8 Ways to Use Google Slides in the Music Classroom

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Tips for Using Google Slides to Enhance Your Music Lessons

Google Slides isn't just for presentations—it's a powerhouse tool for interactive learning, especially in the music classroom.

Whether you're teaching in person, remotely, or somewhere in between, Google Slides can help you organize content, boost engagement, and create meaningful learning experiences for your students.

If you're looking for a flexible, engaging way to encourage student reflection and track musical growth, a Digital Music Journal might be just what your music classroom needs. And the best part? It's easy to set up and completely paperless, thanks to Google Slides.

In this post, you'll find ideas for building interactive music activities, creating student-centered resources, and using Google Slides in creative, practical ways—plus a ready-to-use digital journal to get you started!

1. Create Interactive Music Activities

Think beyond static slides! Use Google Slides to build:

Drag-and-drop rhythm games
Match-the-term activities for dynamics, tempo, and note names
Instrument identification challenges
Interactive composer timelines

Tip: Use transparent shapes over images to create hotspots for clickable answers or reveal boxes.

2. Create a Digital Music Journal with Google Slides

Want students to reflect, respond, and track their learning? Try a digital music journal! (I've created one ready to go—check it out here)

Students can:

Write reflections after a listening activity
Track practice goals
Document concert prep and progress
Collect music vocab and terms

3. Add Audio and Video to Google Slides Music Lessons

Google Slides allows you to embed:

YouTube performances
MP3 clips from your Drive
Your own instructional videos

This is great for lessons on musical form, instrument families, or comparing interpretations.

4. Make Google Slides Interactive for Student Use

Make your slides editable so students can:

Complete bell-ringer questions
Build their own rhythm patterns
Sort symbols into categories
Reflect after performances

Use "File > Make a copy for each student" in Google Classroom to keep their work organized.

5. Use Master Slides for Consistency & Structure

Set up layouts in the Theme Builder to:

Lock background elements
Ensure students only type in designated areas
Maintain formatting across your entire resource

This saves time and keeps your decks clean and student-friendly!

6. Collaborate in Real Time

Google Slides makes it easy to:

Assign partner or group projects
View student input live
Host musical debates or composition showcases

Add comments to give feedback as students work.

7. Organize Unit Resources in One Slide Deck

Instead of sending multiple PDFs and links, create one Slide deck that includes:

Lesson instructions
Audio/video files
Practice tasks
Exit slips

Students can work through it at their own pace. Great for sub plans too!

8. Add Creativity with Student Choice Boards

Give students a menu of musical tasks:

Compose a short rhythm
Create a music meme
Analyze a favorite song
Research a composer

Slides are a great medium for this because students can complete their choice and insert their responses all in one place.

Final Thoughts

Google Slides is one of the most versatile, teacher-friendly tools out there—and it's especially powerful in music education.

From interactive games to creative journals, Slides lets you meet students where they are and give them space to explore, reflect, and engage with music in fresh ways.

If you're curious about using Slides for student journaling, don't miss my post on How to Use a Digital Music Journal with Google Slides.