Trinity University Digital Commons
Romanticism: Past and Present
With its focus on nature, individualism, imagination, and rejection of traditional authority, Romanticism has great appeal to young high schoolers. After examining classic paintings and poems as well as current works, class members...
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VH1 Driven: Shakira, Lesson 3
Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira and identify the elements that make her music unique. They explore Latin music and dance and research the music and dance of a specific Latin American country.
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Gospel Beginnings - Lesson 1
Students identify genres of music that influenced musical style of Aretha Franklin. They identify musical characteristics of gospel and sing a gospel selection. They pay particular attention to the call and response style.
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VH1 Presents the 1980s - Lesson 3
Students identify different genres of music popular in the 1980s. They study musicians of the 1980s examples of the songs that they made popular. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to categorize the music.
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Performance Evaluation
Students evaluate in class performance of music previously prepared by the ensemble. The rubric and assessment criteria are adaptable to any orchestra setting which allows the teacher to choose music to be assessed. Critical thinking...
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The Beat of the Blues
This lesson focuses on how students can learn basic blues percussion patterns by considering the polyrhythms of African drumming and investigating how and why such drums were banned during slavery. Students will listen to several blues...
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Western Medieval European Poetry and Literature
One of the Common Core standards requires learners to make connections between literature or media of the past and the present. Provided here, are key elements found in medieval poetry and literature that are connected to several more...
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Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson - Lesson 1
Appeal to your music lovers with this lesson. Middle and high schoolers listen to and describe music from contrasting styles. They identify the common elements between gospel and bluegrass music and have a class discussion regarding the...
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Sing What You Mean, Mean What You Sing
Pupils discuss the vocal styles characteristic of different genres and composers. The explore the use of lyrics, their relation to the music, and the use of the voice to convey emotions and character.
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The Best of Baroque
Students study about listening strategies, as well as the culture, music and two prominent composers of the Baroque period, namely J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel. They demonstrate their understanding of the content through several assessments.
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Rhythm
One of the most fun characteristics of a poem is rhythm! Little ones will clap along as you read a poem, to determine the rhythm of the piece. The book In the Swim is used throughout the instructional activity; it contains fish themed...
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Somebody's Knocking At My Door
Students perform animal sounds and movements, demonstrate a steady beat using both feet, and perform portions of the song "Somebody's Knocking At My Door" in this Music activity for the Kindergarten classroom. State and National...
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Introduction to Ludwig van Beethoven
"Ode to la Tortilla" and "Ode to Joy"? Sure! Use Gary Soto's poem to introduce learners to the ode format. After examining the descriptive words Soto uses, class members study a poster of Ludwig van Beethoven, suggest words that describe...
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The Poetics of Hip Hop
The Bard, Nikki Giovanni, Mos Def? “Sonnet 18,” Ego Tripping,” and “Black on Both Sides”? Sure! It’s the poetics. Class members compare the lyrics, rhythm, and rhyme in classic poetry to hip-hop in a richly detailed resource that...
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Lesson Connections
Second graders relate music to history and culture. Also, they listen to songs and identify some characteristics of the music in their own terms. Also listened to is "Chinese Instruments Montage," and then compare what they heard with...
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200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Students discuss the style and characteristics of the Classical era and the genre of opera. They compare and contrast modern day popular icons to musical icons throughout history. They write original librettos to modern entertainment.
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A Journey Through The Seasons
Second graders demonstrate creative movement, singing in canon or rounds, and playing instruments while taking "a musical journey through the seasons" in this second grade General Music instructional activity. Songs and discussion...
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Singing In Canon
Third graders analyze and discuss the four seasons and how each can be represented in song form. This lesson plan is intended for the third grade Music classroom but could be adapted for any elementary grade. State and National...
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Author Study
Students examine and identify the characteristics of the different genres of literature. After being read and reading various stories, they identify how different books by the same author carry the same story elements. They discuss how...
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"De Colores"
First graders learn color words in Spanish through the use of a song. In this Spanish music activity, 1st graders sing the song "De Colores" to help them learn their color words in Spanish.
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Rhythm & Improv: Jazz & Poetry
Students analyze the elements of poetry and jazz. In this critical thinking skills lesson, students take a closer look at the rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, form, free verse, lyricism, and imagery that exist is jazz as well as poetry.
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Storytellers: The Dixie Chicks
Students compare/contrast compositional devises. They describe events occurring within a musical example. Students explain the roles of creators, performers, and others involved in music productions and presentations.
Annenberg Foundation
Slavery and Freedom
How do nineteenth-century texts by African American and Native American writers contribute to the country's ideals of freedom and individuality? Learners explore the topic by watching and discussing a video, reading biographies, writing...
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Composer/Musician Study
Middle schoolers research a musician or composer of their choice and present their research through a written paper and free choice activity. This lesson can be done over the course of five to six classes with some homework. The paper...