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Transferring Rhythmic Patterns From Music to Movement

For Teachers K - 5th
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.
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Note Names and Note Values - An Interactive Smart Board Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Using the Note Names and Values SMART notebook file, review the whole, half, quarter and eighth note with students. Students sing "Apple Tree Song." They add body percussion, and then instruments. Students use the SMART apple tree, they...
Lesson Plan
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Singing: Mi, So, La

For Teachers K
Little ones learn the tones mi, so, and la by singing an answer to a sung question. They play a name game to identify beat, then discuss songs with no beat. If there is time during this musical instruction lesson, they dance about the...
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Organ Music

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Middle and high schoolers solve a riddle about the appendix, and explore the paradox surrounding this organ. They research other human body organs to create a paper model of the human body, and write riddles highlighting identifying...
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19th & 20th Century Composers: Exoticism

For Teachers 8th - 12th
VH1 Music Studio has put out another great lesson that incorporates analysis, compare/contrast, and musical terminology. Kids will listen to the song "Habanera" considering the use of specific instruments in evoking a sense of location....
Lesson Plan
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Consonance and Dissonance Activities

For Teachers K - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
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Butterflies Fly!

For Teachers 3rd
Chopin was a lovely composer who played the piano masterfully. Third graders are introduced to Chopin, his piano sounds, triple meter, music patterns, movement, and the waltz. They listen to his music while hearing the story Butterflies...
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Music Composition

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compose a simple melody using the notes of the D Major Scale. Criteria/Rubric for evaluation is provided with variations depending on skill level of students. A minimum of one forty-five minute class period is needed for this...
Lesson Plan
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Student Composers with Music Ace

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students compose short compositions using Doodle Pad.  In this Musical composition lesson, students a clef and note lines to prior knowledge of the treble clef and note lines to write short songs on the computer.  Students use...
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Letter Sound Accuracy, Musical Chairs

For Teachers K
Students explore word structure by participating in a game of musical chairs. In this phonics lesson, students discuss the letters of the alphabet and identify words that begin with each letter and the sounds they make. Students...
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The Math Of African Music

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students practice rhythms and fractions on African drums in this Music lesson plan mixing Math skills and music notation. The lesson plan also includes ideas for assessment and state and national benchmarks met.
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Rhythm and Improv, Jazz and Poetry

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Connect the ideas of jazz improvisation and art to writing poetry. Learners collaborate and write different lines of poetry, imitating the jazz styles of improvisation and freewriting. Take a close look at the poems "Tenebrae" by Yusef...
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Writing a Music Review

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students compose a written music review of one of today's popular bluegrass musicians after they read online essays and journals about the modern bluegrass music scene look over and discuss recent music reviews
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Music in Nature

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars research the Incan civilization. In this Incan civilization lesson, students study the geography of the Andes mountains and play an Andean siku. Young scholars discuss how the sounds of nature influenced their musical piece.
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Dance: African Drumming

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners evaluate the messages in music. In this communication through music lesson, students listen to various musical selections and determine the message being conveyed in the song. Then, learners create their own message as they...
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Back to the Classics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners closely examine chamber music as it has changed from the Middle Ages to today. They work in small groups to research the composers, instruments and typical presentation in 5 time periods. They write biographies and share their...
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"Music Be the Food Of Love": Found Poetry with Shakespeare and Hip Hop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create found poetry using lines from hip hop songs and Shakespeare's plays. They try to rewrite the words to music so that more people can explain Shakespeare's plays. They discuss the results of the activity.
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Behind the Movie Chicago - Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students are introduced to the genre of the musical film. They become aware of the music and dance trends of the 1920s. They identify musical motive as a basis for unity in composition.
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Writing Lyrics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the themes and structure of a bluegrass song and identify the common themes in bluegrass music. They practice songwriting by rewriting the lyrics of "Oh! Susanna" as a bluegrass tune.
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Wyclef Jean for VH1 Storytellers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use recordings of Wyclef Jean's music to study and explore different styles and techniques.
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Visual Art and Music

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students examine how pop art compliments music. In this arts lesson, students explore the elements of pop art and replicate those elements in their own piece of art.
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Music

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders sing the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts" while identifying eighth, quarter, and half notes. They listen to Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring and recall other ballet music.
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America, A Home for Every Culture

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students investigate the many cultures that are represented in America. In this American culture lesson, students look at the food, languages, music, and traditions that immigrants have contributed to the face of America. They complete...
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Sam Cooke - Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify the impact of the social injustices and Civil Rights movement on Cooke's life and career. They create lyrics to a familiar song that express a personal struggle or concern.