World Chocolate Day, celebrated on 7th July, offers a deliciously fun opportunity to blend creativity, culture, and learning into your music lessons. Whether you’re teaching in primary or secondary school, integrating chocolate into your curriculum can bring a smile to every student’s face while deepening their musical understanding. Here are some sweet chocolate-inspired lesson ideas!
Chocolate rhythms
Turn chocolate brand names into rhythmic patterns! Use the syllables in popular chocolate names like Kit-Kat, Mars Bar, Dairy Milk or Toblerone to create your own rhythm patterns. Students can clap, tap or play percussion instruments to match the syllables, creating their own ‘chocolate rhythms’ sequence. Add challenge by layering different chocolate names to create a more complex texture for your composition.
Chocolate notation
Use circular chocolate such as Minstrels or Chocolate Buttons as noteheads, and position them on a large printed stave to make a tune. You can give parameters such as no adjacent repeated notes, or no more than two step-wise notes in a row, so that it presents more of a challenge when the pupils try to play it. Why? Well because once they play it correctly they can eat the chocolate!
Chocolate soundscapes
Explore texture and timbre by creating a chocolate journey soundscape. Begin by discussing how chocolate is made—from cocoa bean to bar—and assign parts of the process to different instruments or sound effects. For example, shakers could represent the rustling of cocoa pods, while low drums mimic the grinding machines.
Chocolate sing-along
Pop on one of the many films inspired by the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, remembering to add the subtitles, then get your class to sing along to all the songs. The perfect ‘almost the end of term’ activity to give you and them some breathing space!
Chocolate listening
Watch and listen to a variety of different chocolate TV adverts from across the years. How has the music changed over time? What are the similarities and differences? How does the music make you feel, and what does that tell you about the message of the ad?
Chocolate Composition
Encourage students to compose their own piece inspired by a type of chocolate or their favourite sweet treat. Is it smooth and mellow like dark chocolate, or bubbly and energetic like Aero? Students can use musical elements such as tempo, dynamics, and instrumentation to reflect their chocolate’s characteristics.
Chocolate Form and Structure
Use different shapes of chocolate and sweets to explore the idea of musical form and structure. For example a square could represent the ‘A’ section, a circle the ‘B’ section, a rectangle the ‘C’ section and so on. Put on some music and listen to the structure, seeing if you can use the chocolate to map the different sections.
By stirring chocolate into music lessons, you’ll encourage creativity, broaden musical understanding, and make learning deliciously memorable. Plus, of course, benefit from the rare opportunity to not have to tidy up your resources at the end of the lesson – because you’ve eaten them!
Dr Liz Stafford, June 2025. Copyright © 2025 Music Education Solutions Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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