Pupils become familiar with the characteristic form and sound of the blues, then learn about the history and evolution of the blues in relationship to the African-American experience. Students examine the structure and language of blues...

Students examine and discuss the African American Spiritual in a choir setting. They also sing the spiritual "Get On Board This Train" while using terms and techniques studied in the instructional activity.

The orchestra plays the National Anthem and discusses their origin. Students listen to other nation's National Anthems, and discuss how they felt while listening. As the students play the National Anthem, the teacher sings. The students...

High schoolers take a closer look at the political and social outlook during the Great Depression. For this Great Depression lesson, students analyze selected songs from the time period. High schoolers use the provided lyric sheets...

Students decide what the term "art" means to them. They identify artistic elements displayed by the Dave Matthews Band. They understand the relationship between music and other means of artistic expression.

Students discuss the composer Aaron Copland and the lyricist Ira Gershwin and their significance in/contributions to American music of their time while singing the song "Younger Generation" in the choir setting. Emphasis is placed on...

Learners examine the origins of ragtime music in American and analyze its musical form.

Students participate in various activities that help them build esteem, and explore racism. In this multicultural lesson plan, Students increase their awareness of, and appreciation for, cultural differences and similarities. This...

Learners watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira and identify the elements that make her music unique. They explore Latin music and dance and research the music and dance of a specific Latin American country.

Students perform "Fifty States in Rhyme" with correct posture, correct rhythms, and accurate pitches. They also identify and perform such musical terms as tone color, tempo, dynamics, phrases, and accents. Emphasis is placed on the...

Learners listen to and discuss American music genres, specifically ragtime, bebop/bop, and swing, and experiment with improvisation on traditional tunes and rhythms.

Young scholars examine African-American communal life. For this Langston Hughes lesson, students read poetry by Hughes in order to gain insight into the Harlem community. Young scholars select artwork that represents their community.

Pupils examine the use of music as a medium for social protest. They watch the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," describe the historical significance of words/phrases in three versions of one song, and answer discussion questions.

Learners reflect on characteristics of good citizens, examine democratic symbolism, create an award and choose an individual to receive the award as part of this lesson on citizenship. Lesson ties together social studies, language arts,...

Pupils explore the meaning of copyright and copyright issues surrounding the use of downloaded music.

Eleventh graders examine the Cold War.  For this American History lesson, 11th graders develop answers to comprehension questions about the song "We Didn't Start the Fire".  Students write a persuasive essay at the end of the...

Eleventh graders examine the purpose of Franklin D. Roosevelt's chats.  For this American History lesson, 11th graders collaborate with their group members on becoming an expert on a specific chat. 

Young scholars investigate U.S. history by listening to an economics lecture. For this U.S. government lesson, students research the "New Deal" which happened after the Great Depression. Young scholars identify movies, books and music...

Students study how the music of Dave Matthews Band is based on jazz, blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, and rap.

Students connect the diversity of American culture to the music of Dave Matthews Band and then create lyrics that emphasize how diversity pertains to their own life.

Students compose song as a classroom effort. They write a one-paragraph essay about "message" songs in 100 years and include three ideas for topics along with the style of music (such as folk, rock, blues, rap, etc.) that would match.

Fourth graders observe the Four Sacred Elements image in PowerPoint as projected on a screen and discuss what they see and then summarize the details. They discuss what the image represents and how the Four Sacred Elements are an...

Young scholars identify various uses of music in their daily experiences and describe characteristics that make certain music suitable for each use. They explore some of the ways that music study contributes to their lives.

Students write a song about transportation in 100 years after comparing and discussing "Proud Mary" and "The Midnight Special".