Curated OER
Learning Refrain and Verse
Instruct your young musicians on the terms verse and refrain. They listen to two songs, and point out the verse and refrain as they occur. Students then play drums when they hear the verse and the refrain. Note: Song lyrics, sheet music,...
Leading Learner
Using Music to Tell a Story or Describe a Scene
Young composers demonstrate their understanding of the stylistic features of descriptive music, including pitch, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and timbre, by developing a melody and countermelody for a main character in a story. As part of...
Classics for Kids
"Mars" from The Planets
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,...
Concordia College Archives
History and Musical Aesthetics
What are the musical elements that characterize a school's fight song or its alma mater? Class members listen to examples of fight songs and alma maters from various schools, play a listening game, and then create a list of the...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS
Young scholars explore the rhythm instruments as part of a rhythm band to accompany the well-known poem, "Five Little Pumpkins." They study instrument names, playing techniques, and playing at the appropriate time. They study how to...
Curated OER
Grade 2: Music/Valentine's Day
Play and sing a Valentine's song with your second graders. They'll follow along allow as you demonstrate how to sing and keep a steady beat on non-pitched percussive instruments. While the music instructional activity has a Valentine...
Curated OER
Mariachi Mania
Students play the beats of mariachi music. In this mariachi lesson plan, students listen to mariachi music and discuss why music is important.
Curated OER
The Role of the Opera Orchestra
Young scholars listen to and examine a recording of the opera Don Pasquale and study the various musical instruments in an orchestra. They discuss the difference between a symphony orchestra and an opera orchestra. Finally they play the...
Curated OER
Music and Emotion
Students identify the various emotions created by different types of music. They Identify role of music in creating various emotions for film and television . They observe and practice various ways of playing percussion instruments. They...
Curated OER
Music of the People - Native American Music
Third graders complete a unit of lessons on the singing, instruments, and dancing of Native Americans. They identify and play various instruments, complete worksheets, define key vocabulary, sing songs, and perform dances.
Curated OER
How to Sing and Play Happy Birthday
Here is a clever, and simple, lesson on how play the guitar while singing the Happy Birthday Song. There is media content embedded in the plan that allows learners to see a video of it being played, and to print out tabulature which...
Curated OER
Rhythm Sticks
Second graders experience artistic perception of rhythm in music and see how to move their bodies and tap their sticks to the rhythm of a particular song.
Curated OER
Popular Music of Brazil: Samba
Samba music is a musical mixture of both African and Brazilian sounds and rhythms. Explore this art form with your class using this easy-to-follow slide show. They'll learn about Samba's roots, beats, characteristics, instruments, and...
Curated OER
Latin American Music
Learn about the music of Latin America! Four types of music are defined by their instruments, uses, and cultural impact or influences. Indigenous, Iberian, African influenced, and Urban music are all discussed.
Curated OER
Fats Waller, Handful of Keys
Playing piano is great fun and playing jazz is even better. Kids watch a video of Fats Waller playing the song, "Handful of Keys," they then use either a piano key print out or Orff instruments to practice his signature stride piano...
Curated OER
The Tango
Fourth graders explore the music of Buenos Aires as they hear and then dance the Tango. They practice basic Tango rhythm, learn to sing the song, "Any Turkey can Tango," then practice a few Tango-riffic dance steps with a partner. What a...
Curated OER
Rhythm and Nature
Second graders listen to song "Listen to the Water," discuss nature sounds and importance of water to life, perform quarter and eighth notes from notation, play instruments in rhythm patterns of quarter and eighth notes, and write rhythm...
Curated OER
Rhythm Counting
High schoolers perform various rhythms and melodies in unison on their individual instruments. Assessment is performed on the last day of the lesson with each student playing individually for the class. This lesson meets national...
Curated OER
Musical Rhythms
Students listen to music and bounce a tennis ball to the eat. Students close their eyes and listen to the rhythm. They switch hands on beats where they hear a new percussion sound. Students compose their own pieces using Oranga's band...
Curated OER
Teaching Rhythm and Pitch Reading
Students practice correct rhythms and pitches during this short lesson for the middle school instrumental class. Objectives vary depending on music used for the lesson. Students assessed through group playing in class.
Curated OER
Rhythm
Fifth graders listen to a song from a compact disc called "Talking Spirits" and discuss whether they have ever heard music like that before and who might be playing the instruments and the music. They try to identify the instruments...
Curated OER
Analyzing and Describing Music
Students analyze instrumental music. In this instrumental music lesson, students investigate musical works of art. Students describe the instruments they hear and discover the relationship between music and other disciplines.
Curated OER
Music- Found-Object Orchestra
Students construct simple musical instruments. In this music lesson, students read the text Max Found Two Sticks and construct their own instruments from classroom materials.