Curated OER
Rain Sticks
Artists of all ages construct a three-dimensional form and fill it with rice to make gentle, percussive sounds. They discover that Native South American tribesmen would harvest dead branches from cactus plants, fill them with small...
Denver Public Schools
Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! – A Chinese New Year Celebration
Looking for ideas for your Lunar New Year celebration? Check out an interdisciplinary unit of study that includes lessons in counting, calligraphy, culture, geography, literature, art, and music. Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! (May you...
Curated OER
3-5: Rhythm Beginnings
Students explore tempo. In this rhythm beginnings lesson, students differentiate between steady and unsteady beats. Students clap a variety of tempo and then move to the tempo of a song.
Curated OER
Lines & Spaces; Another Round
Fourth graders recall the letter names of the notes of the C-major scale and identify the names of the C-major scale. They identify the names of the lines and spaces on a music staff. They sing rounds.
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Vitamin A
Learners identify and pat the beat. They move to and play quarter notes, half notes, and eighth notes to create a "factory" movement and instrument improvisation. Students get into groups of three. Each person in the group moves to one...
Curated OER
The Choir
In this music worksheet, students read an excerpt about the choir, the oldest of all musical groups. They identify that human voices vary in pitch, some high and some low, making it possible to sing harmonies in different layers.
Curated OER
Compose Your Memory
Students notate a short musical composition using the notation software Sibelius. This composition is based on a the student's favorite childhood memory. Based on their emotions felt at this time, they incorporate tempo, range, and...
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Romare Bearden
Students examine and discuss a collage by the artist Romare Bearden. They analyze the impact of jazz on art, listen to jazz, and create an original collage.
Curated OER
Smithsonian Jazz Class: Benny Carter
Students play "Benny's Match Game" to learn about the life and career of Benny Carter. Students listen to samples of Benny Carter's music and create written responses that evaluate his music.
Curated OER
Theatre Prop Design and Construction
Fourth graders construct individual props. In this theatrical arts instructional activity, 4th graders use the elements of art to create various props using paper mache. Students construct objects such as logs, fruit, and a picture frame.
Curated OER
Six Dynamic Designs for Arts Integrated Curriculum
Students create a recipe for a certain aspect of a culture. They create a culture that has never existed before. They analyze either dance, history, geography, history or the future of space exploration. They compare and contrast...
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The Life and Times of Gioacchino Rossini
Students discuss Gioacchino Rossini's life and musical culture. In this music lesson, students are introduced to "biofacts" about Rossini and listen to excerpts of his music. Students identify characteristics of Rossini's musical...
Curated OER
Island Maracas
Students listen to Caribbean folk music and discuss maracas and their role in music. They construct and design pairs of maracas using paper mache, then perform a Puerto Rican folk song using their maracas.
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The Travels of Babar: An Adventure in Scales
Students become familiar with the musical notify that are associated with the character in Monstel's The Travels of Babar: An Adventure in Scales, so that they can listen attentively to the performance and understand and appreciate ow...
Curated OER
Triple Meter
Students chant "Mabel, Mabel, Set the Table" in beats grouped in 4's using a percussive pattern. They repeat using 3's. Students sing a song in 4's and in 3's. they move to recorded music to practice threes. Students create Orff...
Curated OER
Whitman and Lincoln
Students determine if Lincoln and Whitman ever met and write a dialogue between the two men. In this Whitman and Lincoln lesson, students read Whitman's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" and connect it to the events of Lincoln's presidency....
Curated OER
A Shape-Note Singing Lesson
Students discover the shape-note method of singing. In this reading and notating music lesson, students learn the four shapes of the shape-note method and the tradition of Sacred Harp singers. Students sing the shapes of "Yankee Doodle"...
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Dancing Hands, Abstract Drawings
Students discover African musical rhythms by performing Ancestral Spirit Dances. In this musical lesson, students research Willis "Bing" Davis and the abstract work he created. Students listen to Yoruba drum music and...
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Babar's Travels
Students read the story The Story of Babar and have a class discussion about his travels, discuss their families, design a map, pick music, and more. In this cross curricular musical lesson plan, students create a music map for each of...
Curated OER
All That is Irish and More - Activity 1
Students listen to examples of fiddle music and violin music to determine the similarities and differences between the two musical forms. A video link is included in this introductory activity to fiddle music (Part One of Two).
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Students study the life and music of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They practice listening for the downbeat of a musical selection. They participate in a physical exercise where they march around in a circle and clap to the...
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Baga Drum
Students draw and design a musical instrument that incorporates a human figure or animal. In this musical lesson plan, students will discover the differences between African drums. This lesson plan is designed for elementary, middle,...
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B is for Banana
Learners practice and perform the song "B is for Banana" using their knowledge of basic rhythms in 4/4 and student-created rhythm accompaniment based on speech. This excellent lesson is provided by the MENC (National Association for...
Curated OER
Phytochemicals
Students create movement, improvise rhythmic accompaniment, practice, and perform the song "Phytochemicals" in this excellent elementary-level General Music lesson. The lesson includes lesson challenges for more advanced students.