As the festive season starts to ramp up, you know that as a music educator, you will find yourself trying to navigate the unique challenge of keeping the learning alive in your music classroom.
So how do you strike a balance between the joyous chaos of end-of-year activities and the desire to engage students with meaningful musical experiences?
One way to keep the learning going is to use Christmas music in your lessons. Using Christmas music not only brings an element of silly season fun, but can also present both you and your students an opportunity for some creative learning experiences.
You know that the holiday season often brings a flurry of activities, leaving yourself with the challenge of crafting meaningful end-of-year music lessons within tight time constraints. Often as a music teacher you are not only preparing your own students for Holiday Concerts and Programs, but you yourself are often involved in other music commitments outside of school as well!
You also know that trying to maintain student engagement during the bustling holiday season can be a real struggle as both students and teachers contend with end-of-year fatigue, the excitement of the Christmas Holiday break, and for those in the Southern hemisphere, we are looking forward to our Summer Holidays. Recognizing this common challenge, this blog post has 12 fun Christmas music lesson ideas for you to try in your classroom that will ensure that the learning continues, not a movie is in sight and your students will be engaged.
12 Middle School Music Lesson Ideas for Christmas Music
Lesson Idea 1 – Christmas Carol Analysis
These listening lessons are easy to do, and the best thing is that you can use whatever Elements of Music that you have already studied in class to complete the analysis. Simply choose a Christmas Carol, choose an Element of Music, listen to the music and answer the questions – simple.
If you want to extend these lessons, try having students work independently or in small groups on a variety of Christmas Carols. Your students could then present their analysis to the class. Another way to extend this lesson is to have students develop their literacy skills and use their answers to write a paragraph about their Christmas Music analysis.
You can of course use what you have already available to you, or if you want, this Christmas Music Appreciation Bundle has the Elements of Music listening questions plus links to a wide selection of Christmas Music to study.
Link to the Christmas Music Appreciation Bundle here
Lesson Idea 2- Compare 2 Versions of a Christmas Carol – Song Analysis
Another variation on the lesson ideas above is great for your more advanced or older music students.
For this Christmas Music lesson students will compare two different versions of a Christmas Carol. Again you can try this as a small group collaboration, or as independent work. It is up to you whether you let students find their own Christmas Music to compare OR you could give them one version and they choose another version to compare the two songs.
For yet another variation, you could choose 2 songs to compare, then divide the class into 8 small groups – a group for each of the 8 Elements of Music. Students would then work together and present their group analysis to the whole class. This could easily take a couple of lessons to complete!
Below are a couple of YouTube videos that can help with Comparing 2 versions of the same song. The Harmony one is even using a Christmas Carol!
Harmony Comparison
Melody Comparison 1
Melody Comparison 2
Lesson Idea 3- 12 Days of Christmas Music Listening Challenge
If you are looking for something that might take a few more lessons to complete, then why not try the 12 Days of Music Listening Journal!
For these lessons, you could choose 12 different Christmas Carols, featuring a different holiday song each day, prompting students to answer elements of music listening questions. Alternatively, why not get your music students to curate their own list for the 12 days, creating a personalized listening journal or portfolio. This listening assignment is an easily adaptable and enjoyable activity that will not only take a few days and lessons to complete, but will certainly keep your students working right up until the Christmas holiday break.
For this Christmas Music Listening Journal you could certainly use the Christmas Music Appreciation Bundle – it has a wide selection of music that you can shoes from to create the 12 Days of Christmas Music Listening Challenge.
Link to the Christmas Music Appreciation Bundle here
Lesson Idea 4 – History of Christmas Carols
For this Christmas Music lesson idea, your students will enjoy selecting a famous Christmas Carol and researching the history behind the song. This can be completed individually or in small groups, and there is no short supply of Christmas Songs to choose from to research.
But again, you are busy this time of year, so to make it easier for you, why not try the History of Christmas Carols Color by Number activities. This is a new product that has reading passages about 8 well-known Christmas Carols, that are accompanied by a fun Color by Number activity. The students need to read the passage, then find the correct answer for each question in the passage. Each correct answer then gives the students the correct color to use for that number, then they use that number to color in the Christmas themed coloring page.
For this lesson why not have a Christmas Music playlist going in the background for the students to enjoy while they complete the reading passage and coloring worksheet. This activity will keep everyone happy – it’s low prep for you, it’s easy for the students to do while still working on some literacy and comprehension skills, and definitely will keep your Admin happy because your students are still “working” and not watching movies!
Link to the History of Christmas Carols Color by Number here
Lesson Idea 5 – Create a Drawing of a Scene from a Christmas Carol
This simple lesson does not require a lot of prep by you to get ready, plus it is great for your students who are creative and like to complete hands-on activities.
For this lesson, choose a piece of Christmas Music, listen to the song, and read the lyrics. For this, try using a Sing-Along Christmas Carols that are available on YouTube. There are a lot of different Christmas songs to use – choose what will work for your students.
