You can’t have a preschool classroom without music! But if you’re a tone deaf preschool teacher like I am, putting together a music curriculum can be a daunting task.
These are some of my go-to resources for music in my classroom.
Free Music
Nancy Stewart has a hundreds of free songs available to download on her website. Each song comes with an mp3 audio file, lyrics, sheet music and most even have additional activities you can do with the children. This is my favorite resource!
What does the instrument sound like? You can hear the sounds that 100 different instruments make on this fantastic page from AAA State of Play!
Songs All Year Long
Living Montessori Now has a series of posts with links to free seasonal songs perfect for the preschool classroom.
- Back to School
- Fall
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- Kwanzaa
- Winter
- Chinese New Year
- Spring
- Summer
… and more.
Sara Mullett has an amazing collection of songs and rhymes on her Let’s Play Music website. Many of the songs come with a downloadable printable as well as an activity. But what I appreciate most is that each song/chant comes with a short Youtube video of Sara playing the tune on a glockenspiel (I think that’s what the instrument is called). You can find here directory of free songs here.
Music Curriculum
Sara of Let’s Play Music is starting to put together weekly music lesson plans for just $2.99 each using the wealth of resources on her site. If you’re too busy to plan your own, follow her blog so you can be notified when each week’s lesson plan becomes available.
Carolyn of the Magical Movement Company is a music teacher and one of my favorite Montessorian! Check out her website for lots of inspiration and if you want a fantastic, easy to follow music curriculum, you will LOVE her online course!
Songs About the World
I often get asked about my collection of children’s songs for learning about Geography. My top two resources are:
Continent Playlists
- North America
- South America
- Africa
- Europe
- Asia (South)
- Asia (Middle East)
- Asia (Far East)
- Australia
- Antarctica
Music Basics
- 14 Best Classical Music Tracks for Kids by Let’s Play Music
- Free printables to go with the Carnival of the Animals by Wise Owl Factory
- Teaching Children to Sing by Rote by Let’s Play Music
- High and Low by Magical Movement Company
- Singing with Pitch Maps by Magical Movement Company (very fun!)
- How to Tell the Difference Between Rhythm and Beat by Let’s Play Music
- Introducing the Note Family by Let’s Play Music
- Music Notation by Magical Movement Company
- How to Read Music by Let’s Play Music
- Movable Music Notes by Magical Movement Company
- Montessori Music with Rhythm Instruments by Magical Movement Company
12 Months of Montessori Learning Series
A group of Montessori inspired bloggers have been running a wonderful series this year called 12 Months of Montessori Learning. In July they focused on Music.
Living Montessori Now: As usual, Deb has a resource rich post about Montessori music inspired activities for toddlers and preschoolers. From providing a basic scope and sequence, to resources for circle time activities, to introducing classical music, she’s got you covered!
Child Led Life: Marie has a great collection of music resources on her blog: from CDs to books to free downloads and DIY tips. This is a wonderful reference for you as you start building your own collection.
Natural Beach Living: Kimberly has photos of her lovely homeschool room and music shelf. She even has a free printable of 3 part cards of photos of musical instruments.
The Natural Homeschool: Tanya has a couple of fun Montessori activities for sorting and labeling musical instrument families, along with a free printable.
The Kavanaugh Report: Nicole has a very interesting DIY xylophone work to share. Your students will love this activity!
Mama’s Happy Hive: From setting up a simple music shelf, using rhythm sticks, comparing sounds, independently listening to CDs, and playing the piano, Vanessa’s post is perfect if you’re looking for some toddler music inspiration.
Every Star is Different: Renae hits it out of the park with every blog post she writes! Check out this post for some unique ideas and free printables for your music shelf.
Grace and Green Pastures: Can’t afford the Montessori bells but really want them? Bess has a tutorial on how to make your own bells on a homeschool budget. They’re pretty remarkable!
The Pinay Homeschooler: Along with a lot of other great ideas, Jae has some free printable cards of music genres and musical instruments. They are beautiful!
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Seemi holds a Master's degree in education, and an AMS Early Childhood credential. She has twenty years of experience in Montessori as a teacher, school administrator, and school owner. Seemi is the founder of TrilliumMontessori.org.