Curated OER
General Music: Grades 4 & 5
The story behind the Star Spangled Banner sets off this singing and music lesson. Emergent singers study facts about Francis Scott Key and his famous song, they then discuss and practice singing the first verse paying close attention to...
Curated OER
Music: Caterpillars, How They Grow!
Put on some music and get moving as a way to represent the life cycle of a caterpillar. Kids listen to the story The Very Hungary Caterpillar, discuss the life cycle, then create vocal expression that represent each stage of the cycle....
Curated OER
Music: Off the Wall & Onto the Stage - Composing
Kids explore Gullah music from Africa and then create original compositions based on what they've learned. They practice traditional melodies and rhythms then make some of their own, which they then perform for the class.
Curated OER
Write Your Own Rap
Third graders create a rap using basic AB form composition. Evaluation of performances are based on rubric formed during the first lesson by all students. This three to four day lesson culminates in student performances and evaluation.
Curated OER
Student Composers with Music Ace
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 Music Ace...
John F. Kennedy Center
Jazz music, Dance and Poetry
Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance. In this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance. Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music associated with...
Curated OER
Call and Response Singing
Learners investigate call and response singing. In this fine arts and U.S. history instructional activity, students listen to several call and response songs that were sung by African-American slaves during the period before the Civil...
Curated OER
The Sound of Music: Do-Re-Mi
Seventh graders create a simple melody using the Solfedge syllables. In this melody lesson plan, 7th graders watch the movie The Sound of Music and focus on the "Do Re Mi" clip. Students examine solfege syllables and create a melody...
Curated OER
The Ants Go Marching
Integrate art, math, life science, music, and fun in this beginning addition and subtraction activity. Children kinesthetically represent adding and subtracting numbers to 10; they stand up one at a time as you count forward and sit down...
Curated OER
Music and Technology
Third graders practice reading rhythm patterns with different types of notes and meters. Using a counting system, they perform a sight reading exercise and take notes when needed. They use a form of technology to illustrate the music.
Curated OER
Notating a Rainy Day
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.
Curated OER
You've Got Rhythm
Students study the rhythm value of a half note, quarter note, whole note, and eighth note. They stamp a rhythm pattern and create a clay animation which demonstrates note value.
Curated OER
Teaching Serialism with Technology
Eighth graders compose serialistic tone-row melodies using music notation software. This lesson includes an email address to receive all materials and worksheets involved in the week-long study.
Curated OER
Musical & Linguistic Lesson Plan
Tenth graders study songs and music of the US Civil War period. They use technology to compose a song that highlights an event or concept from the war.
Curated OER
My Way
Students culminate a humanities project by improvising music to accompany a video of a particular era in US history.
Curated OER
A Round and A Round
Young scholars practice singing rounds in daily warm-ups for 2 weeks prior to beginning this composition lesson. Students incorporate movement to the rhythm of each syllable, discuss syllables of words and their relationship to note...
Curated OER
Rondo with B-A-G
Young scholars explore music notes. For this music lesson, students sing the song "Hot Cross Buns" and practice playing it on melody bells to find the letter and rhythm notation. They create a new phrase to the rhythm of this song.
Curated OER
Tinker, Tailor
First graders practice the song "Tinker, Tailor" using percussion instruments, Orff instruments, and their voices in this Music lesson plan for the 1st grade. The lesson plan is intended for use within an Orff unit of study and includes...
Curated OER
Salad Sisters
Students practice and perform 8 and 16 beat rhythmic patterns in 4/4 using the song "Salad Sisters" as a basis in this elementary-level General Music lesson. An amazing lesson for teaching cooperative music composition techniques and...
Curated OER
B is for Banana
Students 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
Accomplished Practice # 5
Students predict what music from different nations sound like by creating short musical pieces based on their assumptions. Students listen to music from different cultures and describe how their musical creations differed as well as how...
Curated OER
"Sakura Sakura" and the Kumoijoshi Scale of Japan
Learners 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. Learners sing the score while...
Curated OER
Great Big House
Third graders sing and play the song "Great Big House" in the Orff style using soprano and alto glockenspiels, bass xylophones, bass marimbas, triangles, woodblocks, and the singing voice. The lesson includes step-by-step teacher...
