Soda Pop! A KPop Rhythm Play-Along for Your Elementary Music Room
If your students loved the KPop Demon Hunters craze on Netflix this summer, they’ll be thrilled with this next rhythm play-along in my series: Soda Pop! Inspired by the fictional rival boy band Saja Boys (Jinu Saja, Abby Saja, Mystery Saja, Romance Saja, and Baby Saja), this activity brings high-energy fun into your music classroom while reinforcing rhythm reading and performance skills.
What’s Inside the Play-Along
This play-along video includes rhythm patterns with:
Quarter notes, eighth notes, whole notes, and accents
More advanced rhythms (sixteenth notes, eighth + sixteenth note combos, and quarter rests) for upper elementary learners
Dance party breaks built right in to keep students moving and engaged
Perfect for grades 3–5, this activity works well in a 15–20 minute lesson block.
Teaching Tips
Here’s a teaching sequence you can use (or adapt to fit your style and your students):
Hook – Ask if students have heard the song Soda Pop. If they haven’t, that’s okay—it’s a fun chance to connect music to pop culture!
Discuss – Briefly explain KPop as “Korean pop music,” a style that blends lots of influences and is loved around the world. If appropriate, let a student who has seen the movie give a quick explanation.
Introduce the Patterns – Teach the rhythms using body percussion (clap, tap knees, stomp, snap, etc.).
Check for Understanding – Put students in pairs or trios. Use a free spinner like Wheel of Names (wheelofnames.com) to randomly choose groups to perform one of the rhythm patterns. This keeps everyone engaged and adds a game-like element.
Add Instruments – After body percussion, layer in classroom percussion instruments like rhythm sticks or egg shakers. This keeps the sound fun without overwhelming the room.
Perform Together – Play the rhythm play-along video and have students perform along with it.
Extend the Learning –
Next class, review the patterns on non-pitched percussion instruments.
Challenge students to create their own movements to match the rhythms.
Level up by trying the alternate rhythm patterns.
Manipulatives
The PowerPoint and PDF files of the manipulatives are featured on my https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/extras channel.
Why Try This?
This activity blends pop culture with solid rhythm practice—meeting students where they are while helping them grow musically. It’s fun, easy to implement, and flexible for a variety of grade levels.
✨ Your students will love performing along with Soda Pop, and you’ll love how engaged they are in reading, playing, and moving to the beat!