Pyramid of Musical Greatness - A Classroom Resource for the Music Room

(Updated 6/6/2021 - New Version Added - Free update for any who've previously purchased this product!)

Overview: This product was a collaboration between myself and Dr. Missy Strong, who is the progenitor of the idea for the music room. The design process was an exceptionally fun joint effort that lasted for a number of months and culminated in the images you see here. This product is created/posted with permission from Dr. Strong. A few words from Dr. Strong on how she uses this resource:

"The Pyramid of Musical Greatness is something the students and I use to keep a positive focus for music tasks. We discuss, visualize, and work to embody what it means to “Be Musical” and all that is encompassed in that idea. Each brick of the PoMG is, from my perspective, unique and important. Though there is a sense of upward motion, it isn’t necessary to "master" one level to get to the next. 

Since my overarching goal for everything we do is to "Be Musical," all that happens in class has that goal as its focus. For example, if we are folk dancing and some get a bit too raucous, I might say “Having fun is a part of being musical, but so is being thoughtful and respectful, so make choices that reflect that.” If we are discussing music or traditions of another culture and someone says something negative or makes fun, we might talk about how being musical means we need to “Be Respectful” and/or to “Embrace Differences” or “Appreciate All Musics” or “Support Other Musicians.” I only need to ask them if what they are doing is truly helping them and their classmates get to the top of the PoMG, and often this is enough to help them quickly reset. 

No matter what specific parts we reference in a class, though, we are ALWAYS reminding ourselves to “Be Musical.” One phrase we say a lot is “Aim for the top of the Pyramid!” Having this quick way to refocus them has been really effective in my classroom and produces some fantastic conversations.

Concerning the June 2021 Update: For the past couple years, I have been on an intentional path to creating an antiracist classroom and I realized that it was time to edit some of the bricks to better reflect the changes happening in me and in my classroom. 

Since I’m talking to students more and more about speaking up and out for themselves and for others, I added “Use Your Voice” (which is also a great reference to our need to sing!) “Be Thoughtful” is something we discuss a lot: it means that we not only consider our own needs, but also those of others. We often dialogue about the importance of acknowledging and embracing differences instead of being afraid of, looking down on, or making fun of them. Finally, since we are constantly working on “Moving Joyfully” it seemed like that deserved its own place as well.

Both versions are on offer here and you are free to use them as is or create your own. I hope the PoMG not only helps your class flow better, but that it encourages lots of great reflection and discussion!"

Included:

(Updated 6/6/2021)

This download includes 8 versions of the Pyramid:

1) "Vintage" Version (actual chalk color swatches) with chalkboard background

2) "Vintage" Version with black background

3) "Dr. Strong" Version (bright/neon colors) with black background

4) "Dr. Strong" Version with chalkboard background

5) "Dr. Strong" Version with white background

6) Individual Boxes Version for Printing on 8.5 x 11 (Updated 6/2021)

7) (*New) "Dr. Strong: Version - updated blocks with black background

8) (*New) "Dr. Strong" Version - updated blocks with white background

*Update: The Updated File is a Zip and contains 2 new version, all of the individual boxes, and the 6 complete versions of the PoMG previously included. There is also a "Read Me" file to help with printing.

Use:

All files are in .pdf format and will scale to almost any size. A quick note on sizing: if you choose to print these in large scale format, I'd suggest using the black or white backgrounds as they will not pixelate when enlarged. The chalkboard background is high resolution, but will pixelate at a certain point. This product allows you to print/display the image for your music classroom.

Also note that all fonts used in this document are copyright protected. As such, it is not an editable document and should only be used by the teacher who purchases this item. Thanks for your honesty and integrity.

I hope this is helpful for you in your classroom! If you have requests or suggestions please let me know.

If you like this product, please share! Thanks for looking.

Best wishes,

brittain.adam@gmail.com

-Adam