Music is a creative outlet that many teachers use to help students express themselves and bolster self-esteem. During COVID-19, music educators face the difficult task of achieving these goals from a distance. To help, we compiled ten incredible resources for music teachers that are sure to keep students musically inspired and engaged through remote learning.
Please refer to the icon next to each resource to see the targeted grade levels.
Musicplay
Musicplay provides a variety of interactive lessons, activities, and games about musical concepts. This website makes it easy for teachers to show students how to label beats and rhythm, name solfa notes, and teach about the elements of music in an exciting way! Each week, the site adds new activities, printable worksheets, and resources for music teachers. Full access to Musicplay is currently free to the public without needing a subscription.
► Access Musicplay here.
Noteflight Learn
Noteflight Learn is a music-writing platform used to create, edit, view, and share professional music notation, specifically for educational purposes. This site can help students with writing, formatting, adjusting audio levels, recording, performing, and sharing scores of their original creation. Furthermore, Noteflight Learn allows teachers to give personalized feedback and score student assessments. This application integrates well with online learning management systems like Google Classroom, Blackboard, Canvas Schoology, Moodle, and more.
Through June 30th, Noteflight Learn is free for all educators and students. During this time, the typical 60-day demos are extended to assist students and teachers with the software and give them prolonged access to content libraries. Not to mention, the site features many resources to support distance learning, including webinars, tutorial videos, lesson plans, and tips for getting started.
► Complete a Noteflight Learn demo request form here.
Little Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock provides free musical instruction and professional development ideas to music educators. Throughout school closures, this site is offering materials for music teachers such as song-based lessons, instrument lessons, and video series.
In addition, the Little Kids Rock team is posting online lessons to their YouTube channel, covering various musical topics every day at noon EST. Site visitors can also view their “Jam Zone” video series of music lessons and games. Other helpful resources include virtual instruments, concert streams, musical game sites, and distance learning aids.
► Visit Little Kids Rock here.
Prodigies
Prodigies boasts more than 450 instructional videos, lesson plans, games, and activities. This program makes it fun for students to learn how to sing in tune, play their first instrument, and understand music language. Meanwhile, it provides educators with worksheets, lesson plans, sheet music, and colorful video lessons. Check out their YouTube channel for a collection of free videos, and sign up for a 21-day free trial to see if Prodigies is a good fit for you and your students.
► Begin a Prodigies free trial here.
SmartMusic
SmartMusic educates students about rhythm, sight-reading, and other key music concepts. Music teachers can use this site to assign practice exercises and songs, monitor individual student progress, and provide feedback on assignments. Users can search for music by category or skill level and can choose from more than 50 instruments – from the guitar to the xylophone.
Teachers and students impacted by COVID-19 school closures can now acquire a free Premium All-Access subscription through June 30th. Teachers can simply sign up for free access and invite their students to join a class. Additionally, SmartMusic offers free webinars and online courses to anyone looking for assistance while navigating remote learning.
► Obtain a free SmartMusic subscription here.
Solfeg.io
Solfeg.io interactively teaches students how to play instruments and helps them understand how music works. This platform showcases the melody, chords, and rhythm of popular songs in real-time and provides hands-on experience. Solfeg.io can be used with any available instrument, and there is no limit on class size. Solfeg.io is free for all schools for the rest of the school year, offering many lesson plans and exercises for at-home instruction.
► Create a free Solfeg.io account here.
Chrome Music Lab
Chrome Music Lab is a fantastic tool for music exploration and experimenting with various rhythms, chords, sound waves, harmonics, piano rolls, arpeggios, and more! Users can turn to the song maker for guidance or assemble original musical creations utilizing recordings from live instruments. Chrome Music Lab can also be used to make connections between music and science, math, and art with various activities – check out these Chrome Music Lab lesson ideas for inspiration!
► Visit Chrome Music Lab here.
The Shed
The Shed offers free tutorials, resources, and videos for students and teachers during remote learning. The site includes rhythm worksheets, guitar practice pages, play-along lessons, and other materials for general music study. Furthermore, you can check out free music lessons hosted on their Youtube channel and informative blogs listed on their website.
► Visit The Shed here.
Soundtrap for Education
Soundtrap for Education is a music creation platform that incorporates the latest STEAM curriculum. At any skill level, students can produce music with access to more than 400 instrument sounds, non-music sound effects, and loops – or they can mix in their own recordings. Teachers can create an invitation-only group for their classes and check-in remotely, add new assignments, comment on student progress, and check on project status. Not to mention, this application integrates with Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Noteflight, MusicFirst, and Canvas Schoology.
Due to school closures, Soundtrap for Education has extended the standard 30-day trial to 90 days. To support educators adjusting to distance education, they are providing free webinars, training, and virtual office hours. Educators can also find a collection of ideas, lesson plans, rubrics, and other beneficial resources. To get free access, create a school trial account and follow the steps in the Getting Started Guide.
► Create a Soundtrap school trial account here.
Alfred Music
Alfred Music is a music publishing company that supports music education by supplying quality method books, performance sheet music, and reference materials for students and teachers. This site offers piano, band, orchestra, vocalist, digital, and general music resources. All materials can be broken down by grade, skill level, or subject. Curricular music books, links, and additional resources for music teachers are available for free during school closures. Make sure to check out the free Alfred Music publications, which are accessible through SmartMusic until June 30th.
► Access free Alfred Music content here.
Music is a powerful force that can enrich students’ lives and education in many ways. Above all, we hope these resources for music teachers help you navigate online instruction and enhance your students’ experience at home. For additional online education support, check out our other blog posts:
• 10 Resources for Art Teachers During COVID-19
• Distance Education Resources for K-12 Teachers