Next let your students unleash their creativity by drawing a scene from the Christmas carol that you have chosen to listen and study. You will need some drawing paper, colored pencils and markers, and that is it!
This lesson would be a great activity to do before your Holiday Concert, especially if you get students to draw scenes from the songs that are in your program, then use them as part of a display for the concert.
Lesson Idea 6 – Compose Your Own Christmas Carol
For your older students, or your students who can confidently play on your classroom instruments, try getting them to compose their own Christmas Carol.
For the lyrics, try using Chat GPT to help students write the lyrics, this is always a fun exercise to do because the results are often funny and entertaining.
One way to get your students to compose a song that sounds “Christmassy” is to show them the videos that are below that explain why some Christmas songs sound like Christmas. After watching the video, students can then try using the chord progressions in their own Christmas Song.
How Christmas Music Works
What makes a song sound like Christmas
Lesson Idea 7 – Create a Christmas Music Playlist
Tap into students’ enthusiasm for technology by getting them to research and curate a Christmas music playlist for a specific purpose. This is another simple lesson that does not require a lot of prep or resources – just access to the internet to research songs and time. This is another great small group activity for students to work together to complete.
Some ideas for a Christmas Playlist include:
- School Choir performance
- Community Choir performance
- A Christmas concert
- A Christmas sing-along for senior citizens
- An Orchestral performance
- A Marching band performance
- A collection based on a particular style or genre of music
Lesson Idea 8 – Create a Christmas Music Holiday Concert Program
To extend on the previous lesson idea, have your students create a printable program for their Christmas Music Playlist.
Try using online programs like Canva, that are free for students to use. Canva has a lot of templates and graphics available to make the Christmas Program look amazing.
Or if you prefer, have your students create the program by drawing and writing it themselves.
Lesson Idea 9 – Create a Virtual Christmas Holiday Concert
Another variation on the Christmas Playlist idea is to have students create a virtual Christmas Holiday Concert.
For this students would need to be able to access YouTube videos so that they could research and add videos to a presentation or web-page using Google. Google Sites is great for this sort of lesson, there’s a lot students can do to create their own Virtual Christmas Concert.
Luke before, students could choose a particular musical style or genre to base their Christmas Concert around. This collaborative effort can be themed around instrumental music, jazz, choir, rock, or any genre of their choosing, offering a modern twist to traditional holiday celebrations.
Lesson Idea 10 – Create a Christmas Music Sing Along Program
For this Christmas Music lesson idea, channel the joy of singing by having students research, find lyrics, and compile a printable booklet or presentation for a Christmas sing-along. This interactive program, akin to Christmas Karaoke, not only hones research skills but also encourages active participation in the festive musical experience.
Lesson Idea 11 – Study Other Holidays and Christmas Traditions from Around the World
This last lesson idea will help to expand cultural horizons by encouraging students to delve into the diverse holiday traditions celebrated around the world. Try assigning different holidays or allow students to explore their own, researching songs, analyzing the music, and preparing presentations to share with the class. This inclusive activity fosters cultural appreciation and adds a global touch to your festive curriculum.
Some other Holidays that could be explored by your students are listed below:
- Hanukkah: also known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that usually falls around the same time as Christmas. It typically lasts for eight nights and days, and it commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
- Diwali: While Diwali is primarily a Hindu festival, it is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains. Known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali usually occurs in October or November. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.
- Kwanza: is a week-long celebration that starts on December 26th and ends on January 1st. It is a cultural holiday that honors African heritage in African-American culture. Each day of Kwanza focuses on different principles, such as unity, self-determination, and cooperative economics.
- St. Lucia’s Day: Celebrated on December 13th in Scandinavian countries, St. Lucia’s Day honors Saint Lucy, a Christian martyr. It is marked by processions, where a girl is chosen to portray St. Lucia wearing a crown of candles. The holiday symbolizes the return of light during the darkest time of the year.
Lesson Idea 12 – Christmas Coloring Pages
This last lesson idea is a simple one, and is perfect to use after your Holiday Concerts when everyone is tired and needs a little “downtime”.
Coloring in Christmas Themed pages is perfect when paired with some Christmas Music being played in the background. Letting your students enjoy the simplicity of coloring in and expressing the creativity through their color choices for each page is good for them and you! You get a little break, they get a break for the craziness of the silly season and everyone has a happy lesson!
If you would like some original Christmas Coloring page designs, try the 2 that are linked below.
As the festive season approaches, I hope that these 12 Christmas music lesson ideas not only promote engagement and creativity, but also provide a valuable opportunity to keep the learning spirit alive in your classroom.
Despite the hectic nature of end-of-year activities, these music lessons offer a blend of fun and education, ensuring that your music students remain active participants in their lessons before the holidays. Each music lesson idea offers you a wide variety of music skills to choose from ensuring that both you and your students carry the festive melodies and the joy of learning into the well-deserved holiday break.
Until next time
Happy Teaching
Julia from Jooya