john williams biography worksheet

Hey Kids, Meet John Williams | Composer Biography

Hey Kids, Meet John Williams

Hey Kids, Meet John Williams (1932-Present) American Composer, Conductor, and Pianist

John Williams was born in Floral Park, New York, on February 8, 1932, to John and Esther Towner Williams. He was the oldest of four children.

As a kid, Johnny learned to play the piano , cello, trumpet, trombone - and even formed a band with his friends.

When John Williams grew up, he joined the Air Force where he conducted and arranged music for the bands. When he was discharged, he enrolled in The Julliard School to study piano.

After he finished school, he decided to play piano in movie studio orchestras. His first recordings included soundtracks for the movie, South Pacific , and the TV series, Gilligan’s Island .

However, the idea of playing someone else’s music for TV shows and movies didn’t interest him for long. He wanted to compose his own music, and it wasn’t too long before he got his first big break. He was asked to compose the theme for the TV series,  Lost in Space .

His next big break came when film director, Steven Spielberg, invited him to compose music for his movies. Their first highly successful film together was Jaws . For this movie, John Williams wrote the most famous single notes next to the introduction to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. When John Williams played the music for Speilberg for the first time, he thought he was kidding. However, John Williams believed his score would be perfect. He was right, and his score earned him his second Academy Award.

Working with Steven Spielberg, John Williams went on to compose some of the greatest music ever written for film, including: Raiders of the Lost Ark , Jurassic Park , E.T. , Superman , Harry Potter , and  Star Wars , which was selected by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time.

Steven Spielberg said:

"Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly. Nor do brooms in Quidditch matches. Nor do men in red capes. There is no Force. Dinosaurs do not walk the earth. We do not wonder. We do not weep. We do not believe." John Williams is without question, "...the single most significant contributor to my success as a filmmaker."

John Williams has won 5 Academy Awards and received 52 Academy Award nominations. He is the second most nominated individual after Walt Disney.

John Williams' Film Scores

Watch a video about john williams.

Learn about American film composer, John Williams, with this popsicle stick theater presentation from the MakingMusicFun.net Academy. Print the John Williams | Free Video Music Lesson Study Guide to drill the facts.

Watch John Williams' conduct his Imperial March from "Star Wars".

Print Related Resources for John Williams

Piano and guitar sheet music.

Shark Attack! (Jaws Tribute) for Beginner Piano Solo by Andrew Fling Star Flight (Star Wars Tribute) for Easy Piano Solo by Andrew Fling Shark Attack! (Jaws Tribute) for Easy Piano Solo by Andrew Fling Shark Attack! (Jaws Tribute) for Beginner Guitar Solo by Andrew Fling

Free Online Piano Lesson for Kids

Shark Attack! (Jaws Tribute) | Beginner Piano Lesson for Kids

Hey Kids, Meet the Composer Worksheets and Games (Famous Composers)

John Williams | Film Score Music Listening Glyphs Harry Potter (John Williams) | Music Listening Glyph Worksheets Star Wars (John Williams) | Music Listening Glyph Jurassic Park (John Williams) | Music Listening Glyph Indiana Jones (John Williams) | Music Listening Glyph John Williams | Crossword Puzzle Worksheet John Williams | Word Search Worksheet John Williams | Composer Coloring Page Meet the Composer Job Application Worksheet Star Force Treble Clef Color-by-Note Worksheet Star Force Bass Clef Color-by-Note Worksheet Wondrous World of Wizards Color-by-Rhythm Worksheet Beethoven at Bat™ | Music Composer Board Game (Digital Print)

Bulletin Board Posters for John Williams

John Williams | Composer of the Month Bulletin Board Pack

Music Lesson Plans for John Williams

John Williams | Composer of the Month Music Lesson Bundle Star Wars Rap | Music Lesson Plan and Worksheet Meet John Williams | Composer Biography for Kids (Video) John Williams | Homeschool Music Lesson Plans

Bluebird Music Lessons

A directory of music lessons plans, free sheet music, and music theory worksheets for elementary music teachers and students

John Williams | FREE Composer Resources for the Elementary Classroom

American film composer, John Williams, is celebrating his 88th birthday on February 8th, 2021. If you’d like to celebrate his birthday with your music students, whether in the general music classroom or private music lessons this post should be a big help. It includes a fun little video about John Williams and links to resources that your music student are sure to enjoy!

