Lesson Plan
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Scaling the Blues

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars identify musical characteristics of blues music and define the term 'scale.' They identify chromatic, major, pentatonic, and blues scales and label each key on a keyboard using letter names, sharps and flats.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Song Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students write an original song using music composition software such as Music Time. By doing this, students identify another use for the computer besides word processing and games.
Lesson Plan
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Creative Dancing

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars dance a Cossack dance.  In this dance lesson plan, students learn to keep the beat and follow a movement sequence to dance a Cossack Dance. 
Lesson Plan
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Percussion Instruments and Pitch

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students play string instruments to discover how the pitch changes on various string instruments.  In this pitch lesson plan, students listen to video clips and play an online music game.  Students become familiar with music...
Lesson Plan
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Appreciating the Men of Ballet from Dance in America: Born to be Wild: The Leading Men of the American Ballet Theatre

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners examine the role of men in the American Ballet Theatre. In this ballet lesson, students watch segments of the Great Performances video "Dance in America: Born to be Wild: The Leading Men of the American Ballet Theatre." Learners...
Lesson Plan
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The Monkey Dance: Exploring Balinese Culture

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore Balinese culture. In this Balinese integrated fine arts lesson, students listen to a podcast of "The Monkey Dance," taking notes about important features of the dance. Students participate in a jigsaw cooperative...
Lesson Plan
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2 Black Keys, 3 Black Keys

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore the black keys on the piano and basic music theory techniques using the Internet as a guide. Websites visited include www.PianoNanny.com and musictheory.net.
Lesson Plan
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-Body in Motion - Axial and Locomotor

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students practice increasing their movement and dance vocabulary through axial motion and locomotor step skill-building. They work with a partner and create and perform short sequences utilizing the vocabulary their practicing. Each...
Worksheet
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Yellow Submarine

For Students 4th - 5th
In this music worksheet, students answer 10 questions about the cartoon Yellow Submarine. Students also answer 10 additional questions about the Beatles and the instruments played in the song.
Lesson Plan
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Winslow Homer and Water Colors

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate water color paintings.  In this art history lesson, students discover Winslow Homer and his art work by reading an article.  Students solve a word search based on the article.
Lesson Plan
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How To KidPix II

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students practice using KidPix to create illustrations. In this visual arts activity, students define key vocabulary words, such as "palette" and "toolbar" to familiarize themselves with the KidPix program. Students create...
Lesson Plan
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Summertime - Miles Davis

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine the George Gershwin opera, "Porgy and Bess." The rhythms to some of the musical pieces are mimicked and identified as belonging to the music of jazz.
Lesson Plan
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Two by Two Guitars!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars play three simple chords on guitar while singing American folk songs.
Lesson Plan
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Carnival of the Animals

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars listen to music to study the various sounds instruments make and feelings they incur. In this music analysis lesson, students listen to musical extracts from 'The Carnival of Animals' describe the music. Young scholars...
Worksheet
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"West Side Story"

For Students 5th - 6th
In this music history worksheet, students discover the musical "West Side Story" by first reading a summary of the plot. Students answer 5 questions about the story line. Students then read and analyze the lyrics to "America" and discuss...
Worksheet
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Opera

For Students 4th - 7th
In this musical opera worksheet, students fill in seventeen blanks from a word bank that describes the process of an opera and the roles found within each character.
Lesson Plan
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Louis Armstrong

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars discover the music of Louis Armstrong. In this jazz lesson plan, students are introduced to Armstrong's trumpet and vocal art in a matching game, then listen to a sampling of his music and respond in writing.
Lesson Plan
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Satchmo's Blues

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students work cooperatively to create a jazz composition using the computer program GarageBand and incorporating the musical stylings of musician Louis Armstrong. Internet access is required for this lesson.
Lesson Plan
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Duke Ellington

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover a variety of Duke Ellington compositions and the elements that make his sound unique. In this jazz lesson plan, students participate in a Duke Ellington Matching Game and an activity based on his music.
Lesson Plan
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Learn Under the Old Masters

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Young scholars take a closer look at portraits. In this art appreciation lesson, students may visit the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria Art Gallery, or the Scottish National Portrait Gallery online or in-person to discover works...
Lesson Plan
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Acoustical Science

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore musical instruments and the pitches and tones they make. In this acoustical science lesson, students create their own string instruments and explore how pitch is altered.
Lesson Plan
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Bells 'n' Scales

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Young scholars work together to arrange bells in order from low to high and play songs. They discuss differences in pitch and musical notation.
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Learning Adjectives through the Duke

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Duke Ellington, jazz, and jive kick-off a fun and creative lesson on responding emotionally to music. The class will learn about jive talk used in the 1920s and the life and music of Duke Ellington. They'll listen to a selection of his...
Lesson Plan
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Media Literacy Analyzed

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Fourth and fifth graders define the term media literacy, then come up with examples that they share with the class. The types of media studied are auditory, visual, and written. Learners get together in pairs and perform a media...