Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Epic Improvisation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Really? Rapping The Odyssey? Really. A discussion of the oral tradition of story telling and its links to Epic poetry sets the stage for a series of activities that encourage improvisation to integrate music into other classrooms....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Musical Composition Experience

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders having skills in music performance will extend their abilities through creative musical composition. They'll use Finale 2000 to explore facets of music composition, they'll then compose a piece for their instrument in C, F,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Improvising Music

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students watch "The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A to Z" and improvise melodic and rhythmic embellishments for the song "O What A Beautiful Morning" or "Rubber Duckie."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music- Found-Object Orchestra

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students construct simple musical instruments. For this music lesson, students read the text Max Found Two Sticks and construct their own instruments from classroom materials.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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
Curated OER

Blues Improvisation

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students practice playing and improvising while playing the 12 bar blues. They practice compositional skills, evaluate and perform musical pieces focused on the blues.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vitamin A

For Teachers K - 6th
Students explore non-locomotor movements and instrument improvisation creating accompaniments to the song "Vitamin A" in this elementary-level General Music lesson. The lesson nutrition messages links and student challenges for advanced...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Way

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students culminate a humanities project by improvising music to accompany a video of a particular era in US history.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students perform a song using correct rhythms, accurate pitches, and dynamic phrasing. They perform an accompaniment to "America" on Orff instruments.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching Dynamics

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders discuss the sounds of rainstorms. In this rainstorm lesson, 2nd graders listen to the story Down Comes the Rain and they discuss the change in sounds they hear in a thunder storm. They use percussion instruments to create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" with others in small groups and as an entire class. Using correct posture, correct rhythms, and accurate pitches, students play improvised melodies as accompaniment to the song. This lesson emphasizes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students improvise then compose and notate melodies with appropriate accompaniments that are inspired by events that transpired during their summer vacations. Requires a networked keyboard lab.
Lesson Plan
Skoog Music

St. Patrick’s Day

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Traditional Irish music can bring even the most stoic audience to tears. This St. Patrick's Day, explore the lilting flutes and mournful ballads of the Emerald Isle with a interactive and inspiring music lesson.
Lesson Plan
Berklee College of Music

Create Your Own Afro-Latin Groove

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning to Play Together

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars listen to and discuss American music genres, specifically ragtime, bebop/bop, and swing, and experiment with improvisation on traditional tunes and rhythms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beat Or No Beat

For Teachers K
Students keep a steady beat by body movement exercises, improvise, identify a beat/no beat sequence and sing a nursery rhyme from Portugal in this Kindergarten General Music lesson plan. The use of simple rhythmic instruments is required.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shoes And Singin

For Teachers K
Students analyze rhythmic patterns (beat versus no beat), sing an echo song on Solfege syllables, improvise melodies, and express music through creative movement. This activity is written to meet State and National Standards for the Arts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

12 Days of Christmas

For Teachers 1st
First graders reinforce numerical order as they explore "The 12 Days of Christmas". Composition with instruments is also involved.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Sakura Sakura" and the Kumoijoshi Scale of Japan

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars listen to a recording of "Sakura" and determine where it is from. In this global sound lesson, students view pictures of cherry blossoms and connect its significance to Japanese culture. Young scholars sing the score while...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythm - "Yankee Doodle Dandy"

For Teachers 1st
First graders practice rhythm and beat. In this music lesson plan, 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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phytochemicals

For Teachers K - 6th
Young scholars 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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"All About Me"

For Teachers K
Students perform creative movement to music, sing and improvise using the Solfege syllables do, me, so, and la, and recognize beat vs. no beat in this instructional activity for the Kindergarten General Music class. Emphasis is on a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All About Me - 2

For Teachers K
Students recognize beat vs. no beat, sing and improvise on do, me, so, and la, and perform creative movement to music in this Kindergarten Music lesson. Emphasis is placed upon the Wiggy Wiggy Wiggles CD and creative movement exercises.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Viennese Music Clock

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners explore the music concepts of ryhthm, melody, form, and harmony in a three-lesson unit. They listen to the Viennese Music Clock and demonstrate moving to the beat, create improvised melodies, and play percussion accompaniment.