Introduce rhythmic beat and melodic beat with a upbeat activity that asks young musicians to clap the beat to their favorite nursery rhyme. To introduce the rest beat, class members use small drums or other percussion instruments to play...

The backbone of Latin American music is the beat! Young musicians work on blending Afro-Latin rhythms and beat patterns before incorporating the major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, and blues scales in their own compositions.

Learners demonstrate keeping steady beat through practice exercises and stepping to the beat using instruments such as conga drums, tambourines and rhythm sticks.

To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...

Students identify and demonstrate movement elements in relation to musical notation. They clap to rhythms, beat on drums, match musical notes to speech patterns and use the rhythms of the their names to create a dance.

Students demonstrate the concepts of time through movement, beat, and rhythm.

Fun awaits both you and your class as you embark on a musical activity. After discussing different rhythmic meters they choose a poem to set to music. The poem must rhyme and be set to a melody in the key of C Major. Because the activity...

Turn the class into a percussive orchestra and let the kids take over as conductor. You'll explain a few ins and outs of what a conductor does. Then you hand over the baton and let your budding Beethovens conduct each other as they...

Students explore the elements of tempo, beat and rhythm. They create rhythm patterns and an original dance. In groups, students perform their phrases for their peers. As a class, they explore choreographic principles, processes and...

Students play the beats of mariachi music. In this mariachi lesson plan, students listen to mariachi music and discuss why music is important.

Young singers learn how to notate the rhythms and melodies of a familiar song using Kodaly hand signals and manipulatives. Individuals then create their own compositions and sing them using Kodaly notation.

Students examine the effect of music on society. While listening to music, they identify the beat, rhythm and write down their reaction to it. Listening to longer selections, they assign a color to the music and share it with the...

Students dance a Cossack dance.  In this dance lesson, students learn to keep the beat and follow a movement sequence to dance a Cossack Dance. 

Students listen, clap, compose and identify various rhythms.  In this rhythm lesson, students practice rhythm with rhythm cards.  Students become familiar with stick notation. Students glue Popsicle sticks to illustrate rhythms.

Here are three lessons that work together to engage learners in a cultural and musical exploration. In lesson one the listen to the Mexican folk song, "La Raspa" and discuss cultural context. In lesson two they dance along to both "La...

Students explore music theory by discussing a classic song. In this musical notation instructional activity, students listen to the song "My Favorite Things" and discuss and share their personal tastes with the class. Students practice...

First graders practice rhythm and beat. In this music lesson, 1st graders sing and clap to the song "Yankee Doodle Dandy".  They find the rhythm of the music and practice making rhythm with other instruments.

Students compose lyrics for a rap song. In this music lesson, students choose a topic, such as "Our School," and use rhyming words to compose a rap song. Students perform the song for their classmates.

Students construct simple musical instruments. In this music lesson, students read the text Max Found Two Sticks and construct their own instruments from classroom materials.

This dance activity is exactly what the title says it is: add-on line dancing! Each dancer creates an 8-count piece of a line dance. They can pull from anything they have learned so far. After individuals have choreographed their...

Students sing songs from the common schools era and compare music from the common schools era and today. In this music lesson plan, students look at pictures, fill out Venn Diagrams, and listen to music.

Students use rhymes, songs and games to help them study music. They discover how music can be used with movement, speech and singing.

Learners explore colors through storytelling and dance. In this visual arts lesson, students view the painting "Bird and Cornstalk Rug" and identify three colors. Learners express how the colors make them feel through the rhythm of...

Students research the Incan civilization. In this Incan civilization lesson plan, students study the geography of the Andes mountains and play an Andean siku. Students discuss how the sounds of nature influenced their musical piece.