When you hear the first few beats of "Despacito," the unrivaled Latin pop hit of 2017, you can't keep your feet from moving! A music analysis lesson plan examines the intoxicating hit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and introduces the...

Explore music through the decades with an engaging video brought to you by the 5-part harmony acapella group, Pentatonix. Genuine musical talents sing through a variety of popular music from the 11th century to the 2010's. Artists...

Grouchy? Sad? Here's a great resource that shows kids how music can be used to lift their spirits. Kids collect and chart data on the effects of music on emotions. After analyzing the results of their experiment, they develop their own...

A short film about music is the inspiration for a well-sequenced lesson that includes discussion, group work, and writing. After the whole class converses about music, small groups write narratives about a still from the film. Pupils...

Beauty, art, and truth is the creed of the poet, and the Harlem Renaissance was all of those things. Discover the reasons for the great migration north, the poets, musicians, and artists that were part of the Harlem Renaissance. Slides...

Hone those musical ears to identify consonance and dissonance in music being played live or on a recording. Learners will work through four activities where they will listen to consonant and dissonant notes being played first by the...

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...

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...

Bring jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance to light with a lesson that challenges scholars to research and create. Pupils delve deep into information materials to identify jazz terminology, compare types of jazz and jazz musicians,...

Young musicians experience song, dance, and play of the Jamaican culture. Scholars listen for and recreate beats, they play tunes, make up original dances, and play a game that challenges pupils to pass stones to a specific beat.

Two lessons focus on making a beat. Using popular African American music of its time, scholars listen and analyze the rhythm then recreate it with hands drums, and cups. 

Bring the sounds of the deep South vocal blues to the classroom with a Smithsonian Folkways lesson. In preparation, scholars listen to and count the 12 bar blues patterns in several works and identify the I, II, IV, and V chords as well...

Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...

How is music a form of therapy? Scholars explore the topic using the fourth and final lesson from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM series. Learners explore the relationship between music and the mind and describe the power...

Perhaps the Doobie Brothers said it best when they sang, "Listen to the Music." With the third of four lessons from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM Integrated Project series, pupils discover the connection between music and...

How are music and emotion related? Using lesson two of four from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM Integrated Project Series, scholars explore the connection between the two topics. They learn to recognize different intervals...

What materials and skills does a person need to build a simple working instrument? With the first of four lessons from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM Integrated Project series, scholars learn about the basic structure of...

In the story, Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement by Doreen Rappaport, listeners become familiar with nonviolent protests of the Civil Rights Movement through music. Scholars then compose original...

There is an indescrible energy to Latin American music—but if you know your music theory, it's not so indescrible after all. A thorough packet provides definitions for terms like bolero, charanga, shekere, and tumbao before listing...

People who are not fans of musical theater often cite the (seemingly) spontaneous songs as distractions from the plot. But in most musicals, the songs serve to drive the plot and to provide valuable insight into character motivation and...

How much of your daily life is influenced by Latin American music? Take a listen—the answer may surprise you! High schoolers keep a journal to note any instances they see Latino culture represented, including the media, their school, and...

Find la guitarra and el charango with a short and straightforward word search focused on Latin American music. Learners check through a list of popular instruments and dances before delving into the puzzle.

A Puerto Rican song hooks young scholars' attention to start a hands-on activity in which they craft a maraca using a paper bag, uncooked rice, and rubber bands. 

Familiar songs get an educational spin with a parody writing activity. Scholars take their favorite songs and change the lyrics to reinforce topics taught in the classroom.