage with Bleeckie – This video is so silly but also adorable and primary students just love it. It also ties in nicely with the Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures (see above) because it uses the same piece of music. I love how Bleeckie asks the kinds of questions that a kindergartener would totally ask.

The Remarkable Farkle McBride

The Remarkable Farkle McBride is a fantastic book by actor, singer, and Broadway performer John Lithgow. It tells the story of a young musical prodigy who cannot decide which instrument he would like to play. After trying out an instrument from every family of the orchestra, he realizes that what he really loves most is the sound of all the instruments of the orchestra playing together – and so he becomes a conductor. In addition to the book itself, which has beautiful illustrations and fantastic language to describe the sounds of each instrument, there is also a recorded version, narrated by Lithgow himself, which uses original music to accompany the story.

George Meets The Orchestra

This little video from Australia is an adorable complement to the Remarkable Farkle book – a young boy named George visits a youth orchestra to learn about all the different instruments. Just like Farkle McBride, he discovers that what he really loves best is conducting .

Instruments of the Orchestra Grade Level Connections

In the Ontario curriculum, timbre (sound quality associated with different instruments) is addressed in each grade. While the instruments of the orchestra are most directly apply in grades 2, 3, and 4, you can see how they could also be applied in the other grades:

Grade 1 – vocal quality, body percussion, non-pitched and pitched percussion, environmental and found sounds

Grade 2 – classification of instruments by listening to their sound (wind, stringed, electronic, membrane, pitched percussion instruments)

Grade 3 – classification of instruments by means of sound production (strumming, striking, shaking, blowing)

Grade 4 – homogeneous sound of ensemble instruments (eg individual instruments of the orchestra or other performing ensemble)

Grade 5 – tone colour for particular purposes (eg use of trumpets for a fanfare, flutes for depicting birds, various instruments for creating specific moods)

Grade 6 – electronic sounds, orff ensemble (xylophone, recorder, pitched and non-pitched percussion), other ensemble sonorities (drum line, choir, guitar, marching band)

Instruments of the Orchestra Lesson Plans

These ready-made, printable music lesson plans instruments of the orchestra are available in my teacher shop. Each 4-lesson pack includes:

• easy to use lesson plans
• Powerpoint presentation files

These lessons are designed for non-specialists, so that you can teach music effectively even if you have no background in it. Click each unit cover for more information.

detailed lesson plan about musical instruments

Pin this page and save these instrument of the orchestra lesson ideas for later.

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14 resources for learning the instruments of the orchestra.

Do your kids know all about orchestral instruments? Do they know the four main families of instruments and what sets each apart? Can they identify each instrument by sight and by sound? If not, then you’ll love these great resources for learning the instruments of the orchestra!

Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.

Favorite youtube channel.

If one of your goals is to learn the sounds of each instrument, then using YouTube videos is a great way to reach this. One of my absolute favorite channels is the Philharmonia. They feature each instrument with the principal player (the “first chair”), so you’ll be learning about the instrument and hearing it played by the best!

Favorite Books about the Orchestra

The Story of the Orchestra by Levine

This book goes through all the instruments of the orchestra, the families, specific composers, and even specific pieces to listen. Includes a CD.

The Remarkable Farkle McBride by Lithgow

A very funny story about the kids Farkle McBride who tries out numerous instruments to play and then settles with being the conductor of an orchestra.

Musical Instruments Stickers from Dover Little Activity Books

Your kids will love these fun instrument stickers!

There are some other great books in this list.

Favorite Classical Pieces for Learning about the Instruments of the Orchestra:

Benjamin Britten wrote a piece called The Young People’s Guide to the Orchestra . It’s a great piece to learn with:

Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev uses a story where each character is portrayed by a different instrument of the orchestra!

CDs and MP3s

Maestro Classics CDs and MP3 downloads are great for learning more about instruments of the orchestra! Check out the one for Peter and the Wolf.

It includes an activity guide/booklet.

Resources and Games for Learning the Instruments of the Orchestra

• Musical Instrument Notebooking Pages

See a Free Preview Download below.

• Instrument Families Printable Set

• Meet the Instruments Bingo

• Musical Instruments Booklet

• Meet the Instruments from SQUILT

• Instruments Busy Bag

• Learning about Musical Instrument Families

• Here’s a Free Orchestra Lapbook

Download the “Musical Instrument Notebooking Pages” free sample here!

Related posts:.

• 15-Minute Music Lesson about Instruments Around the World
• 10 Easy-to-Make Homemade Instruments
• Good Things Homeschoolers Miss Out On & What to do About It

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The Instruments of the Orchestra: 5 New Ways to Teach and Learn

• October 15, 2022

The instruments of the orchestra. We all teach about them at some point in elementary music class. But what is the BEST way to teach about the instruments of the orchestra? Usually we show some pictures of instruments and talk about which instrument family each instrument is in. But what if you could take it deeper and really experience the instruments of the orchestra?

Let’s take a deep dive into some new and fun ways to experience the orchestra and all its instruments!

How Many Instruments Are In the Orchestra?

I’m glad you asked! (My students do every year). The fact of the matter is that there is no specific size for an orchestra. But the average orchestra ranges in size from 80-100 players.