Meet John Williams | Composer Biography for Kids

The following video is popsicle stick theater production from MakingMusicFun.net’s music academy. It hits all the highlights of John Williams life and accomplishments. Super fun for kids!

Hey Kids, Meet John Williams | Composer Biography

If you don’t have access to a video player, you can start by reading about John Williams with this composer biography.

Hey Kids, Meet John Williams Composer Biography John Williams was born on February 8, 1932, in Floral Park, New York. In 1948 John moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. He later attended college near his home in Los Angeles where he began to study composition. After college he was drafted into the United States Air Force where he had the opportunity to conduct and arrange music for the Air Force band. Read more…

Next follow up with a few free worksheets.

John Williams | FREE Word Search Worksheet

The following word search worksheet helps kids build reading skills. Let your students know how many words there are to find and then ask them to complete the word search by identifying and circling the keywords found in the biography. There’s a printable version on the site as well. Click the following link to print this free worksheet.

John Williams | Free Famous Composer Word Search Worksheet 

John Williams | FREE Coloring Page

Composer coloring pages are a great resource when you are trying to get kids to listen to recorded music. Just give them the coloring page and some crayons, and start the recording. Click the following link to print the John Williams coloring page.

John Williams Free Coloring Page

Meet John Williams Video Study Guide Worksheet

Want to help your students get more out of the Meet John Williams | Composer Biography for Kids video lesson? The following study guide worksheet will help. Click the following link to print this free Meet John Williams study guide worksheet.

Meet John Williams | Free Study Guide Worksheet

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Related Music Lesson Plan Resource Posts

Harry Potter (John Williams) Music Listening Glyph Worksheets John Williams Film Score Music Listening Glyphs | Music Lesson Plan Elements of Music | Anchor Chart Posters (Digital Download) Music Listening Worksheets | 30 Worksheet Bundle

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John Williams: Biography

In a career that spans five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage. He has served as music director and laureate conductor of one of the country’s treasured musical institutions, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he maintains thriving artistic relationships with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Williams has received a variety of prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Olympic Order, and numerous Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices.

Mr. Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films. His 40-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List , E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial , Jaws , Jurassic Park , Close Encounters of the Third Kind , four Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan , Amistad , Munich , Hook , Catch Me If You Can , Minority Report , A.I.: Artificial Intelligence , Empire of the Sun , The Adventures of TinTin and War Horse . Their latest collaboration, The BFG , was released on July 1, 2016. Mr. Williams has composed the scores for all seven Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman: The Movie , JFK , Born on the Fourth of July , Memoirs of a Geisha , Far and Away , The Accidental Tourist , Home Alone , Nixon , The Patriot , Angela’s Ashes , Seven Years in Tibet , The Witches of Eastwick , Rosewood , Sleepers , Sabrina , Presumed Innocent , The Cowboys and The Reivers , among many others. He has worked with many legendary directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, William Wyler and Robert Altman. In 1971, he adapted the score for the film version of Fiddler on the Roof , for which he composed original violin cadenzas for renowned virtuoso Isaac Stern. He has appeared on recordings as pianist and conductor with Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Jessye Norman and others. Mr. Williams has received five Academy Awards and 50 Oscar nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars. His most recent nomination was for the film Star War: The Force Awakens . He also has received seven British Academy Awards (BAFTA), 22 Grammys, four Golden Globes, five Emmys, and numerous gold and platinum records.

Born and raised in New York, Mr. Williams moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948, where he studied composition with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. After service in the Air Force, he returned to New York to attend the Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Madame Rosina Lhevinne. While in New York, he also worked as a jazz pianist, both in nightclubs and on recordings. He returned to Los Angeles and began his career in the film industry, working with a number of accomplished composers including Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and Franz Waxman. He went on to write music for more than 200 television episodes for anthology series Alcoa Premiere , Kraft Suspense Theatre , Chrysler Theatre and Playhouse 90 . His more recent contributions to television music include the well-known theme for NBC Nightly News (“The Mission”), the theme for what has become network television’s longest-running series, NBC’s Meet the Press , and a new theme for the prestigious PBS arts showcase Great Performances .

