BBC
The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky
Over the course of six lessons, scholars try their hand at composing and dancing after a thorough examination of the famous ballet, The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. Participants watch and discuss the performance of two dances, create...
Smithsonian Institution
Songs, Sounds and Stories from the Georgia Sea Islands
American music is the result of the influence of many cultures, including the traditions brought by the African slaves. Young scholars study the polyrhythms, the call-and-response format, and the vocal improvisations of the Gullah...
Keynotes Education
The Recorder - B
Make some beautiful music with a lesson about playing the recorder! After learning some of the basic fingering positions and notes, have kids practice their skills with two easy songs.
Education.com
Pablo Picasso
Introduce your class to one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. After reading a brief biography of Pablo Picasso, pupils create their own collages on the next page on the theme of music.
Curated OER
Consonance and Dissonance Activities
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...
Missoula Art Museum
Dance with Your Fingers, Draw with Your Toes
Pair dancing, music, and art into one elementary lesson. Using the work of Henri Matisse and Rudy Autio as inspiration, kids spend a few days listening to music that fits the moods of various pieces of art, then work on their own...
Curated OER
Art Savers
Need a cheap way to get all those fabulous paintings, collages, and drawings home? Learners use old paper towel tubes to create a handy art transportation device.
Curated OER
Write Your Own Rap
Third graders create a rap using basic AB form composition. Evaluation of performances are based on rubric formed during the first lesson by all students. This three to four day lesson culminates in student performances and evaluation.
Curated OER
Singing Patriotic Music
Students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of patriotic music, including "America" and "The Star Spangled Banner," to sing expressively with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation.
Curated OER
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf is a wonderful piece that introduces learners to classical music, builds listening skills, and creates a bridge from song to imagination. Each slide shows a picture of one of the characters from the story and a group...
Fun Music Company
Treasure Island Clues: Rhythm
Designed for rhythm level 1, the two games in this packet ask young musicians to identify the number of beats represented by a series of notes and notations, and then to use those numbers to answer a music trivia question.
Curated OER
Australian Aboriginal Art and Storytelling
Young explorers investigate Australian Aboriginal culture by listening to traditional Dreamtime stories and examining dot paintings created by Aboriginal artists. In addition, they locate the country on maps, discuss the geography of...
Curated OER
Learning AB Form: Music
Third grade musicians play Orff instruments while they learn about the AB Form. First they learn part A of a song, then they listen to when the song changes. After they understand the concept of AB form, they learn to play part B. Note:...
JSplash Apps
Music Tutor (Sight Reading Improver)
Elegant in its simplicity, this app accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do: improving the user's sight reading of musical notes. Taking the concept of flashcards to the next level, the designers also add in the element of sound so...
Curated OER
Applying Music to Literature
Kids explore music, history, culture, and literature in a multi-faceted lesson plan. They discuss how both historical and cultural contexts shape music, art, and literature, and then apply these concepts as they engage in a listening...
Curated OER
Wynton's Tune
Students examine the serigraph, "Wynton's Tune," by artist Faith Ringgold. They discuss the painting, listen to jazz music, create a drawing that tells a story inspired by their favorite music, and write sentences describing their artwork.
Fun Music Company
Working Out the Key
"Gimme an E minor!" Or any key for that matter. But how do you figure out the key of a piece of music? Here's a learning exercise that shows young musicians three easy steps to help them identify the key of a piece of music.
Fun Music Company
Completing Measures with Rests
Rests. Eighth rests, quarter rests, and half rests are the focus of a one-page worksheet that asks music theory learners to complete a series of measures with rests and bar lines.
Music Teaching Resources
Note Naming Worksheet 1
Can you name this note? Young musicians are asked to name each of the notes pictured on a music worksheet and then to place these notes on a staff.
Can Teach
Pass the Melody
Get a jam session started in your elementary music class! Learners engage in melody transitions by singing a familiar song and passing on the tune to the next person.
Fun Music Company
Relative Major and Minor
It's all relative. Young music theorists are asked to count to three and identify the relative major and minor keys of keys that share the same signature.
Fun Music Company
Name the Instrument
Here's a word scramble activity that asks kids to identify a series of instruments and then transpose the circled letters to reveal the name of the world's oldest playable musical instrument.
Curated OER
Melody: A Very Important Element of Music
As part of an exploration of music, this clear and simple presentation could be a useful tool. It could be used in a music class or in a regular classroom as part of a discussion of the topic. Some of the topics defined include notes and...
Curated OER
A Musical Textures Activity
Students identify textures in music. In this music appreciation lesson, students listen to a variety of classical music pieces and identify components of musical textures including monophony, homophony, polyphony, and heterophony.