What Are The Instruments of the Orchestra?

There are 4-5 main families of the orchestra – strings, brass, percussion, percussion and keyboard. Within each of these families there are some standard instruments – as well as some fun extras. Which instruments appear at the orchestra on any given day depends on which pieces are being played and which instruments the piece calls for.

A great way to cover all the instrument families of the orchestra and the standard instruments within each family is by dedicating a unit to teaching the instruments of the orchestra at some point in the year.

The Instruments of the Orchestra Song

One really helpful way to teach your students about the instrument families of the orchestra is through a song. And guess what? I have just the thing! The Instruments of the Orchestra Song has helped my students remember the traits of each family for years now.

Here is a demo of the Instrument Family Song , as well as some of the ways that I use it in my classroom.

Now that we have a catchy song, let’s see what ways we can really experience each family and its instruments. I try to do a mix of all of the strategies we are about to discuss in my Instruments of the Orchestra Lesson Plans .

The Best Way To Teach About the Instruments of an Orchestra is Experiencing Them

See the instruments.

Obviously, as we teach about each instrument, we want a visual reference that students can see. Posters or PowerPoint slides can be very helpful.

But if you have the resources available, it makes a much bigger impact if students can see the actual, real, live instrument in their classroom. I promise you, they will remember it better than just a picture.

Having a worksheet or workbook to fill out information about each family as they learn can be very helpful too, since it is something they can take with them.

Sort the Instruments in the Orchestra by Family

Sorting instruments is a little higher level than just naming them. It is the next logical step that really tests students’ understanding of each instrument family.

Instruments of the Orchestra Worksheet

Using a worksheet can be good for a final assessment. But let me share with you some other ways to sort instruments. These non-worksheet examples are especially great for when students are still learning the information. It allows them tons of fun practice with friends as they are getting familiar with each family of instruments.

Instruments of the Orchestra Game Ideas

There are tons of games you can play. I love Football Frenzy, from Music Madness by Artie Almeida , where you kick a football and sort using helmets. You can create click and sort PowerPoint games. Or create your own endless versions of games.

• Flip and race – flip a card. Race to place it in the correct family bucket. First team to sort all their cards correctly wins.
• Instrument Safari – grab a butterfly net and try and collect all the instruments from your team’s family before time runs out
• Four Corners – Teacher shows an instrument. Students go to the corner of the correct family.
• Instruments of the Orchestra Matching Game – have students do a memory matching game or even Go Fish to get familiar with different instruments and their families.

The possibilities are endless!

Sorting Cards

Want something a little more calm and less competitive? I highly recommend using instrument sorting cards . I have students pair up and sort instruments by family after we have learned about each one. A lot of great discussions happen and it isn’t as high pressure, which helps students who are still learning.

These sorting cards are included in the Instruments of the Orchestra Lesson Plans .

Listening to the Instruments in the Orchestra

I often forget to spend time sharing what each instrument sounds like. I think this is really important. Music is auditory, after all. If we want students to be able to listen to a song and know what instrument is playing, they have to be exposed to it.

Here is a resource I found online that is a quick way to share short clips of each instrument playing.

Inside the Orchestra – Play Woodwind and Strings

Inside the Orchestra – Play Brass and Percussion

Another way to expose your students to each instrument family is to play and move to songs that feature specific families.

In my Instruments of the Orchestra Unit , I made sure to have a piece featuring each of the four main families.

Think – brass quintet music, or string ensemble pieces, or a woodwind ensemble. All lessons are enhanced when you can get kids moving, and here you can move and learn at the same time.

Try out an Instrument

Another amazing experience you can give your kids is doing an instrument petting zoo. Talk to your local feeder middle school or high school, or maybe you can even get your local symphony to come out.

This is a great way to get students to really interact with the instruments and foster a lifelong love of music. Your feeder program will love it!

If you have never heard of an instrument petting zoo, check out this blog post explaining what it is and how to put one on at your school

Create Your Own Instrument

A great culminating activity at the end of your unit on the orchestra is to have students create their own instruments and explain which family they are in and why. What a fun way to get students to prove their knowledge!

You can pull out all your crafting supplies and have them make physical instruments. OR you can brainstorm an imaginary NEW instrument on a worksheet and have them present to their group.

Visit the Orchestra

Okay, so this is a bonus one. It really makes an impact when you can take all the things you have been learning about and then go out into the real world and see musicians playing the instruments at a professional level all together.

I know a lot of districts have programs to visit their local symphony and participate in a children’s concert. If you already have that in place, then you are all set.

If not, do a quick google search and see where your closest symphony is. See if they do any children’s performances and if you could take a field trip to go and see a show.

Don’t have a symphony around? Have them travel to the high school band or orchestra for a performance. Don’t have money for the transportation to the orchestra? Try writing a grant! There are lots of opportunities out there for kids to experience music at a high level if you just look around.

Teaching the Instruments of the Orchestra Made Easy

If all of this sounds great, but you need something FAST, consider my 9-week Instruments of the Orchestra Unit . You get nine weeks of lesson plans, visuals, games, movement, worksheets and more, all ready to go.