In addition to his activity in film and television, Mr. Williams has composed numerous works for the concert stage, among them two symphonies, and concertos for flute, violin, clarinet, viola, oboe and tuba. His cello concerto was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered by Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood in 1994. Mr. Williams also has filled commissions by several of the world’s leading orchestras, including a bassoon concerto for the New York Philharmonic entitled The Five Sacred Trees , a trumpet concerto for the Cleveland Orchestra, and a horn concerto for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Seven for Luck , a seven-piece song cycle for soprano and orchestra based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, was premiered by the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood in 1998. At the opening concert of their 2009–2010 season, James Levine led the Boston Symphony in the premiere Mr. Williams’ On Willows and Birches , a concerto for harp and orchestra.

In January 1980, Mr. Williams was named nineteenth music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, succeeding the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He currently holds the title of Boston Pops Laureate Conductor which he assumed following his retirement in December 1993, after 14 highly successful seasons. He also holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at Tanglewood.

One of America’s best known and most distinctive artistic voices, Mr. Williams has composed music for many important cultural and commemorative events. Liberty Fanfare was composed for the rededication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. American Journey , written to celebrate the new millennium and to accompany the retrospective film The Unfinished Journey by director Steven Spielberg, was premiered at the “America’s Millennium” concert in Washington, D.C. on New Year’s Eve, 1999. His orchestral work Soundings was performed at the celebratory opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In the world of sport, he has contributed musical themes for the 1984, 1988, and 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and the 1987 International Summer Games of the Special Olympics. In 2006, Mr. Williams composed the theme for NBC’s presentation of NFL Football.

Mr. Williams holds honorary degrees from 21 American universities, including The Juilliard School, Boston College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston University, the New England Conservatory of Music, the University of Massachusetts at Boston, The Eastman School of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the University of Southern California. He is a recipient of the 2009 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government. In 2003, he received the Olympic Order, the IOC’s highest honor, for his contributions to the Olympic movement. He served as the Grand Marshal of the 2004 Rose Parade in Pasadena, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor in December of 2004. Mr. Williams was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2009, and in January of that same year he composed and arranged Air and Simple Gifts especially for the first inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama.

• Source: Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency

Free Famous Composers Worksheets

Like What You See? Tell Your Friends!

Have fun with the kids with our 6 free composers worksheets .

Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to introduce your elementary students to some of the most famous composers of all time?

I am excited to share with you our free composers printables. Featuring some of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Including George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Leroy Anderson, Edward Benjamin Britten, Leonard Bernstein, and John Williams.

Through these free homeschool printables , your students will have the opportunity to learn about the composers’ backgrounds, most famous works, and fun facts about their lives.

By introducing your students to these composers, you will not only be teaching them about music history. But you will also be exposing them to some of the most recognizable and iconic pieces of music ever written.

Whether you’re a music teacher looking for new resources to add to your curriculum or a general education teacher hoping to incorporate more music and history into your lessons. These famous musicians worksheets are a perfect addition to any classroom.

**There may be affiliate links in this post. You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.**

Table of Contents

What is a composer?

I’m here to talk to you about what a composer is. Simply put, a composer is someone who creates music.

They write down all the notes, rhythms, and melodies that make up a piece of music.

Composers can create music for all sorts of things, like movies, TV shows, video games, and of course, just for listening to!

Think of a composer as a chef in a kitchen. Instead of cooking up delicious food, they’re cooking up amazing music.

They carefully choose which notes to use and in what order, just like a chef selects the ingredients they need to make a meal. And just like how every chef has their own unique style of cooking, every composer has their own unique style of music.

So, next time you hear a piece of music that you love, remember that it was created by a composer who worked hard to bring their musical vision to life!

Modern composers worksheets

These composers coloring sheets are free to print but are for personal, or classroom use only. Scroll to the end of the post to get the pdf file.

There are six modern composers featured in the free download and these are:

John Williams

John Williams is a world-renowned composer, born on February 8, 1932, in Floral Park, New York, USA.

He is best known for his film scores. Having composed the music for some of the most iconic movies in history, such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Harry Potter, to name a few.

Williams’ music has become so synonymous with the movies he’s scored that it’s hard to imagine the films without his iconic soundtracks. Many children have grown up watching and listening to these movies. Making John Williams a household name even among younger generations.

Add these to your homeschool music curriculum today!

Williams has received numerous awards for his work. Including five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and twenty-five Grammy Awards.

