Back-to-School Music Lesson for K–2: Teach Fundamentals with How to Speak Moo
If you’re looking for the perfect first music lesson of the school year for kindergarten through second grade, look no further than How to Speak Moo by Deborah Fajerman. This lesson is everything an elementary music teacher could hope for—engaging, movement-rich, easy to implement, and packed with the core music concepts we need students to master early on.
Whether you’re a brand new teacher or a seasoned pro, this is a must-try for your back-to-school lesson lineup!
Watch a Full Video Walk-Through Here~
Let’s Get Started
Why How to Speak Moo Works So Well for the First Week of Music
Instead of diving straight into abstract terms like “forte” or “staccato”, How to Speak Moo lets students feel the music first. Through silly, imaginative storytelling, students experience musical opposites like:
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Loud and soft (forte vs. piano)
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High and low pitch
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Smooth and bouncy articulation (legato vs. staccato)
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Following a conductor (with your hand gestures!)
It’s fun. It’s interactive. And it sets a foundation for all the music learning to come.
A Lesson That Teaches Music Literacy Through Movement
As you read through the story, each kind of “moo” becomes a musical moment.
🎵 A trampoline-jumping cow? That’s staccato.
🎵 A mellow moo while cows watch TV? That’s piano.
🎵 A cow on a rowboat? Gliding gently—that’s legato.
🎵 A loud moo across the valley? Yep, that’s forte.
With each new “moo,” students are watching your hands, responding in real time, and exploring the musical conceptwith their voices and bodies. It’s sneaky learning at its best—no boring lectures, just movement and connection.
Teach Conducting & Listening Skills from Day One
One of the most important skills in music education—especially for your youngest students—is learning to watch. This lesson introduces conducting in the simplest and most effective way:
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Hands up? Students wait.
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Hands down? Students respond with the correct “moo.”
It’s a game, but it’s also a key tool for classroom management and musical responsiveness.
Ready-to-Use, Flexible, and FUN!
You can use this book as a single lesson, or stretch it across two days. I love pairing it with scarf movement (jumping for staccato, gliding for legato) and popsicle stick rhythm practice to round out the class.
It’s especially perfect for back to school because:
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It’s low prep
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It’s high-impact
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It builds classroom expectations
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It introduces music terms through experience
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It gets kids laughing, moving, and bonding with you!
Grab This Lesson- Plus Our Entire Curriculum For One Free Month!
Want a Free, Done-for-You Lesson Plan?
I’ve created a complete, printable lesson plan for How to Speak Moo, and you can grab it completely FREE!
It includes:
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A full step-by-step teaching sequence
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Vocabulary reinforcement slides (forte, piano, legato, staccato, pitch)
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Classroom management tips for “moo or don’t moo”
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Optional extension activities for rhythm review
Perfect for:
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Kindergarten Music Lessons
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First Grade Music Fundamentals
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Second Grade Music Review
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Orff-Schulwerk & Kodály-Inspired Classrooms
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Teachers building a movement-based curriculum
Let this be your go-to back-to-school lesson for building musical vocabulary and classroom culture—all in one. Your students will be “mooing” with purpose and you’ll have laid the foundation for a strong music year ahead!
Final Thoughts~
How to Speak Moo isn’t just a cute back-to-school book—it’s a powerful tool for introducing your youngest students to the building blocks of music literacy in a way that’s joyful, memorable, and movement-based. When students get to feel what forte, legato, or high pitch means through their own voices and bodies, they aren’t just learning—they’re experiencing music in a way that sticks.
Whether you’re starting your very first year or looking to refresh your beginning-of-year routine, this lesson will set the tone for a musically rich, well-managed classroom. And the best part? It’s fun for both students and teachers.
Here’s to a year full of movement, music, and mooing with purpose!
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