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Hi, I'm Erin!

I am an elementary music teacher, blogger and mom on a mission to make teaching and lesson planning easier for you. When I’m not working, you can find me at home enjoying life with my husband, daughter and two cats.

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Advanced sight-reading practice.

Get students practicing sight reading using their ears, voices, and instruments.

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Band Directors Talk Shop

The First Four Weeks: Successfully Starting Your Beginning Band Students

The first four weeks of beginning band (or orchestra) are a pivotal time to develop relationships, expectations, and lay the ground work for a successful start to playing, creating, and performing. When I think about this month, three areas I focus on are creating music and sound immediately, building a collaborative atmosphere, and giving students tools they can apply when they begin playing.

Creating Sound

The first days of school can become monotonous as students attend class after class learning new syllabi and classroom procedures. While developing classroom procedures is, of course, important in a music classroom, I like to get students making music immediately. Start by teaching basic rhythm: whole notes, half notes, quarter notes. I write these rhythmic combinations on large flash cards and rotate through them at the beginning and end of class. It is an effective “bell ringer” and also a great way to take advantage of even the last minute of class. Students can practice clapping and counting with a metronome, or spice it up by playing a popular song with a regular tempo and meter in the background to act as a more enjoyable metronome.

Collaboration

Once students are assigned sections, building relationships can establish a community that will foster growth once the playing begins. I incorporate numerous activities including human knots, name games, and more. One game starts with students standing in a circle and tossing a ball of yarn to each other until it forms a net connecting every student. As you throw the yarn, students can practice names or share an exciting event from the summer. Once everyone is connected with the yarn it serves as a great metaphor for an ensemble. If one or two members of the band drop their yarn, other members have to pull back to tighten the web, carrying the weight of their colleagues. Countless team building exercises exist and most exhibit some parallel to the rehearsal or ensemble situation.

Preparation

In a heterogeneous band classroom, the first day of playing can, and will, be madness. The days leading up to it are packed with tips that I give in hopes that most of the students will be able to recall them when we begin playing. I have always found it incredibly helpful to break students into sections and have them read and take notes on the first pages of their method books that cover details such as instrument care, assembly, posture, and formation of the embouchure. Then students collaborate to give a presentation to the band about their instrument. During their presentation to the class, I step in with helpful tips (i.e. correctly attaching a reed, lining up bridge keys, steps to holding the trombone) and correct misunderstandings. On the first day of playing, students already have many of the basic skills needed to get started, which means you start making music sooner.

Knowing your students, anticipating struggles, and front-loading information will enable a successful start for your beginners. Consider what you want your students to know and be able to do in December or May, and plan backward all the way to their first day. With an organized plan tailored to you and your students, a successful first four weeks and year will be inevitable!

Be sure you download this EXTENSIVE handout with tons of great information! Midwest Clinic Handout and Resources 12.22.2017

Kelley Gossler is currently the Director of Bands at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago Public Schools. She previously taught for four years at Westinghouse College Prep in CPS where she established the instrumental music program. While at Westinghouse, she was the recipient of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Grant and Ted Oppenheimer Teacher Incentive Grants. She is currently a member of the Northshore Concert Band where she plays clarinet . Kelley earned her master’s of music in wind conducting at Northwestern University and bachelor’s of music education at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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/    News Posts    /   Creating Effective Ensemble Substitute Lesson Plans

Substitute Lessons That Are Effective, Relevant, and Timely

By NAfME Member Peter J. Perry, D.M.A.

I do not know a teacher who does not LOATHE writing substitute lesson plans—or has the anxiety of what to look forward to when they return from their absence. The disruption to everyone’s schedule, as well as the unknown variables (e.g., substitute competence, unusual behavior issues, etc.) all make most teachers reticent about leaving their classes. With this said, as teachers (with real-life obligations) we all have to be absent—whether it is a professional meeting, your or your child’s illness, or a sewer back-up into your home (I’ve had all four). There are valid, appropriate reasons not to be in school, and your absence should not (if properly prepared) negatively affect your program or the instruction of your students.

iStockphoto.com | valentinrussanov

“Lessons” Not “Plans”

Yes, “plans” is a shortening of “lesson plans.” There is, however, a distinction for those prepared for a teacher absence. The “plans” left for a substitute tend to be a plan to keep students busy and out of trouble. Students see through this, and very quickly identify this as a “free day” and do not take the plans seriously. If, however, we remember the first part of the name, “lesson,” and are conscientious about creating “lessons” that help meet the instructional goals we work toward normally in the ensemble class, their validity and relevance will be obvious to students, and the expectation for completing them is not only reasonable but part of the overall process. This also needs to be part of the expectations you set with your students prior to your absence and at the beginning of the year.

Use the Tools You Have

Over the last year and half, we have lived in a world where we were not physically “there,” but through technology, still interacted and instructed our students through synchronous and asynchronous teaching. This lived experience (and the skillsets we developed through it) should make substitute lesson creation an effectual byproduct of this experience.