In addition to his work as a composer, he has also conducted several major orchestras. Including the Boston Pops Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

His contributions to the world of music and film have earned him a place among the greatest composers of all time.

Order his beginner piano solo songbook and encourage them to play these iconic tunes.

Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, pianist, and music educator. He was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and began his musical career as a conductor for the New York Philharmonic in 1943.

Bernstein is most famous for his composition “West Side Story,” a musical that premiered on Broadway in 1957. He is also known for his other works, including symphonies, operas, and choral music.

Children may know Bernstein’s music from his work as a composer for the classic children’s television show “Sesame Street.” He wrote the catchy tune “It’s the Same Old Song” for the show, which has become a favorite of children and adults alike.

Throughout his career, Bernstein won numerous awards and honors, including 16 Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. He also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1980 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985.

The kids can learn more about Leonard Bernstein with this fantastic book.

Edward Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten was an English composer, conductor, and pianist born on November 22, 1913, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England.

He is best known for his operas, including “Peter Grimes” and “The Turn of the Screw,” as well as his vocal works and choral music. Britten’s compositions often had a strong connection to nature and the sea, influenced by his childhood spent near the coast.

Britten also wrote several works for children, including his “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” Which introduces the different sections of the orchestra and is a popular educational tool for young music students. He also wrote several operas and works for young audiences, including “Noye’s Fludde,” a retelling of the story of Noah’s Ark.

Britten received many awards for his contributions to music. Including the Order of Merit, the highest civilian honor in the United Kingdom.

Leroy Anderson

Leroy Anderson was an American composer born on June 29, 1908, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He is best known for his popular orchestral compositions, including “Sleigh Ride” and “The Syncopated Clock.” Anderson’s music often combined traditional orchestral sounds with unusual percussion effects and rhythms, creating a playful and distinctive sound.

Children may know Anderson’s music from its use in various holiday movies and commercials. Particularly “Sleigh Ride,” which has become a beloved Christmas song. Anderson also wrote several works specifically for children, including “The Waltzing Cat” and “The Typewriter,” which uses the sounds of a typewriter as percussion.

Throughout his career, Anderson won many awards and honors, including multiple Grammy Awards for his recordings.

He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame in 2008. Anderson passed away on May 18, 1975, in Woodbury, Connecticut.

This book is The Best Christmas Songs Ever! for piano, guitar, and vocal.

George Gershwin

George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist born on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York City.

He is known for his unique blend of jazz, classical, and popular music styles. Which earned him the title of “King of Jazz.” Gershwin’s most famous works include “Rhapsody in Blue,” “An American in Paris,” and the opera “Porgy and Bess.”

Children may know Gershwin’s music from the many films and cartoons that have used his compositions. For example, his music can be heard in the animated film “Fantasia 2000.” As well as in classic cartoons such as “Tom and Jerry” and “Looney Tunes.”

Gershwin received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to music. Including four Academy Award nominations for his film scores and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for “Porgy and Bess.”

Despite his short life (he died at the age of 38 due to a brain tumor), Gershwin’s music continues to be popular and influential to this day.

The kids will enjoy this book all about the great George Gershwin .

Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland was born in November 1900 and was born in Brooklyn, New York.

He is known for his distinctive style that combines classical music with American folk songs and jazz. His most famous works include the ballets “Appalachian Spring” and “Rodeo.” As well as the orchestral piece “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

Copland also wrote music for several movies, including the iconic western “The Magnificent Seven,” and the famous ballet sequence in the animated film “Fantasia.” He won numerous awards throughout his career, including a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award.

Children will know Copland’s “Hoe-Down” from the ballet “Rodeo” as it is a popular and recognizable tune that has been used in several movies and TV shows. Including the animated film “Babe” and the TV series “The Simpsons.”

Books about composers for kids

Continue learning all about these great composers with some of our favorite books about composers that both you and the kids will love.

Maestro Classics not only have amazing books about some of the most famous composers. They also have actual music with narrated stories and activities.

A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra is an educational book that teaches children about the different instruments in an orchestra. With 37 selections to listen to, this book provides an interactive experience for children to learn about the various instruments. The music they produce, and the composers who create them.

Wild Symphony is a children’s book and musical project created by renowned composer and conductor, Dan Brown. The book follows the adventure of Maestro Mouse. As he tries to find his baton, accompanied by illustrations and 21 original musical pieces composed by Brown himself.

