Thanksgiving Music Worksheets: See 7 Helpful, Worksheets to engage with

See how Thanksgiving music worksheets add a dash of festive flair to your music theory centers, stations, and lesson plans. These music worksheets not only make learning engaging but also provide a fun and unique way to assess, create, and play musical instruments. A musical meal can be shared any time of year!

You might also like to see my lesson plan on the best Thanksgiving song, “Over the River and Through the Wood.” A timeless and beloved Thanksgiving song. 

Thanksgiving Rhythms

Students love collecting cards, but this time make it yummy food a-la-cart rhythm cards to collect. Keep students engaged in your music class by giving them opportunities to create music and play musical instruments. Let me show you how. 

Students collect food rhythm cards by completing Thanksgiving music worksheets. Create some festive food rhythm cards such as Honey Baked Ham, Herb Stuffing, and of course Pumpkin Pie. The music rhythm cards will have:  

• picture of the food
• name of the food
• music notes 

Music notes are written in a rhythm pattern to how the words are spoken. Just like a favorite card collection color and pictures make collecting exciting. I like to use a sidewalk chalkboard menu to place yummy clipart of food items. Students will be using these rhythms to be creative with. More on that keep reading. 

7 Thanksgiving Music Worksheets

Next, you will want to prepare the perfect holiday musical meal with Thanksgiving music worksheets. Be as creative as you want with catch names and a variety of ways to assess and teach music theory. For some classes the Thanksgiving music worksheets might be a review and other classes may be in the learning phase. 

You can easily make Thanksgiving music worksheets differentiated to fit your class needs and grade levels. I do this by adding a decipher onto worksheets or providing clues on my bulletin board for students to quickly reference. This might be poster definitions, or a music scale showing where notes are located. Here are some clever Thanksgiving music worksheets. 

A Musical Maze: A Trip to the Store

Begin by shopping for a musical Thanksgiving meal. A trip to the Store. This Thanksgiving music worksheet assesses music symbols with their name. Students collect music symbols by traveling through a maze at the grocery store to find their way out. As they travel through the maze the circle music symbols that they pass by. After shopping, students match the symbols they circle with the name of the music symbol.  

Bass or Treble: Set The Table

Once the shopping trip is complete, it’s time to Set the Table! This Thanksgiving music worksheet is best for upper elementary music students. It is a clever way to see if they understand note names on the treble and bass clef. Dinner plates make up the perfect placeholder for a music staff and note. On either side of the plate place a treble clef and on the other side of the plate add a bass clef. Include the note name under the dinner plate. Students must circle the correct clef sign. 

Note Reading: Dish it Up

Dish it Up Thanksgiving music worksheets also use the music staff on the plate but this time students write the correct note name. Again you can differentiate by giving students a decipher for notes on the music staff if they need it. Students are still learning to decode by searching for the note on the decipher and matching it to the note on the worksheet. You can also assess and teach both bass clef and treble clef. 

Hidden Music Symbols: Hidden Flavors

What dinner doesn’t have the best flavors? Hidden Flavors Thanksgiving music worksheet is my favorite. I loved finding hidden symbols in a picture. This is a fun and easy matching worksheet to build recognition of music symbols for younger elementary students. A Thanksgiving table with all the food and trimmings makes a delicious view to hide musical symbols in. Students of all ages enjoy finding symbols. 

Music Theory Crossword: What’s on the Menu

Once guests have arrived present, What’s on the Menu Thanksgiving music worksheets are an all-time favorite music classroom crossword puzzle. Crossword puzzles are a great assessment with hints that are creative and get students to think outside the box.  You can create a crossword puzzle with hints for anything you want your students to work on. 

• Beats of silence
• Fast like a cheetah
• One more time

Turkey Music Note Values: Feathered Friends

The main course of course is the Thanksgiving music worksheets with turkeys. Feathered Friends are perfect for adding musical notes to the turkey feathers. These worksheets are great for teaching and reinforcing note values. Students with show note value by matching the correct number with the turkeys below. There is a lot of room to tailor these worksheets for grade level and ability. 

Music Time Signature: Pumpkin or Berry Pie?

Finally the dessert! I use pies as a placeholder for time signatures. Students add up the note value for one measure and circle the correct time signature. Count two, three, or four beats for the different time signatures. 

Thanksgiving Music Worksheets – Music Menu – Create

Now that you have some fun ways to make up music worksheets! Here is how students can create and play music with the a-la-cart food rhythm cards I mentioned above. After completing a worksheet, and collecting a rhythm card student will use the cards to complete their Music Menu. 

On the Music Menu students will write the yummy food words and draw the corresponding music notes. Once they have collected 4 cards they can go to a pitched or non-pitched instrument to create their song. 

As the teacher you can determine the instruments they select to use. Set Xylophones up in a pentatonic for sounds that will blend well. Use drums to practice rhythms or set out some of your auxiliary percussion instruments: triangles, maracas, sand blocks, tick-tock, egg shakers, rhythm sticks, etc. 

Musical Variations – Small Group Music Activity

You can always make this a small group activity where students work together on worksheets or one student each completes a Thanksgiving music worksheet and collects a rhythm card to record on the menu. The small groups can play the rhythms collected together or each one plays their rhythm card. I like to give students choices and let them decide. Students often come up with creative ways to present that I would not have thought of.

 

I also use the rhythm cards without worksheets for small groups to create and play. Separate the cards into food groups: meat, vegetables, and desserts. And let small groups create their musical composition on their own. Of course, everyone enjoys a musical meal together when they polish and perform their creations for the class.  

By incorporating holiday-themed elements into your music lessons, you not only make learning more enjoyable but also create lasting memories for your students. So, grab your musical utensils and let the Thanksgiving music worksheet celebration begin! 

You can see my completed Thanksgiving music worksheets and supper cute a-la-cart food rhythm cards by clicking here.