These tools/strategies include:

• One-to-One technology ratios – Every student has a device
• Learning Management Systems (LMS) – Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoolology
• Music Apps – Notation programs, Digital Audio Workstations
• Recording Features on Devices – Chromebook recording or via smartphone
• YouTube and other streaming content

Students have experience with these tools and have been using them over the past year to learn. The missing component for making these truly effective was the teacher’s ability to make a regular “in-person” connections with students. You can now take advantage of the best of both—the technology AND provide the in-person context needed to help students make conceptual connections. Together, these can help you craft substitute lessons that are effective, relevant, and timely.

What Makes a Good Substitute Lesson?

Many of the components that make a good substitute lesson align with those that make an in-person lesson effective.

iStockphoto.com | tumsasedgars

These include:

• Make the lesson relevant to the ongoing instruction. Make sure it helps work to achieve the ensemble’s instructional goals.
• Tailor the lesson assignments to the time you will be out. For example, do not assign a multiple-day project to students if you are out for one day. Conversely, make sure you do not under-assign for the time either.
• Utilize student leaders when appropriate.
• Make your lesson executable by even the most incompetent or untrained substitute. Yes, sadly we have all had these helpful, but woefully unprepared individuals supervise our students. Hopefully, however, with the strength of a good lesson and the support of student leaders, you can carry these poor souls across the finish line.

Common Mistakes and Barriers to Effective Substitute Lessons—and How to Avoid Them

Depending on the circumstance of your absence, sometimes haste or lack of planning can make that absence a void in the students’ instruction. Two typical mistakes teachers make include: leaving a YouTube video that has no connection to instruction or inundating the students with tedious “busywork” that again has no connection to what happens normally. In both cases, these are disjointed from “normal” instruction and the instructional goals of the ensemble.

In your preparation, try to conceive a way for students to continue to do what they would have done if you where there. For example, if a rehearsal of specific repertoire was going to be the plan, how can students get the same or similar experience when you are not there? One obvious solution is to get a music substitute who can run a rehearsal. These, however, can be difficult to find and or book for your absence. Another idea, could be to have students pair up, rehearse, and perform a short (16 measure) selection of the repertoire. Prior to the conclusion of class, they video themselves via their device (Chromebook, phone, etc.) and submit via your LMS (e.g., Google Classroom, Canvas). You can add a self-assessment piece if you want. This keeps students performing and focusing their attention on perfecting a small, but doable piece of the music. Additionally, by working with another ensemble member the student gains an understanding for other ensemble parts within the group as well as uses their ensemble performance skillsets. I call this lesson “Do IT.”

Other Ensemble Substitute Lesson Ideas

• Sectionals – This requires that you teach student leaders how to run effective sectionals and ensemble students how to participate properly in them ahead of time. When done correctly, sectionals put the onus of improving on the students themselves. Additionally, many students enjoy the leadership role and responsibility these provide.
• Skill Assignment – Being careful not to make this “busywork,” identify and focus on a particular music skill (i.e., music theory, ear training, sight reading). Craft a lesson that allows students to work on the skill individually on their device with an app like Musictheory.net that can be submitted and assessed in the LMS. Explaining how this lesson fits into the ensemble instruction is key to making it relevant to students.
• Listening Assignment – Focused listening for information is a skill that NEEDS to be developed. Create a guide to HOW and WHAT to listen to in a piece of music. Have students use the guide to listen to and reflect on a relevant piece of music (something that connects to what is being performed by the ensemble, a good ensemble model, another piece by a composer you are performing the work of, etc.) Craft this reflection as a way for students to make connections with their prior knowledge and experience as well as how to affect their future performance. Talk about some of the ideas expressed by students at the next rehearsal or engage in a brief pre-rehearsal discussion about what they listened to. Again, this prevents the “busywork” label from being used.

iStockphoto.com | Digital Vision

Creating effective ensemble substitute lesson plans can be challenging. Keeping the instructional goals of the ensemble at the forefront when creating them will help with this. Using technology to facilitate these will also help. I outline these ideas as well as many other ways to use technology in ensemble teaching on my website: www.peterperrymusic.net and in my book Technology Tips for Ensemble Teachers published by Oxford University Press. Feel free to check them out.

About the author:

Dr. Perry is a strong advocate for music technology usage in the large ensemble. His doctoral dissertation, “ The Effect of Flexible-Practice Computer-Assisted Instruction and Cognitive Style on the Development of Music Performance Skills in High School Instrumental Students ,” focused on how the practice software, SmartMusic™, and the cognitive styles of field dependence and field independence affect musical performance skill development. His book, Technology Tips for Ensemble Teachers , published by Oxford University Press, is the first text to specifically outline technology use and instructional strategies using technology in the large Ensemble.

He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory, as well as a Master of Music Degree in Music Education-Instrumental Conducting Concentration, and a Bachelor of Science Degree-Instrumental Music Education, both from the University of Maryland. While at the University of Maryland, Dr. Perry was awarded the prestigious Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship in Music.

