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...
Interactive
Classics for Kids

Composers and Their Countries

For Students K - 12th
How many of the world's greatest composers were born in Austria? Or Germany? Or the United States? An interactive map provides young musicians with information about prominent composers in the last few centuries, as well as the periods...
Unit Plan
iTheatrics and Broadway

School of Rock the Musical: Education Guide

For Parents 6th - 12th Standards
That old fashioned rock and roll comes alive as theatre arts students prepare to attend a live performance of the musical School of Rock. Packed with both pre- and post-production materials, the guide has it all. Rock on!
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music: Off the Wall & Onto the Stage - Composing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

19th & 20th Century Composers: Exoticism

For Teachers 8th - 12th
VH1 Music Studio has put out another great lesson that incorporates analysis, compare/contrast, and musical terminology. Kids will listen to the song "Habanera" considering the use of specific instruments in evoking a sense of location....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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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Curated OER

Renaissance Music Questions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Add a comprehension resource to a unit on the Renaissance or music of the Renaissance period. Middle schoolers answer eight comprehension questions and complete ten additional questions in order to fill out a crossword...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Musical Myths

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Create musical myths in this West African tales lesson. Middle schoolers read myths from African Myths and Legends as well as West African Trickster Tales. They note when music could be used to enhance the tales, and then write their own...
PPT
Curated OER

Popular Music of Brazil: Samba

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Samba music is a musical mixture of both African and Brazilian sounds and rhythms. Explore this art form with your class using this easy-to-follow slide show. They'll learn about Samba's roots, beats, characteristics, instruments, and...
Lesson Plan
Berklee College of Music

Create Your Own Afro-Latin Groove

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The backbone of Latin American music is the beat! Young musicians work on blending Afro-Latin rhythms and beat patterns before incorporating the major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, and blues scales in their own compositions.
PPT
Curated OER

Revolutions in the Arts: 1800s

For Teachers 7th - 9th
The 1800s were a time of great change in the worlds of art, literature, and music. This presentation covers major works and artists that exemplify the Romantic, Realist, and Impressionist movements. Why not make this presentation a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Movies That Rock": Moulin Rouge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders explore musical film and the Bohemian lifestyle common in Europe during the turn of the century through the musical Moulin Rouge. After listening to (or viewing) songs from the movie, they discuss the Bohemian era and how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Music Patterns- Islamic Art

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students compose music using Islamic patterns. For this cultural arts lesson, students examine Islamic art and analyze the patterns. Students incorporate various Islamic patterns into a musical composition.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baroque Composer Presentations

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students create an understanding of contemporary artistic styles and genres through an overview of the connection of the arts throughout modern history. Students discussed visual, written and aural artistic mediums, as well as their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders read lyrics for "My Hometown" and complete a worksheet to identify setting and tone in the song. In this Romanticism instructional activity, 12th graders read Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey by...
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Prehistoric Music

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What was music like during the Stone Age? Learners listen to a CD entitled, Art of Primitive Sound as they consider the culture of people in the Stone Age. They use objects found in nature to create instruments, and then...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Medieval Music -- 500-1450

For Students 4th - 5th
In this music history worksheet, students learn about the musical style and instrumentation in the years between 500-1450. Students read several informative paragraphs and answer 7 questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mourning in Art and Ancient Cultures

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners compare and mine two prints by Canadian artist Robert Harris for clues about the story depicted. They brainstorm ancient cultures that tell similar stories and download images to portray them. They also research how the ancient...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poets Got Them Blues

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Contemplate what music learners listen to and why they listen. Can they find poetry within music lyrics? Specifically hone in on blues lyrics and ruminate upon the social issues prevalent in the themes. Particular song lyrics coincide...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Arabic Poetry: Guzzle a Ghazal!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Students research the evolution and cultural significance of the Arabic ghazal form of poetry. They, in groups, compose an original ghazal poem and read it aloud to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Art Around the World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze rock art. In this rock art lesson, students research cultures that created rock art, analyze their art pieces, and compose essays regarding their findings.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Requiem "The Song of the Murdered Jewish People"

For Students 9th - 12th
Music and poetry are vehicles that can tell many stories. Learners read the poem "The Song of the Murdered Jewish People" by Itzhak Katzenelson, then listen to the requiem it inspired; composed by Zlata Razdolina. Excellent...
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Biographical Slideshow

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Biographies can be a fun topic for any history project. Learners choose one famous person that lived between 1865 and 1930 to research. They gather information, work on reading comprehension, and use what they find to create slide shows...