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Jazz, Blues, and Music For 3rd-5th Grade at Home

17 Activities

More from this collaborator

Grades 3 - 5

23 Hours 45 Minutes

Categories: Arts, Literacy

Overview

This Playlist prompts younger children to learn and perform music and dances at home.

The Blues 1: Lyrics

Arts, Literacy

The Blues 1: Lyrics

3 - 8

1 Hour

This activity is Part 1 of 2 in a series on The Blues. Take learning further with "The Blues 2: Chords" activity.

The blues are an accessible, poignant style of jazz that can act as a powerful tool for processing our experiences and emotions. By learning the basic lyrical structure of blues songs and writing their own lyrics, students share and reflect on an event, decision, or choice they made in their lives.

Discover Activity

The Blues 1: Lyrics

Arts, Literacy

The Blues 2: Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Blues 2: Chords

3 - 8

1 Hour

This is Part 2 of 2 in a series on The Blues. Start first with "The Blues 1: Lyrics" activity for a more holistic learning experience.

In this activity, students create a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning - the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Discover Activity

The Blues 2: Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

3 - 8

2 Hours

Students create lyrics and a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning; the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Discover Activity

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Bees Knees

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

The Bees Knees

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students learn four basic Charleston steps through an instructional video. Then as a group, students add their own twist on this classic dance.

Discover Activity

The Bees Knees

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

What’s Your Sound, What's Your Story

Arts, Literacy

What’s Your Sound, What's Your Story

3 - 8

3 Hours

By studying existing soundscapes, students identify the sounds most common to their lives. Students then recreate these sounds using objects found within the program space.

Discover Activity

What’s Your Sound, What's Your Story

Arts, Literacy

The Meaning of Music

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

The Meaning of Music

3 - 8

1 Hour

Through improvisational games, students identify music's ability to transcend language barriers when conveying emotion and experience. Students use this insight to create Sound Skits - or stories told only through sound.

Discover Activity

The Meaning of Music

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

Space and Time

STEM, Arts

Space and Time

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students practice moving through a subdivided space, a space which simultaneously represents fractions and musical notes. This practice allows students to witness firsthand both equivalent fractions and rhythm. Students then create their own unique rhythmic patterns.

Discover Activity

Space and Time

STEM, Arts

Tuning Up

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

Tuning Up

3 - 8

3 Hours

Students are introduced to several musical instruments through various hands-on activities. They begin to connect instruments to their sound. Students put this knowledge into practice by creating an album cover which matches a jazz style.

Discover Activity

Tuning Up

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

Generational Angst

Arts, Literacy

Generational Angst

3 - 8

2 Hours

Using the same set of questions, students explore reactions to different musical genres. Students use the responses to uncover similarities with peers and older generations through two comparison diagrams.

Discover Activity

Generational Angst

Arts, Literacy

Creative Loops

STEM, Arts

Creative Loops

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students experience the process of performance-feedback-revision through the construction of a sound-producing, Rube Goldberg machine. Students learn how the loop helps musicians improve their craft.

Discover Activity

Creative Loops

STEM, Arts

Jamming with Musicians

Arts, Literacy

Jamming with Musicians

3 - 8

1 Hour

This lesson provides a structure and framework for a visit with a local jazz musician.

Discover Activity

Jamming with Musicians

Arts, Literacy

Making Waves

STEM, Arts

Making Waves

3 - 8

3 Hours

Students use everyday objects to learn how to create and manipulate sound. They practice a Design Process through the construction of musical instruments.

Discover Activity

Making Waves

STEM, Arts

Making Instruments for a Music Jamboree

STEM, Arts

Making Instruments for a Music Jamboree

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students investigate how musical sounds are produced, and then adapt everyday materials to create a unique musical instrument to play in a whole-group jamboree of a familiar song.

Discover Activity

Making Instruments for a Music Jamboree

STEM, Arts

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Dance! Dance! Dance!

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students learn dances ranging from ballet to the party favorite, the electric slide.

Discover Activity

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Choreograph Dance Moves (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Choreograph Dance Moves (Grades 6-8)

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students work together to choreograph and perform a freestyle dance.

Discover Activity

Choreograph Dance Moves (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Lion Dance

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Lion Dance

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students explore how animal movements can inspire dance. They watch a short film of the Chinese Lion Dance, and then design an animal dance of their own.

Discover Activity

Lion Dance

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Dance, Music, and Rhythm (Grades 3-5)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Dance, Music, and Rhythm (Grades 3-5)

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students put their hands on their bodies and on the floor in front of them to tap out rhythms. They also use paper cups and pieces of thick paper to create more sounds. This activity shows that music and rhythm can be created anywhere and at any time, with no special equipment necessary.