In 2006, Dr. Perry received a Japan Fulbright fellowship and participated in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. In 2009, Dr. Perry received the Presidential Scholar Teacher Award. In 2019, he received the Brent Cannon Music Education Alumni Achievement Award from Kappa Kappa Psi, recognizing outstanding contributions to secondary music education. In October 2019, he took a group of student musicians to Yilan, Taiwan to perform in the Yilan International Arts Festival, representing the United States (the third American ensemble in the festival’s history). He is an active guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, lecturer, author, composer, and performer.

Follow Dr. Perry on Twitter: @peterperry101 or at www.peterperrymusic.net .

Did this blog spur new ideas for your music program?  Share them on Amplify!  Interested in reprinting this article? Please  review the reprint guidelines .

The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides are number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.

October 21, 2021. © National Association for Music Education ( NAfME.org )

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October 21, 2021

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October 21, 2021. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)

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Teaching Music Outside the Box

• Dec 25, 2022

How to Create Band Lesson Plans to Engage Students on Multiple Levels

Updated: Jan 4, 2023

Creating band lesson plans for beginning band and even 2nd year band members can be a challenge at times. Band typically lends itself to direct instruction (or basically lecturing), but what if I could tell you that there are many activities you can add to your beginning band lesson plans to create active learning. These activities are easy to use and implement in almost any setting.

Beginning Band Games

Playing beginning band games can get kids excited and embrace that competitive fun atmosphere that the band rehearsal lends itself to (this can be external or internal competition depending on how you deliver the game).

Mess up Stand Up

This beginning band games is pretty simple and a ton of fun to include in your band lesson plans! It doesn’t take much to implement this into an already planned lesson. This is also great for the last 5 minutes of class activity. Here are the rules:

Everyone plays a section of the beginning band music - it’s ideal that it’s the same line or melody so that it can be more fair. But you can also try and implement this with concert music and select a section that everyone plays in. I would keep it at 8 measures or so.

Everyone plays at a reasonably slow tempo (I normally start at 70 bpm).

As you play through the music selection, if a student plays the wrong pitch, rhythm, misses a rest, doesn’t cut off, etc - they MUST stand up and stop playing. They become officially out of the game.

If there are still people sitting and playing at the end of the beginning band music selection, you bump up the tempo.

I normally go 20 bpm more each time. So, after each round and there is still multiple people sitting, you keep bumping up the tempo.

Ultimately, there should be one person left standing which means they won!

TIP: Now, if you want it to be more internal reflection, have the students try to remember how many rounds they made. Then give them the night to practice and see if they can beat their record. Do the same exact line the following day and have them analyze their progress after the second time doing the game. My kids love this game.

This beginning band activity essentially has the students go down the line in a row and play a song a measure at a time. For example, the first student will play the first measure of the line, then the 2nd measure will be played by the 2nd person, etc. This is very easy to incorporate into your band lesson plans, specifically doing it after learning a line and needing to review the concept of phrases.

If you are only doing 8 measures and you have more than 8 students, have the kids continue to repeat the line.

If you mess up, you start over - but don’t make it a big deal and try not to lose tempo.

THE GOAL: Keep tempo and make the transition from one student to the next as seamless as possible.

Why is this a good activity?

Train really forces the kids to listen to others and not just focus on themselves. This is obviously an important skill to have when playing beginning band music. Constantly listening and evaluating to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Classroom Management and Morale

Beginning Band classroom management with 30 kids or 100 kids can be overwhelming while they are holding $1000’s of instruments. So, keeping them accountable and helping build community is SO important and easy to put into your lesson plans.

Affirmation Wall

Allowing beginning band students to encourage others is important in a lot of ways. Giving them a way to do so without distracting others during a lesson can also help class run smoothly while also keeping students aware of others.

I have done an Affirmation Wall in my classes and categorized for each instrument. Flutes get their own poster, trumpets get their own posters, etc.

On the posters, I put Library Card Envelopes for each kid and label it with their name. This provides a space for encouraging words.

I have an envelope dedicated to blank pieces of paper for students to grab whenever they want to compliment another student on a job well done.

This leads into a conversation of HOW to actually write a word of encouragement - specific, positive and kind. These should be VERY SPECIAL moments to congratulate, not moments of typical behavior. So, make sure to be clear on your expectations of what going above and beyond should look like to receive a note of encouragement.

We also talk about there are going to be times you might not get a note that week, and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean you didn’t do well. Not everyone will get notes all the time.

When a student gets done writing an encouraging note, they put it in my “mailbox”, it’s literally a tin container labeled mailbox (nothing special).

From there, I review the notes to make sure they are positive and kind, I either initial them or stamp them (this lets the receiving student know that I have reviewed the note).

Kids love finding new notes the next day and boosts the band community, which I love.

I normally tell the kids when they want to write something to wait before or after class to collect the blank paper and write the letters (it’s not really a class time activity).

I have had so many kids be uplifted by these notes. I even write notes myself and place them in the envelopes throughout the day if I see something extraordinary. If you want some already made slips of paper that are organized for this project, just click the button below to access it.

Bathroom and Water Breaks

We have all been there before with kids CONSTANTLY interrupting our lessons to go to the bathroom or needing a water break. They either walk up in the middle of your band lesson plan to ask this question (mind you, you’ve already set procedures for this but they don’t seem to stick).

