These free middle school music lesson plans cover grades 5 to 8: meter and conducting for 5th grade, primary chords on keyboard, writing a film-music leitmotif, and the 12-bar blues. Each 50-minute plan has objectives, a timed outline, differentiation, assessment and National Core Arts Standards codes, plus links to free Classfern tools for the board.
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
UKUSWorks in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, quarter note, staff) and US grades; the UK version uses bar, crotchet, stave and UK year groups. · UK version of this page
Key facts
4 lesson plans of 50 minutes: grade 5, grade 6, grade 7 and grade 8.
Middle school general music standards (grades 6–8) in the National Core Arts Standards are written for each grade, e.g. MU:Pr4.2.8b.
Time signatures: the top number is how many beats in each measure; the bottom number is the kind of beat (4 = quarter note).
12-bar blues in C: C C C C | F F C C | G F C C (I I I I | IV IV I I | V IV I I).
C blues scale: C E♭ F F♯ G B♭.
What should a 5th grade music lesson include?
A 5th grade music lesson should include a quick warm-up, one new skill (such as reading a time signature or building a chord), a longer hands-on part where students sing, play or compose, and a short performance. Fifth graders can read standard notation, sing in parts and compose short pieces, so give them real choices.
50-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.
Time
Part
What happens
0–5 min
Warm-up
Pass a clap round the circle on the beat; then only the first person of every group of three (or four) claps loudly.
5–15 min
Feel the strong beat
Play the waltz and march patterns. Pupils stamp on beat 1 and tap on the other beats. Which one has three beats in each measure?
15–25 min
Conducting
Teach the patterns: in 2 (down–up), in 3 (down–out–up), in 4 (down–in–out–up). Conduct the class singing a familiar song.
25–40 min
Compose
Groups of four write 8 measures of body percussion (stamp, pat, clap, click) in 3/4 or 4/4, with stamp on beat 1, using quarter notes, eighth notes and rests.
40–50 min
Perform and check
Groups perform; the class conducts along and decides: in 3 or in 4?
Differentiation
Support: Give a grid with the beats numbered; one sound per beat to start.
Stretch: Try 6/8 (two groups of three) and compare with 3/4.
Access (IEP and 504 ideas): Use the visual beat on the metronome; allow seated body percussion.
Assessment
Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Group piece: steady beat, clear beat 1, accurate rests (each 1–3).
Self-assessed “I can conduct in 3 and in 4.”
Standards links
MU:Cr2.1.5b – Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal rhythmic, melodic, and two-chord harmonic musical ideas. (verified: false)
MU:Pr4.2.5b – When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation. (verified: false)
Lesson 2: Primary chords on the keyboard
Grade
Grade 6 (ages 11–12)
Time
50 minutes
Focus
Chords I, IV and V in C major, and a bass line on the root
Learning objectives
Find C, F and G major chords on a keyboard with the right hand (fingers 1, 3 and 5).
Play the root of each chord with the left hand as a bass line.
Compose an 8-measure chord sequence in C major using mainly I, IV and V.
Resources
Keyboards (one between two) or the on-screen keys in the falling-notes piano.
50-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.
Time
Part
What happens
0–5 min
Warm-up
Find every C on the keyboard (the white key just left of the group of two black keys). Play C major five-finger scales.
5–15 min
Build the triads
Root, third, fifth: C E G, F A C, G B D. Play each as a block chord, then broken.
15–25 min
Add a bass
Left hand plays C, F or G (the root) on beat 1 while the right hand plays the chord.
25–40 min
Compose
Pairs write an 8-measure sequence (e.g. I IV V I | I IV V I) that ends on I, then play it with the jam track.
40–50 min
Perform
Pairs perform; the class listens for the ending – does it sound finished?
Differentiation
Support: Play one-finger chords (just the root), or use the C chord shape only.
Stretch: Add A minor (vi) for I V vi IV, then add a simple melody in the right hand over the left-hand chords.
Access (IEP and 504 ideas): Colored stickers on C, F and G; pair with a supportive partner.
Assessment
Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Keyboard performance: accurate chords, changes in time, ending on I (each 1–3).
Evidence kept at home The written chord sequence in the pupil’s book or folder.
Standards links
MU:Cr1.1.6 – Generate simple rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrases within AB and ABA forms. (verified: false)
MU:Pr6.1.6a – Perform the music with technical accuracy to convey the creator’s intent. (verified: false)
Lesson 3: Film music – write a leitmotif
Grade
Grade 7 (ages 12–13)
Time
50 minutes
Focus
How film composers use leitmotifs, major and minor, and the elements of music to create character
Learning objectives
Explain what a leitmotif is.
Use pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre and major or minor to give a character a musical identity.
Compose and perform a hero and a villain leitmotif.
Resources
A short film clip with no music, or two character pictures.
Keyboards or tuned percussion.
The “Hear it” buttons below the plans: major chord and minor chord.
Lesson outline
50-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.
