Teaching the elements of music and looking for worksheets? Doodle-style notes are all the rage in science and math, but doodling notes are actually a natural choice for music classes as well – especially when you’re hoping to make music theory worksheets a little more interesting.
What are doodle-style notes?
Doodle-style notes are structured worksheets that combine pictures and words to help students record and/or review essential information on a topic. It’s a learning strategy that uses both sides of the brain, and helps students remember information.
Why use doodling notes for teaching the music elements?
Performing arts classes such as music and dance are full of specific vocabulary. Music theory (the elements of music) also have a ton of specific symbols that students are expected to know. Doodling notes are a fun and visually appealing way of reviewing these terms as well as providing a “cheat sheet” (or personal dictionary) that students can keep in their binders as a reference when they need them.
Music elements worksheets are also great for…
- Providing a useful activity for your music classes when they have a supply teacher
- Covering essential music theory from the previous grade
- A paper-based activity for music teachers who need to show more “evidence”
- Homework assignments
- Take-home packets for remote learning
- As a center activity
How to use doodle notes to teach music theory
There are a few different ways you can use doodle-style worksheets to help teach music elements. The easiest and most obvious is to use each page as a review after you have covered the topic. For example, after you’ve spent time learning about the element of rhythm, you can use the “duration” page to review students’ learning.
I have blank versions of my doodle notes for most classes, but I also make a few copies that already have the text completed for those students who may have difficulty with writing.
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