Bathroom Breaks

Using sign language in the beginning band classroom can be a HUGE lifesaver. A simple hand gesture can make the transition seamless with very little interruption. I have my students sign the letter “T” and shake it a little side to side, instead of raising their hands and asking.

Your Response

You can continue to teach and nod your head if you approve. It’s simple but an amazing classroom management tool. If you need the kid to hold on a minute, it’s a simple hand signal for “wait a minute”. But remember to always go back to the kid and let them know they can go when there is a break to do so. This small gesture of coming back to them gives them a reason to trust you and to be seen. It might seem silly, but it can be a big deal to a kid.

Fun Ways to Test Your Students

Tests can be a scary time for a kid, but if you give fun aspects to the test, it’s a great way to get them engaged and to make sure they are prepared to show off their skills.

The Wheel of Misfortune

Another part of band lesson plans is having to take playing tests for a beginning band games. “The Wheel of Misfortune” was actually dubbed by a former student of mine. I never liked the concept of band kids being told what line they are being tested over a few days before the test…because all they practiced was that one line. So, I made up the Wheel of Misfortune to give kids more to practice for the test, but the test is still only going to be roughly 8 measures instead of an entire age in the method book (which would take awhile).

Rules to Wheel of Misfortune

Normally, my classes can get through an entire method book page with beginning band music in roughly a week. So, I say that we are testing over lines 1-5 (for example) but they will only get 1 of those lines to play for the test.

I tell them the test plan a few days before the actual test - this gives them several days to go practice the lines at home before the test.

On test day, I have my students line up at the smart board and spin the wheel that states lines 1-5.

When they spin the wheel they are selected to play only one line. I write their numbers down on a piece of paper so I can keep track of it.

I give them a few minutes to practice their line before the test.

I go down the row and they play the lines that they were assigned for their playing test.

TIP: Make sure the lines are the same difficulty level. If there is a line on the page that is WAY more difficult than the other lines, don’t put that in the line up.

Digital Spinners:

www.wheeldecide.com

www.wheelofnames.com

www.spinnerwheel.com

Have a Testing Apparel Item

When I do tests in the beginning band classroom, I make sure I have a testing item that I wear. Mine was a “testing tiara”. You read that right. I bought a Dollar Tree tiara and wore it everyday there was a test. It was a great reminder to the kids and it was a great way to let the kids have some fun seeing me look ridiculous. You can also have a testing tie or a testing t-shirt - but make it something really bright and colorful or funny so the kids can immediately recognize what it is that you are wearing.

I hope these tips for an effective band rehearsal helps in your beginning band lesson plans for the future! Let me know if you ave any other beginning band games to add to this list, because I know there is a lot!

For more, make sure to sign up and subscribe to my website for more helpful tips and tricks in the classroom! Teaching Music Outside the Box is here to help!

If you are looking for more resources for your music classroom or band classroom, please feel free to visit my other blog posts below!

5 Incredibly Easy Middle School Music Games for the Classroom

3 Fantastic Music Activity for Kids in Middle School

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As you scroll down this page you will have the opportunity to download a FREE PDF outlining (in much greater detail than we can do here) a series of music lesson plans devised for Middle and High School music classes designed to take a student from a situation in which they have no functional knowledge of music theory to place where they have a "joined up" knowledge of note naming , intervals, scale construction and how scales and chords allow us to understand keys

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A complete Music Theory Course in 12 Lesson packs

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Classroom, Online and Distance Learning Packs

In response to the changing ways in which many of us have been forced to teach in recent times some of the classroom resources have been compiled into a series of distance learning packs designed to take students from a "standing start" to a situation where they understand note names, intervals, scales, chords and keys

The packs (one of which you can download FREE from this page) come down as single multi-page PDF documents covering the following topic areas....

Pack 1: Note Names 1

One "Explainer" and three worksheets on naming notes correctly. The first worksheet covers the notes to be found under the white keys of a piano while the other two introduce the sharp and flat notes located under the black keys

Download and print a FREE PDF of the Note Naming "Explainer" Document shown

You can use and distribute the "explainers" during the course of your classroom lessons You can also put them on the wall of your music class room and direct students to them during lesson/workshop sessions

The materials on this site (worksheets "explainers" etc) can also be uploaded to school or college systems so that students can download them to their own devices for home study or revision sessions

• Click to download the music theory "explainer" on note naming shown above

Pack 2: Note Names 2

This pack is designed to reinforce and develop the principles covered in the first pack. It contains the "explainer" again and two more worksheets on note naming. The aim is to have our students be able to name any note on the keyboard without having to refer to the "explainers" It should be stressed that "knowledge is no good if it stays on the paper" When our students can name notes correctly then they are ready for study of whole and half step intervals

• Click to download a FREE note naming worksheet

Get an answer sheet for the note naming worksheet above

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Free download pack 3: whole and half-step intervals 1.

An "explainer" and two worksheets looking at whole-step and half step intervals that students will need to understand before they can construct Major and minor scales. As well as being required to graphically recognise and represent individual notes learners are then required to provide the names of notes a whole or half step above or below the one that they originally identified. You can download this pack as a freebie to let you see the quality of our materials and to see where they may fit into your own teaching practice

Download and print this Music Theory Teacher's Pack Free!

