National First Ladies' Library
Ragtime: The First "American" Music?
Learners investigate the concept of ragtime music and the times associated with it in American history. They conduct research using a variety of resources and listen to a sample before writing down some of the results of the information...
Curated OER
"Humor" Afro-American Symphony (Third Movement)
A fun way for young learners to explore music and their personal reaction to it, this worksheet includes a short reading passage about musician William Grant Still, a word scramble, a matching activity and two short writing prompts. Some...
John F. Kennedy Center
Harriet Tubman: Secret Messages Through Song
A lesson all about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad introduces scholars to African American spirituals. By way of reading, speaking, and listening, learners discover, analyze, and decode African American spirituals. They...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Smart Solutions: English Language Development Lessons (Theme 6)
Smart Solutions is the theme of a unit created to meet the needs of English language earners. Through a series of lessons, scholars follow a routine—move, speak, and listen— to cover topics including stores, shops, celebrations, pets,...
Curated OER
Singing Patriotic Music
Students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of patriotic music, including "America" and "The Star Spangled Banner," to sing expressively with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation.
Illustrative Mathematics
Words and Music I
What type of music is best to listen to while learning? In a short writing prompt, learners must determine if a scenario involving listening to music while memorizing material is an experiment or an observational study. The prompt also...
Curated OER
What Is Legal With Music On The Web?
Students research what is legal now as far as downloading music from the Internet. They also gather information now that some citizens have been charged with crimes. The research allows students to form informed opinions that are educated.
Curated OER
Band On Line
In 1996, using the Internet to enhance learning was a new innovation. While the lesson plan here is a bit outdated, it could still provide a basic understanding of how technology can enhance music appreciation. Members of the school band...
Curated OER
Feel the Beat of the Drums
These percussion instruments have a rich history and a variety of uses.
Curated OER
Jazz and World War II: A Rally to Resistance, A Catalyst for Victory
Learners examine the impact of WWII on the development of jazz music and consider how jazz music helped to boost morale of both soldiers and those left at home. They identify the function of jazz as a cultural export and discuss its...
Curated OER
Natural Disasters: Stormy Weather in Art, Writing, and Music
Using personal experience, visual art, and music that evoke natural disasters, your older high schoolers create their own expressions of storms. Learners conduct online research about weather drama. They make their own expressive...
Curated OER
Experimental Music
Students test people's response to different kinds of music. In this music lesson plan, students associate different cords with different feelings or moods. They then observe a video that describes different feelings related to different...
Curated OER
Music Around the World: United Nations Week
Learners discover the United Nations through the use of musical examples and performance. This two day lesson plan requires two forty-five minute sections and delivers information about different cultures around the world. Emphasis is...
Curated OER
Connecting Literature, Writing and Music
Students assess the impact of music to portray emotions and tell stories. Examples are taken from the life of Rosa Parks and a piece of band music called "A Movement for Rosa". Evaluation is accomplished through in-class participation...
Curated OER
Poetry In Song
Investigate poetry and song lyrics with your class. They will identify poetic elements in their favorite modern music. Then they will play their song choice aloud for their classmates.
Curated OER
Rubber Band Banza
Third graders review ideas about sound and vibration to make their own stringed instrument. They review what a pictograph and bar graph are. Pupils conduct a survey within the classroom to choose the four favorite string instruments and...
Annenberg Foundation
Becoming Visible
The television and interstate highways both came of age in 1950s America. Scholars use film, text, and discussion to explore how these and other cultural icons shaped the literature of the time. Pupils also create a family history...
Curated OER
"The Stars and Stripes Forever"
In this classical music worksheet, students listen to "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa. Students read about the composer and the march. Students study the lyrics to this piece and answer 5 short essay questions.
Curated OER
Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein
In this music appreciation learning exercise, students listen to Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein. Students read about the composer and the history and structure of the piece. Students then answer 5 questions and unscramble the...
Curated OER
"Playful Pizzicat" from Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten
In this classical music worksheet, students listen to "Playful Pizzicato" by Benjamin Britten. Students read about the composer and complete 20 fun activities about the instruments, form, and history of this piece.
Curated OER
The Last Meow
Students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.
Curated OER
Call and Response Singing
Students 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
Black History in Music
Learners relate musical styles with US historical context through research and presentation.
Curated OER
Music History: Part One
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.