Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM®) is a special time to celebrate the power of music in education. Whether you’re a music teacher or not, you can join in the festivities and bring the magic of music to your students. MIOSM® is sponsored by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and each year, a new theme is chosen to inspire creativity and engagement in the classroom.
Some past themes for MIOSM® have included “United Through Music,” “I See ME in Music Education,” “Music is All of Us,” “Music: The Sound of My Heart,” “Music Changes Lives,” and “All Music. All People.” These themes can serve as a starting point for designing bulletin boards that showcase the diversity and beauty of music.
Creating bulletin boards centered around music can be a fun and engaging way to decorate your classroom. You can have students write their favorite songs, artists, or musical genres on photos of themselves, showcase famous musicians, create 3-D instruments from recycled materials, or even have students create art inspired by different types of music.
In addition to bulletin boards, you can empower young musicians with “I Can” posters that highlight the many ways they can engage with music. These posters can serve as inspiration and encouragement for students to explore their musical talents and interests.
Integrating music vocabulary into your classroom can also be beneficial for students. Hanging posters around the room with musical terms and concepts can help reinforce learning and provide a reference tool for students as they engage with music in various activities.
When it comes to activities for Music in Our Schools Month, the possibilities are endless. You can practice identifying musical symbols with matching activities, reinforce beat and rhythm with music stations, solve musical escape room puzzles, sing math songs to illustrate concepts, and even write emotional reactions to music.
Games can also be a fun way to reinforce music concepts. You can play instrument bingo, review musical symbols with card games, roll dice to identify notes and rests, and more. These games can help students engage with music in a playful and interactive way.
Coloring pages can also be a great addition to your Music in Our Schools Month celebrations. You can review musical instruments with decorative coloring pages, color beautiful musical symbols and clefs, and provide students with a creative outlet to express their love for music.
Overall, Music in Our Schools Month is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the joy of music in education. By integrating music activities, games, and creative ideas into your curriculum, you can bring a new rhythm into your classroom and inspire a love of music in your students all month long.