To give you an idea of how simple the learning packs are to use you can download the above pack free. Our full download contains 11 more of these learning packs as well as answer sheets for all of the exercises

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Pack 4: Whole and Half-Step Intervals 2

Another copy of the explainer and two more worksheets to support this crucial aspect of learning how music theory works. When students develop an understanding of whole-step and half-step intervals they are ready to combine the sequence of those intervals that go to make up any major scale

Pack 5: Major Scale construction 1

A Major Scale "Explainer" and two worksheets that build upon the knowledge of note naming and a learner's understanding of intervals to create Major Scales

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Pack 6: Major Scale Construction 2

The explainer and two more worksheets designed to ensure that learners can construct any Major Scale

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Pack 7: Minor Scale Construction

The minor scales "Explainer" and two worksheets looking at the (different) sequence of whole-step and half-step intervals that will allow our students to identify the notes in any minor scale

Pack 8: Major and Minor Chords 1

Two "Explainers" (one each for Major and minor chord construction) and a worksheet looking at the difference between Major and minor chords

Pack 9: Major and Minor Chords 2

The Explainers again and two more worksheets designed to reinforce knowledge of Major and minor triads

Pack 10: Chords and Keys (Diatonic harmony) 1

An "Explainer" and two worksheets related to it that look at all of the chords (built from the same Major Scale) that can be found in a particular key. This is the first of three learning packs that look at the principles of Diatonic Harmony

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Pack 11: Chords and Keys 2

Pack 12: chords and keys 3.

The final pack with four more worksheets looking at the diatonic system

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Answer Sheets for All Of The "Early Stages" Worksheets

Above you can see some of the answer sheets that come as part of the download dealing with all of the topics from note naming through whole and half step intervals, Major Scales, Major and minor triads and how those chords combine to give us keys. They are ideal for homeschool and distance learning situations

The First High School Music lesson Plan

The "The "Rules" of Note Naming Explained

Below you can see the student handout that you can download to go along with this introductory music theory lesson. The PDF also (along with our other handouts-rather than worksheets) makes a great "quick reference" wall chart for your music teaching room

• Free Music Theory Explainer on Note Names Ideal for distance learning

Why study note naming first?

This introductory music lesson plan is concerned with having High School music students develop the ability to Name Musical Notes Correctly because........... "If our students can not assign note names correctly then they will be unable to develop a functional knowledge of music theory"

Getting "The Basics" Right

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"The subject is more important than the syllabus

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High School Music Theory Lesson Plans Topic 1:

Correctly Naming Musical Notes

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• Click to download 25 pages of FREE Music Theory Lesson Plans (shown above) that start from the very first lesson

The free worksheet that you can download from the link above concerns itself with helping students become able to identify any of the white (natural) notes on a piano keyboard. Of course we also have a whole range of similarly themed sheets in our "one click download" that cover the choice of note names involved in keys other than C Major where notes found on the black keys are involved

The worksheets and Handouts in action

Musical note naming lesson plan and an invaluable free "explainer" to download, "big idea no 1".

White Notes can be assigned only a single note name using the alphabetic sequence from A to G

"Working from the known to the unknown" was all the rage when I was going through teacher training and its still a great way to "demistify" subjects like music theory. Your music students will be secure in their knowledge of the alphabet from A through to G and they can use this to understand the absolute basics of music theory

"Big Idea No 2"

Black notes can be given one of two names determined by the white notes that are to be found at either side of them. They will soon get used to the idea that if you can use the names of the white notes to provide you with a choice of names for the black ones.

"Big Idea No 3"

You will always find a note of C immediately to the left of any grouping of two black keys on a keyboard.

Divide the lesson into two parts

I find that an effective way to have students progress with this material is to divide the session into two sections. During the first part of the lesson worksheets are distributed and students are required to fill them in with access to the "note naming handout" shown above.

I then collect the worksheets in and take a quick look at them. The reality is that just about everyone will get them all right (not a waste of time though as its a great way to build confidence)

Knowledge of Music Theory is no good if it stays on a piece of paper!

After taking a quick look at the completed worksheets(and because I love a bit of theatre!) I get the group's attention and then tear up the worksheets that they have just completed in front of them (sometimes this can create genuine outrage - its fun).When the grumbling has died down it provides an opportunity to discuss the notion that "The knowledge is no good if it stays on a piece of paper?".

We are not trying to create a situation where people can find things out if they need to in order to fill a worksheet in (we already have google for that?).

During this lesson we are trying to ensure that by the end of it our students are capable of assigning a name (or potential choice of names) to any note on a piano keyboard

• Download the note naming "explainer" Ideal for distance learning

Click the box above to download a free handout (or music classroon wallchart) designed to help you to get the message over to your students

Using the "explainers" alongside our worksheets to "really" get the message across to our students

Below you can see a graphic that shows how our worksheets can be used along with the "explainers" to take students from a "standing start" with regards to music theory to a situation where they can confidently assign the correct name (or choice of available letter names) to any note. This is the ideal start to any study of music theory

Download and print over 400 Music Worksheets to use year after year for less than the cost of a single Paper Based Textbook

Music theory lesson plans topic 2:.

