Lesson Plan
Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Elements of Music—How do Composers Plan?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The introduction to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and the finale of his Symphony No. 4 provide young musicians with an opportunity to investigate the music elements composers employ to develop the themes they want to create. They compare the...
Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Mood Music!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Grouchy? Sad? Here's a great resource that shows kids how music can be used to lift their spirits. Kids collect and chart data on the effects of music on emotions. After analyzing the results of their experiment, they develop...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

19th & 20th Century Composers: Exoticism

For Teachers 8th - 12th
VH1 Music Studio has put out another great instructional activity that incorporates analysis, compare/contrast, and musical terminology. Kids will listen to the song "Habanera" considering the use of specific instruments in evoking a...
Activity
Phantom of Opera

The Phantom of the Opera: Ideas for Research and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You could spend a full day discussing The Phantom of the Opera and not scratch the surface, but a set of lessons about the literary elements and themes of the musical production is a great start. Young thespians build upon the...
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Musical Harlem: How Is Jazz Music Reflective of the Harlem Renaissance?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Bring jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance to light with a lesson that challenges scholars to research and create. Pupils delve deep into information materials to identify jazz terminology, compare types of jazz and jazz musicians,...
Activity
Curated OER

A Study Guide for The Phantom of the Opera

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Immerse yourself in the beautiful, twisted world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. A detailed lesson plan provides important details about the writing, stagecraft, music, and literary elements of the famous musical,...
Activity
Leading Learner

Using Music to Tell a Story or Describe a Scene

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Young composers demonstrate their understanding of the stylistic features of descriptive music, including pitch, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and timbre, by developing a melody and countermelody for a main character in a story. As part of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs of America

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Combine your lesson on patriotism with a lesson on comparing and contrasting. Focusing on The Star Spangled Banner, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and The Old Folks at Home, this lesson prompts learners to compare and contrast each song...
Activity
Amani Project

Harmony Break! Finding Emotions With Music

For Parents 3rd - 8th
Gather the entire family (or class members) for a fun Harmony Break! A volunteer thinks of a color from their Mood Meter that they will express by singing, playing an instrument, or performing a dance. After the performance, the audience...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Look in the Mythic Mirror: I've Got Rhythm!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners explore the relationships between music, poetry, and visual art. Using the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, pupils develop an awareness of the compositional elements of the Classical style, and the aesthetic effects of those...
Lesson Plan
VH1

Lesson 3: Behind the Movie Chicago

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In small groups and then as a class, young musicians compare and contrast two pieces from the musical film Chicago. They pair up to look at the elements that make each piece similar and define the elements or arrangements that make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music Around the State: Sound and Place

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars identify and interpret the styles and elements of music in three major folk regions of Louisiana within specific traditional music genres. Then they hear the diversity of music in the state and identify the major genres...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Compare and Contrast Poems vs. Lyrics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Combine your pupils' love of music with their growing knowledge of poetry! First, have them bring in their favorite songs for a discussion on word choice and literary devices. Then, use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering the Element of Color in Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale: A Comparison of Tone Color and Art Color

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students experience several different tone colors in the song and also add layers of color to their copy of "The Owl" to compare and contrast how an artist would create the element of color.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor

For Teachers 7th - 12th
How do a person's musical preferences influence the way they compose music of their own? Learners analyze the sound and lyrics of Alicia Keys in relation to musicians that came before. Jazz, blues, and soul music from the past are shown...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning from the past: Ancient Mosaics

For Teachers 10th
Budding artists study the history and significance behind ancient mosaics and mosaic murals. They study multiple examples of ancient mosaics, sketch a design, and use clay tiles to create thoughtful mosaics of their own. 
Activity
Orlando Shakes

Les Misérables: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A writer has the responsibility to defend the less fortunate members of society. At least that was the view of Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables. The novel is the subject of a study guide from Orlando Shakespeare Theater....
Lesson Plan
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California Department of Education

Hitting the Write Note: Writing a Proposal

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To whom it may concern ... Scholars undergo the process of writing a letter to an authority figure. The lesson asks writers to compose a formal letter requesting a music therapy space. Pupils learn how to submit a project proposal to any...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SENSORY ELEMENTS

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students describe the sensory elements of musical selections (i.e., tempos, dynamics, and articulations). They write an essay evaluating Saint-Saens' effectiveness in using sensory elements in both selections. They describe the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythm in Motion

For Teachers K - 8th
Any age of elementary student can demonstrate their understanding of the connections of elements of art and music by creating their own slit song. You will investigate and study the Melanesian Slit Song with Kindergartners through Junior...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students learn the basic elements of music and gain an understanding of the elements found in Jazz.
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

Lesson: A Garden Party of My Own

For Teachers K - 5th
Kids look at a beautiful work of art to practice grammar, make connections from life to art, and sketching. They identify all the parts of grammar they see in the image, discuss what they see and do on a picnic, and then draw an imaged...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Get Your Organisms Organized

For Teachers 6th Standards
From large to small, show your class how to organize them all! Included within the guide is everything you need to take their knowledge of classification from the cellular to the species level. The worksheets focus on...