World’s greatest composers

If you are interested in learning even more about the world’s greatest composers you can download all of our composer’s worksheets for a small fee .

MUSIC COMPOSER UNIT STUDY

Learn even more about the most famous musicians with our music composers research project .

Tips for downloading the free files

Below you will see a large sign-up box where you need to add your name and email address, and press I NEED THIS NOW!

Within minutes you will be sent the free PDF directly to your email address, so you can print it out and start using it immediately.

Sometimes emails get a little wonky, so if you can’t see it, please check your spam folder where I am sure it is hiding.

Download the 6 free composer worksheets

Make sure you choose the correct paper size and click on the shrink to fit button. All of our free printables for kids work better when printed on  cardstock  (this is the one we use and love.)

Last Updated on 20 April 2024 by Clare Brown

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10 Terrific John Williams Music Activities for Elementary Students

• June 12, 2022

John Williams’ music just lends itself to music activities for elementary students. Every elementary music teacher seems to have at least one go to activity centered around one of John Williams’ songs. He just has so much great, iconic music out there.

Are you still looking for your go to John Williams music lesson? I’ve got a whole bundle of John Williams listening maps, lesson plans and listening and movement activities set and ready to go for you.

Click here to view the John Williams Composer Bundle.

Learn about composer John Williams

It’s always good to take little time to learn about the composer of a piece if we are going to be focusing on it. Here are some of the different activities I have used to teach students about John Williams.

Divide and Share activity

This is an activity that I love because it shakes up the dynamic of the lesson. Instead of me standing up at the front and telling students facts about John Williams, they teach themselves! I call it the Resident Expert Activity.

Students are split into groups of 5. In that group, they number off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Then, they split of to different corners of the room (all the ones to one folder, all the twos to another, etc). They learn a fact about John Williams and then join back with their original group and share what they have learned.

Usually I end with a culminating activity like using what they learned to complete a fill-in-the-blank worksheet about John Williams or do a quick quiz game show and see if they can answer the trivia.

This flipbook is a fun activity too. If you would like your students to have a tangible artifact of the things they have learned about John Williams, this is perfect. It even has a page for them to reflect on the lesson.

Word search

Want something fun and simple (maybe for sub plans or filler at the end of a lesson)? Try a word search! It highlights some of the important terms that were discussed in the lesson, but in a fun and low key way.

John Williams music listening activities for elementary students

Want your students to focus on specific things while listening to the music? These activities will help guide student listening and are also great prep for building up to a movement activity.

John Williams listening maps

Listening maps are a great way to give students their first introduction to a piece. Listening maps can highlight some of the main elements of a piece, such as instrument timbres, form and dynamics.

John Williams music listening glyph

Listening glyphs take things a little further. Students must listen for certain musical elements and decide what they hear. Then, they color a picture based on what they heard in a piece. It’s like if a worksheet got turned into a coloring book.

Listen for musical elements

You can also have students listen for specific elements – timbre, dynamics, tempo, etc and make note of their observations. I have my students write their thoughts on a whiteboard and I usually tell them the form of the piece and that helps us to organize our listening by sections.

I try to not have students focus on too many elements at once. You could even play a song more than once if you feel your students need the structure. First time, listen for instruments. Second time, listen for dynamics, etc.

At the end, I have them share with their group, and then we share out with the class. Sometimes we will take it a step further to ask what mood was the piece and how did the composer use musical elements to create that mood.

Music and Movement Activities for Elementary Students

Now we come to everyone’s favorite part for elementary music lessons. The movement activities! I encourage you to do some of the listening activities first. They will help build your students’ ears and make them familiar with the form so they are more prepared for the movement activity when it comes along.

Jurassic Park Ball Music Activity

I think the Theme from Jurassic Park may be one of my favorite pieces by John Williams. I created a simple ball routine that can be done with the main theme. Students LOVE anything that involves tossing balls in the air.

Harry Potter Music Parachute Activity

Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter has a unique magical feel that really encompasses the magic and mystery that is the Harry Potter world. *chef’s kiss*

I have created a parachute activity to go along with this song. Here is a summary.

Beginning: hide under parachute then get out.

Theme repeats: swish the parachute side to side

Shortened theme: stand. Lift parachute up/down.

