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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

19th & 20th Century Composers: Exoticism

For Teachers 8th - 12th
VH1 Music Studio has put out another great lesson that incorporates analysis, compare/contrast, and musical terminology. Kids will listen to the song "Habanera" considering the use of specific instruments in evoking a sense of location....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music To My Ears: The District of Columbia Quarter

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students practice identifying different genres of music by creating posters.  In this music appreciation lesson, students research Duke Ellington and complete worksheets based on his style of music, Jazz.  Students collaborate in small...
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Lesson Plan
Berklee College of Music

Create Your Own Afro-Latin Groove

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The backbone of Latin American music is the beat! Young musicians work on blending Afro-Latin rhythms and beat patterns before incorporating the major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, and blues scales in their own compositions.
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Lesson Plan
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California Department of Education

Creating a Therapeutic Soundscape: Ambient Improvisations and Planned Catharsis (CTE)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How is music a form of therapy? Scholars explore the topic using the fourth and final instructional activity from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM series. Learners explore the relationship between music and the mind and...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Jazz In Oklahoma

For Teachers 9th - 12th
When considering the possible hot spots of jazz in the United States, Oklahoma isn't the state that first comes to mind. However, it is the birthplace of several jazz musicians that influenced the evolution of the genre and Oklahoma City...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mozart and Music

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders experience performing arts by participating in a music performance. In this music history lesson, 5th graders practice playing notes on an instrument in class and discuss the challenges associated with making music....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz Music and the Crisis Over School Desegregation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will learn to appreciate the civil rights movement with a focus on Little Rock, Arkansas. They will also acknowledge Louis Armstrong's unparalleled contributions to American music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Inside The Outsiders Through Music

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students listen to popular music of the 50's and 60's to make literature connections to The Outsiders. In this popular culture lesson plan, students evaluate and analyze various songs and connect them with the themes in the literature...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Singin' Around the Year

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore performing arts by singing with their class. In this music appreciation lesson plan, students collaborate in groups to read and sing songs based on specific holidays such as the Fourth of July or Christmas. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music Appreciation Lesson

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students discover the freedom of dance by performing physical expression with music.  In this physical education lesson plan, students discuss ways their body can make noise such as snapping, patting, or stomping.  Students utilize their...
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Harriet Tubman: Secret Messages Through Song

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
A lesson all about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad introduces scholars to African American spirituals. By way of reading, speaking, and listening, learners discover, analyze, and decode African American spirituals. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Point of View - Sharing a Perspective on Music

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students share their perspective about music. For this music perspective lesson, students complete a music notes handout and watch a segment of a band playing the "St. Louis Blues." Students write a critique of the music they just heard...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1920s Variety Show

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Upper graders view the animated short, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and analyze how the music score was chosen to express the scene. They create an animation as they listen to a classical recording to experience the connection between...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students explore the music of artist Lauryn Hill and analyze the way she uses her music in a socially responsible manner. For this music artist lesson, students read the lyrics to Hill's songs and listen to some example songs. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cover the Music

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore U.S. history by listening to musical pieces in class. In this Civil War era instructional activity, students discuss the types of musical instruments that were available to soldiers during the war and the themes of their...
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Lesson Plan
Classics for Kids

"Mars" from The Planets

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Gustav Holst's The Planets provide young musicians an opportunity to examine how composers can create a suite: a collection of smaller pieces grouped to explore a single topic. After listening to "Jupiter," they examine "Mars" in detail,...
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Lesson Plan
Concordia College Archives

Our School Song

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Show your school spirit! Class members use instruments or sing along and employ what they have learned in the two previous lessons to perform their school's songs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mr. Mascot's Magical Musical Tour

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students explore particular places in the world. Students decipher clues that a class mascot leaves behind as it travels the world. Through researching the clues, students discover geographical locations, elements of world culture,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners participate in a class discussion about jazz music, compare improvisation with regular conversion, listen to various jazz musicians and compare and contrast their individual sounds.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Band On Line

For Teachers 6th
In 1996, using the Internet to enhance learning was a new innovation. While the lesson plan here is a bit outdated, it could still provide a basic understanding of how technology can enhance music appreciation. Members of the school band...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Musical Terms

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students investigate musical instruments and sounds by defining musical terms.  In this music appreciation lesson, students define many vocabulary words and utilize a study sheet for memorization.  Students are quizzed on the terms and...
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Lesson Plan
Skoog Music

St. Patrick’s Day

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Traditional Irish music can bring even the most stoic audience to tears. This St. Patrick's Day, explore the lilting flutes and mournful ballads of the Emerald Isle with a interactive and inspiring music lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Timbre?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students analyze the differences in similar songs.  In this music appreciation instructional activity, students discover the meaning of timbre and how it can drastically change similar pieces of music.  Students sing two pieces of music...