Interactive
Classics for Kids

Composers Timeline

For Students K - 12th
Take a quick tour through the last 350 years of music composition with an interactive timeline tool. As learners scroll through the years, they see which composers were born and working during the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern...
Lesson Plan
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Romantic and 20th Century Period Music

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Upper graders explore the similarities, differences, and depth of pop music from the Romantic era and the 20th century. They listen to selections that exemplify the Baroque, Romantic, and 20th century periods, then create presentations...
Lesson Plan
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Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Need a musical lesson for your drama or performing arts class? VH1 has put together a really neat lesson, in which learners use biographical information about Alicia Keys to write and perform a one-act musical related to her life. This...
Lesson Plan
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Music History: Part One

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the various music composers of the Baroque music period. They conduct Internet research, take notes about their selected composer, and write an essay that includes important information about their composer.
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Eckstine, Stayhorn, and the Dorseys: Masters of Swing

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students explore the history of swing music. For this music history lesson, students research the Dorsey Brothers, Billy Eckstine, and William Strayhorn to learn about swing music. Students define swing, develop a timeline of events in...
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Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition, students...
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Mozart vs. Beethoven - Real Classical Composers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Elementary schoolers are given an overview of the baroque, classical, romantic, and modern periods of music. They focus on the lives of Beethoven and Mozart; two of the greatest composers of all time. After listening to samples their...
Lesson Plan
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From Page to Stage

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, utilizing video clips and Web sites, compare specific passages from original texts to moments in Broadway musicals on which they were based, analyzing similarities and differences between them. They adapt literature into a...
Lesson Plan
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Comparison/Contrast Composer Study

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils choose two composers to research and complete a compare and contrast study of them. In this composer research lesson plan, young scholars select two composers to research. Pupils use Internet sources, the library, and music class...
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Composer/Musician Study

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research a musician or composer of their choice and present their research through a written paper and free choice activity. This lesson can be done over the course of five to six classes with some homework. The paper...
Lesson Plan
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Living Yesterday's History Today

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students describe and contrast life as it was in colonial days. They plan, compose, and produce a student movie. They reflect on what they have learned. They share their experience with others in digital format.
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Grand Canyon Suite

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Take a trip to the Grand Canyon! Lesson one explores how Ferde Grofe painted a musical landscape of America when he wrote the Grand Canyon Suite. Learners then examine art that shows the Grand Canyon in lesson two. Finally, lesson three...
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Music of the Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders take a closer look at the music of the Great Depression. In this 1930's America lesson, 11th graders read and analyze the provided lyrics of 6 songs from the era. Students then compose their own lyrics for songs that...
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Twelve-Bar Blues

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine blues music. In this music genres activity, students discover details about the history of the musical genre and compositional techniques. High schoolers then compose melodies of their own with 12-bar blues chord...
Lesson Plan
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Compare and Contrast Composers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify various pieces of music that are familiar to them and define how the music made them feel. Then they select their favorite piece of music heard and the activities in which they like to do. Students also attend a...
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Notable American Composers

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students visit web sites for each of the composersand listen to selections of each composer's music and place important dates of the composers into a pre-printed time line.
Lesson Plan
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Tradition through storytelling and music

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discover how storytelling can shape a person's tradition.Students examine different methods of storytelling such as music, biographies, and African folktales. They then demonstrate their knowledge of storytelling by writing...
Lesson Plan
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Grandparents' Day: Family History

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore Grandparents' Day. They interview their grandparents and select an activity to highlight their interview. They select a project including writing an essay, composing a song, creating a poem or scrapbook, or writing a...
Lesson Plan
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Travel Agent to the Ancient World

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers persuade others to visit ancient times. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students participate in a webquest that requires them to encourage others to visit ancient Greece, ancient Israel, Ancient Rome, ancient...
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Ice -T's Rap School

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the history of rap and gain an understanding of the components of rap music. They experience the correlation between Shakespeare's poetry and rap music of today.
Lesson Plan
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Musical Roles

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners watch a videotape on the musical career of Aretha Franklin and explore the different careers in the music industry.
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Interview The Artists

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine athe role of art, music and film in Russian society.
Lesson Plan
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Buffalo Soldiers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the role of the buffalo soldiers. In this African American history activity, students research the African American soldiers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students discuss their findings and compose songs that...
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Interactive Timeline

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine the development of ragtime music and its relation to jazz. They participate in an online Interactive timeline and read about the history of ragtime music, listen to examples of music, and in small groups create...