Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
The Lion and More
Melody, rhythm, tempo, and dynamics; get out those recorders it's time to play music! Your class will work on playing two lion-themed pieces that exemplify two different styles, folk and waltz. They'll discuss the elements of music and...
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The Sounds of Science
Students assess the relationship between music and science by learning how various musical instruments work. They create a poster, presenting the research conducted in class that focuses on a specific musical instrument.
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Music of Puerto Rico
Seventh graders study about the musical rhythms and instruments of Puerto Rico. Then they construct their own instruments using recycled products. Students listen to different genres of music and define them. Students focus on the...
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Poetry/Music: Let It Snow!
Students create poems and sound compositions using instruments, sounds, and pictograph notation. After listening Debussy's Children's corner suite, they brainstorm a list of snow vocabulary words. Students write poems and in groups...
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Chinese Instruments
Students explore Chinese instruments. For this Chinese instrument music lesson, students listen to a performance by Liu Fang and describe the sounds they hear. Students classify western and Chinese instruments according to their...
Cubism Instrument in Oil Pastels
Students will be taking a journey from learning the history of the Cubist Movement to mastering the medium of oil pastels. Learning about the artists that contributed to the movement from 1907 to 1914, the passionate masterpiece of...
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Key Points about English Folk Music Worksheet
In this music worksheet, students read key points about English folk music including what it is, what instruments are played, its history, and two of its important styles. They answer 10 questions using full sentences before writing a...
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World Music Day
In this World Music Day worksheet, students complete activities such as reading a passage, phrase matching, fill in the blanks, correct words, multiple choice, spelling, sequencing, scrambled sentences, writing questions, survey, and...
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Catch the Gullah Beat: Rhythm and Percussion
Students explore the Gullah culture. In this social studies lesson, students construct and play instruments similar to those of the Gullah people.
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The Musical Mind
Students go on a tour of how and why music styles have changed over the years, and discover where they can gather some insight about their favorite musical styles and artists. There are excellent websites imbedded in this lesson.
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African Music and Instruments
Students listen to African music and determine its origin. They discuss basic elements of African music and sing an African song. Students examine the rhythm, instruments and culture of Africa. Using various websites, they observe...
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Music And War
In this music activity, students read 4 paragraphs of information about music and wars. Students learn the 4 main roles of music in wartime. Students answer 5 questions.
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English Folk Music
In this English folk music worksheet, students read an article pertaining to the history of folk music in England from the times of the Industrial Revolution until the 1970s.
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Mariachi Mania
Ninth graders examine mariachi music and its different musical forms. For this music history lesson, 9th graders compare and contrast mariachi music from its beginnings to the present. Students research different aspects of the history...
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Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago - Chicago Blues
Watching Great Performances’ Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago launches an investigation into and discussion of how the electric guitar and guitarists have changed the sound of the blues over time. An engaging way to...
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Sound/Story
High schoolers combine creativity with the rigor of careful editing by adding music to their story. It forces them to focus on how they communicate the meaning of their story to the listener.
John F. Kennedy Center
Harriet Tubman: Retelling History Through Dance and Drama
Scholars listen to several pieces of music in preparation for a discussion about how instruments and lyrics convey emotions. With Harriet Tubman as the focus, small groups create an original song or dance. A reflection piece concludes...
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Musical Instruments - Woodwinds
Students assemble and examine typical European orchestral woodwind instruments, determine how the instruments change pitch, identify common orchestral woodwind instruments by sound, and research a non-Euro-centric woodwind instrument in...
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Playing And Writing Music Basics for the Guitar
Students view DVD "Greatest Guitar God Guide Video Primer," examine and demonstrate understanding of layout of fret board, practice basic fingering patterns, play simple melodies using E and B strings, write original melody, and practice...
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Arranging Patriotic Music for Instruments
High schoolers arrange a short piano composition for a group of four to six instruments of their choice. The musical arrangements should be then demonstrated and analyzed by the class as a unit study.
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Original Rhythm Compositions for Poetry
Students create and perform original musical compositions using poetry as a basis for the creative process. This cross-curricular two-day lesson can be done in two 45 minute class periods. Students evaluate performances as part of...
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Breaking News English: i-Phones Are Now Musical Instruments
In this English worksheet, students read "iPhones are Now Musical Instruments," and then respond to 1 essay, 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 10 true or false questions about the selection.
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Original Band Compositions
Learners create and perform original band compositions using their own band instruments. This two day lesson requires student compositions to be done at home. Students evaluate performances using a checklist for composing (included).
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Create a Composition
Students select an instrument and create a musical composition. In this musical composition lesson, students invent an original piece of music that is 16 measures long. Students hum and record their pieces.