2nd theme: tip toe in a circle (repeats – tip toe more)

Harpsichord takes up 2nd theme: send the “wave” around

Violins take up 2nd theme: do run throughs (sending 1-2 kids running underneath to the other side)

2nd theme again: back to tip toe in a circle

3rd theme: switch the parachute side to side

2nd theme: tip toe in a circle

(repeat both again)

Interlude: shake the parachute

1st theme returns: lift parachute up and down

Coda: lift parachute up/down. Then sit and toss the parachute in the air on the last note!

Superman parachute music activity

Superman! The opening notes sound and I feel like I AM a superhero. Here is another parachute activity for you, set to this SUPER fun theme, no pun intended.

Intro: seated w/ hands behind back (12). superman pose w/ hands (4). grab parachute (12). shake (16). stand up (4). stand and wait (12).

A: up (4). down (4). up (4). down (4). hands L (4). hands R (4). center (8).

B:  circle R (32). circle L (24)

C:  in (4). shake 3 times. out (4). flare (4). in (4). shake 3 times. out (4). hold (4).

*flare = arms go up quickly one first beat, then float down

**slight variations to part C each time (hold before section starts, shortened melody last time. 

D:  circle R (40). circle L (32). face center and hold (8).

coda:  sit (8). release chute and stand (8). strike superman pose and hold (12). fly around room. freeze on last note.

Form:  intro  A  A  B  B  interlude  C  D  A  C  C  coda

For more detailed instructions on each movement activity AND visuals, check out my John Williams Bundle . It contains lots of John Williams resources including PowerPoint visuals for each movement activity that you can display for your class.

John Williams Rhythm play alongs

Rhythm play alongs are so fun! Student love to jam out with their favorite tunes, whether it is body percussion or bucket drumming!

How to make a rhythm play along

Making a rhythm play along is easy! Simply determine the form of the song. Then create some simple rhythms to go with each section of the song’s form. You can even feature new rhythms you are working on, such as rests, half notes or sixteenth notes.

Don’t go too crazy! You still want to be able to hear the song. Simple is better (in my opinion).

Rhythm play alongs I have used with music by John Williams:

I have created rhythm play alongs for:

• Cantina Band from Star Wars
• Star Wars Main Theme

Here is an example of a rhythm activity written to the Cantina Band music from Star Wars.

John Williams Music Lesson Plans for Elementary Students

John williams lesson bundle.

Want all these activities and more? Don’t have time to put it all together yourself? Check out my John Williams Lesson Bundle for everything you need for a rockin’ John Williams unit.

This product contains the following resources on John Williams:

• Star Wars Main Theme Listening Map & Worksheets
• Jurassic Park Theme Listening Map & Worksheets
• Superman Theme Listening Map & Worksheets
• Hedwig’s Theme Listening Map & Worksheets
• Cantina Band Listening Map & Worksheets
• Movie Music by John Williams Listening and Movement Activities
• John Williams Biography Worksheets and Activities
• John Williams Unit Lesson Plans

Free John Williams Lesson Plans

Want to create your own resources? Do you just need some lesson ideas to get you started? You can download this FREE John Williams lesson plan sequence and create your own visuals and resources.

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Hi, I'm Erin!

I am an elementary music teacher, blogger and mom on a mission to make teaching and lesson planning easier for you. When I’m not working, you can find me at home enjoying life with my husband, daughter and two cats.

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Serena Williams biography , reading comprehension , information text

Subject: English language learning

Age range: Age not applicable

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

25 May 2024

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This reading comprehension passage about Serena Williams biography is designed with your students in mind, ensuring a delightful and educational experience. It educates the students through an engaging text.

The knowledge test includes various question types to encourage critical thinking and ensure a deep understanding of the passage.

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Great Americans Series of Biographies - Henry Ford

Description

As time moves on, many great Americans who have shaped the arts, sciences, sports, and history of our nation and culture get lost in time. The Great Americans Series of Biographies and Worksheets is an easy-to-read 200-word biography of just the highlights of each subject's life designed to keep young readers engaged. The questions worksheet ensures student reading comprehension and grasp of key points. The vocabulary page introduces and explains new words, phrases, and/or institutions students may not have been familiar with. The Quotes page challenges students to write what the quote means to them. The Great Americans Series is available individually or in bundles. Makes great Bell work.

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