Music Lesson Plans

Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance.  In this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance.  Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music associated with it.

This lesson examines both the content and form of lyrics in blues songs. In addition to highlighting the basic musical form of a blues song, it also addresses the use of floating verses in blues music, both within the context of the original era in which

What ultimately influences a musician's creations? Is it the time in which he/she lives, his/her personal experiences, the music of the time and previous times, or the image the artist hopes to convey? This lesson explores these questions by looking at th

In this creative music activity from Scientific American, students learn about musical notation and then design their own notations. Great web resource links are alsp provided

Students experience both playing a musical instrument and driving a car. The two experiences tied together by one engineer. The score appears as a road, with twists and turns representing the composer's suggested shifts in mood. This device allows even novice drivers to experience music in a new way.

Second graders combine their knowledge of rhythm, pitch, tone and color with their imaginations to create original compositions about animals. In this music lesson plan, 2nd graders create a music carnival to "Peter and the Wolf" by Prokofiev, and "Carnival of the Animals" by Saint Saens. Students create animal masks for their carnival as well as classroom instruments. Students are assessed throughout the duration of the carnival, being monitored and asked questions.

Students recognize folk/square dance music.  In this folk/square dance instructional activity, students participate in a dance to "Oh Susanna."  Students perform for the class.

Students explore American ethnic music. For this multicultural music lesson, students review the musical instrument groups and listen to examples of American ethnic music. Students compose a melody accompanied by computer generated music using Audacity.

Students discover the importance of Vitamin C through music.  In this music lesson, students examine Vitamin C in their diet while performing music with health conscious lyrics.  Students identify different forms of rhythms in music.

Fourth graders begin the lesson plan by listening and singing along to various songs from different cultures. In groups, they research the ways different groups have used music to express themselves and compare and contrast them in an organizer. They work together to create their own piece of music that represents their own culture. To end the lesson plan, they develop a new culture and another original piece of music.