Discover Activity

Dance, Music, and Rhythm (Grades 3-5)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Jazz, Blues, and Music For 3rd-5th Grade at Home

More from this collaborator

Jazz, Blues, and Music For 3rd-5th Grade at Home

Grades 3 - 5

23 Hours 45 Minutes

Overview

The Blues 1: Lyrics

Arts, Literacy

The Blues 1: Lyrics

3 - 8

1 Hour

This activity is Part 1 of 2 in a series on The Blues. Take learning further with "The Blues 2: Chords" activity.

The blues are an accessible, poignant style of jazz that can act as a powerful tool for processing our experiences and emotions. By learning the basic lyrical structure of blues songs and writing their own lyrics, students share and reflect on an event, decision, or choice they made in their lives.

Discover Activity

The Blues 1: Lyrics

Arts, Literacy

The Blues 2: Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Blues 2: Chords

3 - 8

1 Hour

This is Part 2 of 2 in a series on The Blues. Start first with "The Blues 1: Lyrics" activity for a more holistic learning experience.

In this activity, students create a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning - the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Discover Activity

The Blues 2: Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

3 - 8

2 Hours

Students create lyrics and a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning; the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Discover Activity

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Arts, Literacy

The Bees Knees

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

The Bees Knees

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students learn four basic Charleston steps through an instructional video. Then as a group, students add their own twist on this classic dance.

Discover Activity

The Bees Knees

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

What’s Your Sound, What's Your Story

Arts, Literacy

What’s Your Sound, What's Your Story

3 - 8

3 Hours

By studying existing soundscapes, students identify the sounds most common to their lives. Students then recreate these sounds using objects found within the program space.

Discover Activity

What’s Your Sound, What's Your Story

Arts, Literacy

The Meaning of Music

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

The Meaning of Music

3 - 8

1 Hour

Through improvisational games, students identify music's ability to transcend language barriers when conveying emotion and experience. Students use this insight to create Sound Skits - or stories told only through sound.

Discover Activity

The Meaning of Music

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

Space and Time

STEM, Arts

Space and Time

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students practice moving through a subdivided space, a space which simultaneously represents fractions and musical notes. This practice allows students to witness firsthand both equivalent fractions and rhythm. Students then create their own unique rhythmic patterns.

Discover Activity

Space and Time

STEM, Arts

Tuning Up

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

Tuning Up

3 - 8

3 Hours

Students are introduced to several musical instruments through various hands-on activities. They begin to connect instruments to their sound. Students put this knowledge into practice by creating an album cover which matches a jazz style.

Discover Activity

Tuning Up

Arts, Digital Media and Communications

Generational Angst

Arts, Literacy

Generational Angst

3 - 8

2 Hours

Using the same set of questions, students explore reactions to different musical genres. Students use the responses to uncover similarities with peers and older generations through two comparison diagrams.

Discover Activity

Generational Angst

Arts, Literacy

Creative Loops

STEM, Arts

Creative Loops

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students experience the process of performance-feedback-revision through the construction of a sound-producing, Rube Goldberg machine. Students learn how the loop helps musicians improve their craft.

Discover Activity

Creative Loops

STEM, Arts

Jamming with Musicians

Arts, Literacy

Jamming with Musicians

3 - 8

1 Hour

This lesson provides a structure and framework for a visit with a local jazz musician.

Discover Activity

Jamming with Musicians

Arts, Literacy

Making Waves

STEM, Arts

Making Waves

3 - 8

3 Hours

Students use everyday objects to learn how to create and manipulate sound. They practice a Design Process through the construction of musical instruments.

Discover Activity

Making Waves

STEM, Arts

Making Instruments for a Music Jamboree

STEM, Arts

Making Instruments for a Music Jamboree

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students investigate how musical sounds are produced, and then adapt everyday materials to create a unique musical instrument to play in a whole-group jamboree of a familiar song.

Discover Activity

Making Instruments for a Music Jamboree

STEM, Arts

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Dance! Dance! Dance!

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students learn dances ranging from ballet to the party favorite, the electric slide.

Discover Activity

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Choreograph Dance Moves (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Choreograph Dance Moves (Grades 6-8)

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students work together to choreograph and perform a freestyle dance.

Discover Activity

Choreograph Dance Moves (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Lion Dance

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Lion Dance

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students explore how animal movements can inspire dance. They watch a short film of the Chinese Lion Dance, and then design an animal dance of their own.

Discover Activity

Lion Dance

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts

Dance, Music, and Rhythm (Grades 3-5)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Dance, Music, and Rhythm (Grades 3-5)

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students put their hands on their bodies and on the floor in front of them to tap out rhythms. They also use paper cups and pieces of thick paper to create more sounds. This activity shows that music and rhythm can be created anywhere and at any time, with no special equipment necessary.

Discover Activity

Dance, Music, and Rhythm (Grades 3-5)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

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Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.

Library

CategoriesCollaboratorsExploreAll ActivitiesAll Collections

Community

Our StoryTeam MizzenEventsThe Mizzen Minute

Engage

NewsroomContact Us

Account

Sign InCreate an AccountMizzen for TeamsPrivacy PolicyTerms of Use

Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.