Whole and Half Step Intervals

Making Music Theory "stick"

The "explainers" are a great way to introduce and reinforce knowledge and theoretical principles. They work well on their own but work better when combined with worksheets as part of a structured program of study

• Download the intervals explainer shown above

Other intervals can and should be introduced later

Music Theory Lesson Plans for High School Topic 3:

Using Whole and Half Step intervals to construct the C Major Scale

Above you can see the free "explainer" document alongside some of our worksheets designed to help students to become capable of defining the letter names of all of the notes that combine to make up any major scale.

• Download the Major Scales "explainer" Ideal for distance learning

A Music Theory "Game Changer"

Below is a more detailed image of the PDF that will hopefully give you an idea of how it is designed to work in a classroom (or distance learning) situation. The "Explainer" allows students to progress to the point where they can identify the notes in any specified Major Scale and from there to develop an understanding of how all Major Scales (no matter how many sharps or flats are floating around in them) follow the same sequence of whole-step and half-step intervals. I have found this knowledge to be something of a "game changer" for many of my classroom or instrumental students.

When they realise that something that they often regarded as being illogical and way too complicated for them to get to grips with is actually "just a bunch of simple maths and the first seven letters of the alphabet" it can lower their resistance to all things theoretical and provide a great "way in" to the more involved and conceptual side of music

Music Theory Lesson Plans Topic 4:

Using the formulae learned for the C Major scale to construct other Major Scales

Music Theory lesson Plans Topic 5:

Using Major Scales to Costruct Major Chords

Having mastered the theory underpinning the construction of major scales it is a relatively simple step to help our students to identify the construction of a Major triad using the Root (first) third and fifth notes of the C major Scale to produce the C Major Chord? From this point is should be relatively simple to make our students see that if they can find the notes of the relevant Major scale then they can construct any Major chord?

Music Theory Lesson Plans Topic 6:

Constructing Minor Scales

Music lesson plans topic 7: minor chords.

Music Theory lesson Plans Topic 8:

Chords within the c major scale.

Music lesson Plans Topic 9:

Chords in other keys.

Music lesson plans Topic 10

Understanding key signatures.

Music Theory Lesson Plans

Its not just about music theory though......

Before we dive into the music theory stuff now is a good time to look at the reality of the situation facing classroom music teachers. The modern music classroom is a very diverse environment compared with the way things used to be and it can be a better than good idea to be prepared to meet your students "on their own turf" which is more often than not located in "Popular Music" forms rather than the more traditional genres typical of the (fairly recent) past

The links below look at materials that we have as part of our download looking at Popular Music Song Forms and the common problem of convincing guitar players to engage with music theory

A look at a lesson on Pop Music Song Forms with a bunch of video links and handouts/worksheets that you can use at any time during the school year

• teaching how pop song form works

Getting through to guitar players can be tricky. The materials on this page can help them to see the value of developing a good working knowledge of music theory

• How to get Guitar Players "into music theory"

Now lets get back to the structured study of music theory. The most important thing to remember is that in order to understand the subject the topics must be presented in the "right" sequence

Download and print more than 400 Music Worksheets to use year after year for less than the cost of a single Paper Based Textbook

• Click For Complete List Of Contents

High School Music Lesson Plan Templates - North Carolina

Description

Streamline your planning with these easy to use editable lesson plan templates. Works for Band, Orchestra, Chorus, or General Music.

This set includes:

• NC High School Beginning Music PDF Lesson Plan Template
• NC High School Intermediate Music PDF Lesson Plan Template
• NC High School Proficient Music PDF Lesson Plan Template
• NC High School Beginning Music Advanced PDF Lesson Plan Template

Each Template Includes:

• An editable PDF with fill-able form fields for ease of use
• Each grade level includes common vocab, materials and assessments selectable with radio buttons and check boxes for speedy planning
• For the North Carolina educators, the second page includes all of the relevant essential standards that can easily be selected with check boxes for each lesson
• Easily share, print and email to your principals

For even faster and more efficient planning, check out our lesson plan hacking video: see it here.

These templates work great with the 36 week long range planner template available from the Busy Band Director TpT store.

Be sure to check out our other bundles and products @ The Busy Band Director

Follow The Busy Band Director for updates on new products, sales, and freebies! (Just click the Black Circle Logo at the very top of our TpT store.)

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment and earn credits towards future purchases from any TPT store!

Copyright© 2019 The Busy Band Director

All rights reserved by author.

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only. Not for public display.

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Sample Lesson Plans

These less on plans are based around a selection of easy-level jazz band charts with additional resources including practice tracks and recommended listening. The charts were written by members of the Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Field Band and are available for free download .   

• See If I Don’t
• Synonomic Bossa
• Walnut Creek

Middle School Band: Tools and Techniques for your Middle School Band Classroom

Junior High Band: Survival Tips and Instructional Material for Junior High and Middle School Band Directors

Jazz Pedagogy for Music Educators -by Patrick Brown

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