Curated OER
Composer/Musician Study
Students 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...
Classics for Kids
Composers and Their Countries
How many of the world's greatest composers were born in Austria? Or Germany? Or the United States? An interactive map provides young musicians with information about prominent composers in the last few centuries, as well as the periods...
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Elements of Music—How do Composers Plan?
The introduction to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and the finale of his Symphony No. 4 provide young musicians with an opportunity to investigate the music elements composers employ to develop the themes they want to create. They compare the...
Curated OER
Be Sharp and Never Flat
An outstanding lesson on music awaits your young composers! They learn about patterns found in music, the different sections of an orchestra, and see the differences between musicians and a composer. Excellent streamed videos and good...
Curated OER
Louisiana's Legendary Musicians
Students identify and interpret what legendary traditional musicians of Louisiana that allows them to hear new genres of traditional music. They also identify what it means to be a legendary artist and read, write, and create a project...
Curated OER
Mozart vs. Beethoven - Real Classical Composers
Elementary schoolers are given an overview of the baroque, classical, romantic, and modern periods of music. They focus on the lives of Beethoven and Mozart; two of the greatest composers of all time. After listening to samples their...
Classics for Kids
Listen to the Music
Different pieces of music can elicit different emotions from audience members. A quick tempo can make you feel happy, while a largo piece may bring out a melancholy temperament. Elementary musicians learn more about the instruments and...
Classics for Kids
Fun With Musical Words
Is concertmaster another term for conductor, or is he or she another person entirely? Learn the specifics of the role of concertmaster with an activity focused on classical music. After learners define the term, they select a piece of...
Curated OER
Musician Extraordinaire Based on the DC Quarter Reverse
Students develop an understanding of the role of a musician, composer, and conductor. In this musician lesson, students examine the District of Columbia quarter and see that Duke Ellington is on the reverse side. They define performer,...
Curated OER
Duke Ellington: Great American Musician and Composer
Students delve into the life and music of Duke Ellington as a major American musician and composer. The elements that made the sound of his orchestra unique and the talents of his band members are explored in this lesson.
Amani Project
Write a CoronaKindness Song
And the beat goes on! Finding a way to connect during the isolation imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic can be challenging. This activity from the Amani Project offers a way to stay close during a time of physical distancing....
Curated OER
Using Poetry As Inspiration for Composition
A reading of Robert Frost’s "The Road Not Taken" launches an interdisciplinary study of the connection between the meters of a poem and a melody. After identifying the number of beats in each line of the poem, young musicians use...
Curated OER
Creating an Original Opera
This may be a lot to ask of a high schooler, but then again, who knows? Pupils work in groups to explore, write, and then perform an original opera. They view versions of The Magic Flute and La Traviata, then compose a plot, characters,...
Curated OER
A Place for Me in the Field of Music
Second graders listen to interviews with career musicians. They, in groups, present to classmates the life, music, inspiration, and goals of a favorite composer, performer, or group.
Curated OER
"Turkish Rondo" From Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
In this music appreciation worksheet, learners listen to "Turkish Rondo" from Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Students read about the composer and the piece. Learners follow a "listening map" and complete a...
Classics for Kids
Musical Time Travel
Young musicians learn more about the greats with a straightforward activity on historical composers. As they click through a navigation guide, they choose a musical time period and a composer from that period before taking a short quiz.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Musical Families
Planning a trip to the symphony? Prepare first-time attendees for the experience with overheads that identify the roles played by the concertmaster, conductor, musicians, and even the audience. The musical families are introduced and...
Curated OER
Classics for Kids: Josef Haydn
In this Josef Haydn worksheet, students read about the composer and his works. Students then respond to a musical instrument question, a word scramble question, and solve a word search.
Curated OER
"Hornpipe" From Water Music by George Frideric Handel
In this classical music worksheet, students listen to a recording of "Hornpipe" from Water Music by George Frideric Handel. Students read about the composer and the form of the piece. Students complete 8 dot to dot or instrument...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
High schoolers study the music of Russian composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. They compare the sounds individual instruments make. They listen to and study the story of "Scheherazade" and compare it to other pieces that also portray a...
Curated OER
African-American Musicians
Students research three African-American musicians and compose a report based upon their research in this Music Appreciation lesson for the middle level classroom. The lesson could be adapted for various student levels and abilities.
Curated OER
Composing Your Own Melody
Get the songwriters in your class started early with an engaging music composition activity. After experimenting with an existing melody, class members improvise in a given range of notes and create their own melodies.
Curated OER
Poets Got Them Blues
Contemplate what music learners listen to and why they listen. Can they find poetry within music lyrics? Specifically hone in on blues lyrics and ruminate upon the social issues prevalent in the themes. Particular song lyrics coincide...
Curated OER
A Famous Artist -- A Noted Musician
Students are introduced to new vocabulary associated with an artist. Using this information, they use the internet to create a report on the artist along with a visual or audio aid. They present their material to the class and answer...