Time
Part
What happens
0–5 min
Starter
Play the major chord and the minor chord. Which suits a hero? Which suits a villain? Why?
5–15 min
What is a leitmotif?
A leitmotif is a short musical idea linked to a character, place or idea. Richard Wagner used them in his operas; film composers such as John Williams use them in film scores. Listen to a famous film theme and spot when it returns.
15–35 min
Compose
Pairs write two motifs of 4–8 notes: a hero (major, rising, bright, louder) and a villain (minor, low, slower, with a tritone or half steps). Note them as letters or on the staff.
35–45 min
Perform to picture
Play each motif when the character appears in the clip. Change one element (tempo or dynamics) when the character is in danger.
45–50 min
Plenary
Which choices made the villain sound like a villain? Use three music words.
Differentiation
Support: Give a starting motif to vary; limit to five notes.
Stretch: Transform the hero motif: play it in minor, slower and quieter for a sad scene.
Access (IEP and 504 ideas): Offer a graphic score (shapes for high/low and long/short) instead of letters.
Assessment
Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Leitmotif rubric: clear character, uses at least three elements, performed as written (each 1–3).
Self-assessed “I used major/minor, pitch and tempo on purpose.”
Standards links
MU:Cr2.1.7a – Select, organize, develop, and document personal musical ideas for arrangements, songs, and compositions. (verified: false)
MU:Re7.2.7a – Classify and explain how the elements of music and expressive qualities relate to the structure of contrasting pieces. (verified: false)
MU:Cn11.0.7 – Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life. (verified: false)
Lesson 4: The 12-bar blues
Grade
Grade 8 (ages 13–14)
Time
50 minutes
Focus
The 12-bar blues chord pattern, a walking bass and improvising on the blues scale
Learning objectives
Play the 12-bar blues in C: C C C C | F F C C | G F C C.
Explain swung rhythm and a walking bass.
Improvise a short solo using the C blues scale: C E♭ F F♯ G B♭.
Resources
Jam tracks with a blues or swing beat and the progression C7 C7 C7 C7 F7 F7 C7 C7 G7 F7 C7 C7.
Keyboards, ukuleles or tuned percussion.
The “Hear it: C blues scale” button below the plans.
Lesson outline
50-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.
Time
Part
What happens
0–5 min
Starter
Listen to a blues recording. Count the bars of one verse: there are 12.
5–15 min
The chord pattern
Write the 12 bars on the board with Roman numerals: I I I I | IV IV I I | V IV I I. Everyone plays the roots (C, F, G) with the jam track.
15–25 min
Walking bass and swing
Swung eighth notes are long–short, not even. A walking bass moves on every beat, e.g. C E G A for chord I.
25–45 min
Improvise
Half the class keeps the chords and bass going; the others take turns to improvise for 4 bars using the C blues scale. Start with only three notes: C, E♭ and G.
45–50 min
Plenary
Where does the blues come from? (African American communities in the southern United States, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.) Name one thing you heard in a classmate’s solo.
Differentiation
Support: Play roots only, once per bar; improvise with two notes.
Stretch: Play seventh chords (C7 = C E G B♭); add a riff that repeats over the changing chords.
Access (IEP and 504 ideas): Number the bars on a large grid; let pupils point along while others play.
Assessment
Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Ensemble: chord changes in the right bars (1–3); improvisation uses the blues scale and fits the beat (1–3).
Self-assessed “I kept my place in the 12 bars.”
Standards links
MU:Pr4.2.8c – Identify how cultural and historical context inform performances. (verified: false)
MU:Cr1.1.8 – Generate rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrases and harmonic accompaniments within expanded forms. (verified: false)
Hear it
Sounds for Lessons 1, 3 and 4, played by the browser.
What is taught in middle school general music?
Middle school general music usually covers reading and writing notation, keyboard and guitar or ukulele skills, composing (often with software), music from different cultures and times, and music in media such as film and games. Students also learn to describe and evaluate music using its elements.
Grades 6–8 are a good time to connect music lessons to music students already know: film themes, game soundtracks and popular songs often use the same chords (I, IV, V and vi) and the same devices (riffs, ostinatos and leitmotifs) as the pieces in these plans.
What is a leitmotif?
A leitmotif is a short musical idea – a few notes, a rhythm or a chord – that stands for a character, place or idea and comes back whenever it appears. The composer Richard Wagner made the technique famous in his operas, and film composers use it all the time.
Composers change a leitmotif to tell the story: the same notes in a minor key, slower and quieter, can show a hero in trouble.
What are the chords of a 12-bar blues?
A 12-bar blues uses three chords: I, IV and V. The standard pattern is I I I I | IV IV I I | V IV I I. In C major that is C C C C | F F C C | G F C C, often played as seventh chords (C7, F7 and G7).
Many blues songs swing (long–short pairs of eighth notes) and the last bar often turns around to V to lead back to the start.
All four plans are free on lessonplanner.info to print and adapt for your own classes, with no sign-in and no ads.
