17th Century Baroque Music Lesson Plans

Students look at a piece of art to make connections between early Baroque art and Baroque music. In this art and music lesson, students focus on the painting, "The Boy Violinist" by Hendrick Terbrugghen. They listen to the music to determine what the mood is before comparing and discussing the mood portrayed in the painting. They create an original mood painting.

Young scholars examine the qualities of Baroque style by viewing a video about Bach. They listen to music of the era and explore the characteristics of excessive ornamentation, contrast and tension. They complete the included worksheets.

Students identify the style of structureof Baroque music. They also identify some of the themes noticed in the music. Students hypothesize about the historical period of selected pieces following identification of major stylistic elements of Baroque music.

Sixth graders focus on music from the Classical period, highlighting the life and work of Mozart. This eight lesson unit culminates with a recorder performance of some of the pieces studied.

Students listen to the piece of music called Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and discuss what story could the music might be telling. They complete a worksheet about the Baroque musical period using online information.

Students research the classical period by visiting Websites to find answers to worksheet questions. Working independently, they complete the worksheets and exchange papers with classmates. They write an essay comparing the baroque and classical music periods.

Students recognize western music from a specific time period. In this music lesson, students become familiar with the works of composers of the time period they are studying and create a timeline of the composers works. Students can identify characteristics of that composers work.

Students discuss style and characteristics of musical time periods as well as the definition of "pop culture." They compare and contrast modern-day popular icons to music icons throughout history.  This lesson requires a video, which is not included.

Fourth graders study Baroque composers. In this music instructional activity, rotate trough three stations, collecting information on particular Baroque composers. Worksheets, information cards, and procedure included.

Students examine classical music and the "Art Rock" of 1967. They review classical themes in their original genre and discuss/analyze how pop musicians incorporate theses themes into a variety of pop music genres.