Introduce students to different types of musical instruments. Design a different lesson for each type of musical instrument, such as percussion, brass, woodwinds and strings. Bring in recordings of individual types of instruments and have students describe how the instrument sounds. Allow students to see and touch actual instruments. If possible, give students the chance to play different instruments and discuss which types of instruments seem easier to play than others. Use your creativity to have students create crafts related to different types of instruments. For example, two paper plates filled with beans and taped together become a percussion instrument. A shoe box with rubber bands wrapped around it becomes a makeshift guitar or other string instrument.
Play a variety of types of music for students. Many kindergarten kids have only heard popular music or whatever type of music their parents listen to. Expose children to classical, jazz, rock, country and other types of music. Take a simple song such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and play it in different styles of music. Around the holidays, play holiday songs from different countries. Introduce students to music from cultures other than their own, such as African and Asian music. A lot of cultures have children’s songs of their own that are easy to teach to children.
Every piece of music conveys a different emotion. Help students connect emotion to music by playing a variety of pieces and asking students how the music makes them feel. Explain to students that sad music tends to be slower and have them dance slowly and pretend to do a sad dance while the music is playing. Happy music tends to have a faster rhythm and higher notes, so encourage students to make up a happy dance to go along with happier pieces. Stick with simple emotions such as happy, sad and angry to teach students how music connects to emotions.
Design rhythm lessons around sounds kindergarten kids can make with their own bodies. Sing songs that require kids to clap, stomp around the room or wave their arms to a beat. Make up clapping or stomping patterns and have students imitate them. Give students an opportunity to make up their own rhythms for classmates to imitate. Once students understand rhythm with their body parts, introduce percussion instruments and explain that this type of instrument helps keep the rhythm in music. Practice making rhythms with drums, cymbals or maracas.
Introduce kindergarten kids to new music through dance. Design lessons that incorporate unique dances from other cultures. Teach students a line dance or song with special movements to perform at a school assembly or parent night. Allow children to make up their own unique dances to special songs.