Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying Musical Instruments

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify different musical instruments.  For this music appreciation lesson, 1st graders discover the different groups and sounds of instruments while learning their names as well.  Students write about an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reviewing Good Playing Habits

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The string section of your school orchestra can get a proper form make-over by incorporating this lesson. They reestablish proper playing form, posture, and sound as they compose an essay on how to maintain good playing habits during...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Country's Music

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Jazz, Blue Grass, Hip Hop, Swing. Gospel, R&B, Ragtime, Disco. So many music genres born in the USA. After reading an article about the fate of New Orlean's Jazz after Hurricane Katrina, class members investigate the life cycles of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Producing Beats

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Turn your classroom into a music studio as groups work together to determine why music sounds different when performed live versus a recording. After listening to some different music, each group picks a poem, creates a recording, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Transfer in Musical Instruments

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students create unique sounds using different instruments.  In this energy lesson, students read and define several vocabulary terms such as heat, energy transfer and thermal equilibrium.  Students utilize several household...
Worksheet
Classics for Kids

Fun With Musical Words

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Is concertmaster another term for conductor, or is he or she another person entirely? Learn the specifics of the role of concertmaster with an activity focused on classical music. After learners define the term, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Developing Writing Skills Through Japanese Folk Music

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars listen to Japanese folk songs to get inspired to create a writing piece about Japan.  In this writing lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to add information about Japan. 
Lesson Plan
Country Music Hall of Fame

Ray Charles and Country Music

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Ray Charles used the pain and adversity from his life to influence an entire genre of American music. Learn about the musician's daily life, struggles and success, and powerful musical style with a thorough resource.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical Sounds

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students investigate music appreciation by completing worksheets. In this musical arts lesson, students complete worksheets in which they identify different musical instruments, the sounds they make and the family of instruments they...
Worksheet
Classics for Kids

Instrumental Sounds

For Students 4th - 5th
What sound does a piccolo make? What's the difference between a violin and viola? What family does a timpani belong to? Take a tour through the different sections of an orchestra with an interactive reference tool.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Rainforest Music

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine musical instruments used by the indigenous people of the rainforest, and analyze how music is used in their daily lives. They create a model, using natural materials, of a musical instrument used by indigenous...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Name That Tune

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Integrating technology and music can be a snap with lessons like this one! Kids in a junior high band class took to the Internet to download and practice playing their instrument with a computer generated back up band. They practice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music of the People - Native American Music

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders complete a unit of lessons on the singing, instruments, and dancing of Native Americans. They identify and play various instruments, complete worksheets, define key vocabulary, sing songs, and perform dances.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Woodwind Instruments and Pitch

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore musical pitch. In this cross curriculum musical instruments and "sound" physics lesson, students identify and describe common traits of woodwind instruments. Young scholars research "pitch" and what causes pitch...
Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Music and Early Man

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Creative projects are great ways to increase interest in topical research. Middle schoolers learning about primitive life styles in the Americas explore the importance of music to hunter gatherers. They research and create musical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Composing Music

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore music appreciation by reading sheet music. In this musical score analysis activity, students utilize their individual instruments to play the song "Peter and the Wolf." Students listen to an online version of the song...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students participate in a class discussion about jazz music, compare improvisation with regular conversion, listen to various jazz musicians and compare and contrast their individual sounds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Music and Instruments

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students listen to African music and determine its origin. They discuss basic elements of African music and sing an African song. Students examine the rhythm, instruments and culture of Africa. Using various websites, they observe...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical Instruments - Percussion

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research and analyze various percussion instruments from different countries and cultures in this Music lesson for the upper-elementary classroom. Emphasis is placed on internet research and hands-on drumming techniques from...
Activity
Quaver

World Percussion — Latin America Project Book

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What's the most popular music style in Brazil? What about Cuba? Or the Dominican Republic? An immersive project teaches young learners about the salsa, the samba, and the merengue with research assignments and dance performances.
Unit Plan
General Motors Corporation

Jazz

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Over the history of the world, music has been at the heart of some of the greatest social and political movements. Scholars discover their musical roots as they dive into the sounds and emotions of renowned jazz players. They see how...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Sixties: Hitsville USA

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
James Jamerson. You probably heard him but may not have heard of him. But fans of Motown Records will certainly recognize his contributions to the sound that desegregated popular music during the 1960s. Challenge young history...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Orchestra: Exploring the Instruments

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the instruments of the orchestra. In this music appreciation lesson, students discover the four families of instruments and research each of them using selected Internet sources.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mozart and Music

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders experience performing arts by participating in a music performance. In this music history lesson, 5th graders practice playing notes on an instrument in class and discuss the challenges associated with making music....