I know I’m really behind the times on this, but I discovered Kahoot! this year, and my music classes can’t get enough of it! After I use one to review a lesson, they always ask for more. If I say I don’t have another one ready, they just ask to do the same one again!
If you don’t know the site, it’s a game-based learning platform, and it’s web-based, so there’s no app to download. You need to create an account (really fast), but it’s free to use, and it works on laptops, smartphones, and tablets. You can create custom quizzes for your students, or browse through a LOT of quizzes that other teachers have made. You can find quizzes on just about any topic, whether educational or just for fun. So if you still haven’t checked out Kahoot!, I strongly recommend you go and check it out right now.
If you’re ready to use it in your classroom RIGHT NOW, here are some of my own Kahoot! quizzes that I’ve created for my classes
This is a great one for the start of the school year. It covers the basic elements of music, terminology, and conceptual understandings about music.
This quiz covers some basics about West African drumming, with a focus on the djembe and other instruments.
This quiz comes after watching this BrainPop video and this YouTube video, which I use to introduce my fifth grade lesson on hip-hop and rap (full unit coming soon!).
This one I created because everyone around me was doing Christmas-themed “Name that tune” games, and I couldn’t find anything that celebrated the diversity of the November to February season, beyond a few token Hanukkah and Kwanzaa questions. This quiz will expand your world to different new year celebrations, Solstice, and Vesak Day, in addition to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
This is the introduction to a new unit I’m trying this year. The quiz covers some terms and characteristics of rock and pop music. There are a few questions that ask students to identify well-known riffs, the difference between pop and rock, and modern band instruments.
6. Musical form (intro) and 7. Musical form (end of unit)
These quizzes go well after an initial introduction to form and structure (the intro quiz) and a summative assessment at the end of the unit. They ask students to describe and identify common forms.
If you are looking for other ways to assess students’ learning using web-based resources, check out Easy Assessment of Musical Concepts, or consider digital exit slips.
I’m definitely going to keep making Kahoot! quizzes as I continue to develop new units, so watch this space. If you have some quizzes that you love to use, please drop them in the comments below!
Looking for a super fun way to review and assess? Energize your music class with these Kahoots! Share on X