Activities for Music in Our Schools Month

These suggestions were contributed by MENC members from around the United States.

---

• Make a "Music Month" calendar.

• Play appropriate music as students arrive in the morning and at lunch time.

• Suggest students dress for different eras of music.

• Sponsor a poster or poetry contest. Posters and poems should support music in our schools and revolve around the current year's theme. These can be judged by individuals from outside the school.

• Ask students to draw their favorite musical instrument. A variation might be to have students design an instrument of the future.

• Bring in homemade instruments for "show and tell."

• Include a "musical touch" in the morning announcements. For example, have a mystery tune each day or a trivia question about music, with MIOSM prizes for the winner.

• Have students list ways in which music is a part of their everyday lives. Have them compare lists with friends and family members.

• Take a field trip during MIOSM to hear a local college group, community chorus, or orchestra, or invite such a group to perform at your school.

• Present faculty members with MIOSM buttons and ask that they wear them every day during March.

• Take advantage of MIOSM events and the WLC to teach students about concert etiquette.

• Present students with lapel stickers to wear during the WLC broadcast.

• Have a talent show emphasizing music. For example, tell a story, a joke, or read a poem about music. Be sure to also include traditional acts of singing, playing instruments, etc. Invite the parents. Choose a winning act from each class and hold a winners' assembly.

• Collaborate with the art teacher and have students design posters, banners, and buttons featuring the MIOSM theme.

• Collaborate with your school's history or social studies departments to create special cross-curricular activities based upon the theme of the concert or the pieces being performed.

• Plan an all-school sing.

• Invite teachers in your school to sing along with the WLC. Better yet, create a teacher chorus to perform at an MIOSM concert. Teacher instrumental ensembles would be great, too.

• Take the WLC activities to a local senior center or hospital and invite everyone to participate in the sing-along.

• Invite local TriM students or collegiate MENC members to participate in your MIOSM plans through performing, teaching, games, and discussions.

• Ask students to cut pictures of music and musicians out of magazines and create a musical collage to hang in your classroom(s).

• Ask the lunchroom to rename lunch items with musical themes. Examples: Polka Potatoes, Harmonic Ham Sandwiches, Fruit Cup Forte, Piccolo Pizza, etc. Students will enjoy coming up with these fun names.

• Place music education messages on local marquees.

• Ask the local radio station if your group can record PSAs for the WLC.