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Are your tween and teen students getting bored with the same old music practice activities and lessons? Shake things up a bit with new music activities for middle schoolers to reinforce theory skills and keep class as engaging as ever. From music games for middle school to music escape rooms (yes, it’s a real thing!), we’ve got everything you need to keep the joyful sounds going.
Musical Warm-Ups for Middle Schoolers
If your middle schoolers (and you!) are getting tired of the tried-and-true warm-ups, find some more entertaining ways to get them in the musical mood. These warm-up activities coordinate with National Music Education Standards (NAfME) to get students involved in music from the moment class begins.
- Call and Response: Choose a musician to play or sing a few bars, then have the rest of the band play it back. Repeat until everyone is on board.
- Student Conductor: Invite one student to conduct warm-up scales for the band or choir at any speed they want (and the musicians have to follow!).
- Breathing Hisses: Practice taking in enough air with sections of singers or wind players by taking a breath, then “hissing” it out for as many beats as they can.
Scale up your musical warm-up exercises
Mix up the way you get voices and instruments warmed up with a variety of exercises to start the music period. Whether it’s scales, arpeggios, or another choice, you’ll get the class started with dulcet tones much faster than gathering everyone’s attention first.
Intermediate Warm-ups | Middle School Concert Band Major Scale Warmups
By Classroom Composers
Grades: 7th-9th
Subjects: Instrumental Music, Other (Performing Arts)
If your middle school musicians have moved past beginning-level exercises, these intermediate warm-ups are just what you need to scaffold their skills. Warm-ups in concert Bb, Eb, F, Ab, and C encourage students to work on long tones, rhythm reading, and key signatures they’ll need.
Music Games for Middle School
From planning post-performance class periods to finding ways to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month, games are always a popular option in music class! Use these music games for middle school indoors or outdoors to reinforce musical concepts and get students working together in an entertaining way.
- Music Staff Twister: Put down five lines of duct tape as a staff on the classroom floor or outside on the ground, call out a note, and see which students get to the right spot on the staff first.
- Guess the Song: Play the first eight notes of popular or classical songs (or songs students have performed before) and see which group can guess it the fastest.
- Create an Instrument: Challenge students to invent the best instrument using materials they have with them, or a collection of materials you have in the classroom.
Use music escape rooms to teach and connect
Can your students work together to get out of the music escape room? Help them apply musical concepts and teamwork to a hilarious (and educational!) musical games option for middle school band and choir students.
Music Escape Room #2 (Teams use music theory clues to solve codes) Band, Choir
By Band Directors Talk Shop
Grades: 8th-11th
Subjects: Instrumental Music, Vocal Music
Your young musicians may not want to escape music class —until now! Set up a mystery escape room that uses music theory to solve clues. The resource is best for intermediate to advanced middle schoolers, especially if they have 2-5 years of playing experience.
Masterful Music Theory Activities
Advanced music students may need options to foster and further their musical skills. Find music activities for middle schoolers to work on music theory concepts, either in advanced music classes or toward the end of a music appreciation unit.
- Match the Note: Play a note for your class, then have them either sing or play the note they identify (bonus points if they can name the note).
- Major/Minor Skits: Encourage students to improvise a skit with a group, then change the music to a minor or major chord to have actors shift the tone of their skit.
- Music Matching: Hand out cards with different notes on a staff, one to each student, and encourage them to find groups to create a song.
Apply music theory concepts to popular songs
Your students are already music theory experts —they just don’t know it yet! Use projects based on their current favorite songs to reinforce important music theory ideas and concepts.
Soundtrack of my Life – Elements of Music Analysis for Distance Learning
By Teach from the Stage
Grades: 4th-9th
Subjects: Instrumental Music, Other (Performing Arts)
Perfect for students in band, choir, music appreciation, or middle schoolers who just love music, this resource is a fun way to incorporate music analysis with creative expression. Students create a playlist of songs that represent their personalities, along with a written component, cover art, and a complete analysis of one song on their soundtrack.
Sectional Activities for Junior High Musicians
For specialized sectional practice, you’ll need music activities for middle schoolers to work together with peers playing the same instruments or in the same voice sections. Work on these skills in concentrated ways with sectional activities and games that build confidence, camaraderie, and musicianship skills.
- Slow It Down: Master runs and tricky parts by slowing it way down, then have the singers or band members in the section play it a few times before speeding it up.
- Sectional Relays: Have one musician in each instrument or choir section begin playing or singing, then have the next person immediately take over after a few bars until everyone in the section has played.
- New Instrument Day: Pass out different instruments to each section (such as maracas or tambourines) and see if they can play their normal parts in a new way.
Get sections working on specific music skills
Not every practice has to be a full orchestra or choir rehearsal. Let sections break off and work on their own parts and skills with assigned tasks and projects specific to their instrument or voice part.
Ukulele Task Cards for the Music Room
By Aileen Miracle
Grades: 4th-8th
Subjects: Instrumental Music, Vocal Music
Put some pluck in your ukulele lesson with task cards that get kids learning — and most importantly, playing! These 64 musical task cards come in both color and black-and-white versions, and include instructions for practicing chords (C major, A minor, F major, G major, C7, G7, D major, and E major), strumming patterns, ear training, and more.
Activities for Music Class Substitute Days
When there’s a substitute teacher in music class, rehearsal may not go as planned. Have activities ready for sub days, including no-prep activities and worksheets, to keep students’ music education on track.
- Music Scavenger Hunt: Split students into groups and play several songs, encouraging groups to “find” different genres (such as jazz, classical, pop, and country).
- Favorite Song: Give students one minute to find a peer who has the same favorite song (or artist) as them. They can then spend the period either researching or analyzing the song and/or artist to determine what makes it great.
- Chord Bingo: Call out a chord and have students mark the correct one of their Bingo sheets (or play it on their instruments).
Inspire music students on non-musical days
A sub day doesn’t have to be a lost instruction day in music class. Use these ready-to-go activities and music worksheets for middle school students to keep practicing, even when their conductor is away.
Music Theory Worksheets – Music Games for Middle School Lessons & Sub Plans
By MusicTeacherResources
Grades: 5th-8th
Subjects: Instrumental Music
Do your middle schoolers love music and puzzles? Combine their interests in a music theory review challenge, which includes puzzles based on music symbols they’ve seen in class before. Use the resource on a sub day, a post-concert day, or any other time students can’t play their instruments.
50 Writing Prompts for the Music Classroom – Upper Elem & Middle Grades
By Music with Sara Bibee
Grades: 4th-8th
Subjects: Music, Writing
Bring ELA skills to music class when you incorporate these music prompts into your performing arts curriculum. Editable and adaptable for musicians of all levels, these prompts encourage students to think about their relationship with music as they complete worksheets that connect with the slides.
Make every day musical in middle school with TPT
Finding the right music activities for middle schoolers lets them stay engaged, practice their skills, and build relationships with their fellow musicians. With a variety of middle school music resources to choose from, you’ll always hit the right note! For more ideas to shake things up in music class, check out a list of music activities for elementary students that you can use as inspiration for original lessons.