This post may contain affiliate links, where I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through following the link at no cost to you.

 

Pirate Music Activities for Talk Like a Pirate Day

 

 

Do you celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day in your music room? It’s a super fun one that lands each year on September 19. I love being an elementary music teacher because I get to incorporate all kinds of fun and crazy holidays into my music lessons. And Talk Like a Pirate Day is one that my students and I have fun with each year. I plan lots of different types of pirate music activities for this lesson. From songs, games, instruments, and movement – I try to keep my students on their toes … or they’ll have to walk the plank! No, just kidding! 

In this post, you’ll find some great resources and videos that I use each year to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate day. You can plan your own pirate music lesson. Read on for some ideas!

 

Incorporate Children’s Literature for Pirate Day

First, I start the lesson with an exciting pirate book for my kindergarten and 1st grade classes. There are lots of great books out that will work for this lesson. I use “How I Became a Pirate” by Melinda Long. Another great one is “We’re Going on a Treasure Hunt” by Kelly DiPucchio.

 

                           

 

Most years, pirate day lands right after the K-1st grade lesson on voices – sing, speak, whisper, and shout. So, the book “How I Became a Pirate” works so well to practice voices. As I read it to my Kindergarten classes, I try to use all four voices that we have discussed. With 1st grade, I add inner voice and humming to help them practice all 6 types of voices. They love it!

 

Add Pirate Music Singing & Moving

Next, I use a little vocal explorations to get them warming up their voice and discussing high and low. I tell my students it’s like following the lines on a treasure map, but with our voices.

 

Now it’s time to get the kids up with a song and movement activity. If you look through your music curriculum, song books, or on YouTube, you should be able to find some pirate music that is just right for your students. Here are some  that I use with my K-2nd grade classes.

 

 

 

Practice Rhythmic Reading

After that, we move onto some pirate rhythm games. This early on in the school year, your students may need to review rhythmic reading. Here are some activities my students enjoy:

• Pirate Interactive Rhythm Games
• Pirate Themed Rhythm Play Along by Elementary Groove Tracks
• Pirates of the Caribbean Rhythm Play Along

 

Add Instruments to Pirate Songs

And now for my students’ favorites – adding instruments! You can have them play the steady beat or a rhythmic ostinato along with one of the videos or use any pirate song. With 1st and 2nd grade, I use this set of rhythmic ostinati to accompany another song. With younger grades, I may only use 1 or 2 parts, but with 3rd or 4th grades, I layer in one part at a time, maybe even adding a simple xylophone bordun. 

 

If you have 3rd grade classes and older, your students will absolutely love this pirate boomwhacker play-along video by musication. It is based on chords, so you might need to spend time explaining which “fish chord” each person plays on. But it is a lot of fun, and your students will be asking for it again and again! 

 

 

If you’re looking for a few more activities, here are some more pirate music activities that I use and are kid-tested:

 

 

 

 

I hope you found some of these ideas helpful in your planning. I’d love to heart from you. Connect with me on Instagram @bethsmusicclassroom or by emailing me at beth@bethsmusicclassroom.com.

If you’re looking for some more elementary music activities for the beginning of the school year, check out this post on steady beat vs. no beat.