Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Music and u.s. Reform History: Stand Up and Sing

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Throughout American history, popular music has reflected the mood and opinions of the times. By exploring sheet music, students analyze issues related to industrialization and reform to answer the essential question, "How does society...
Handout
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Blues Music: Overview

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview and definition of blues music that developed in the southern United States in the early nineteenth century. Performers from Georgia include Ray Charles, Ma Rainey, Little Richard, and the Allman Brothers.
Website
PBS

Classics for Kids: Music

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource is dedicated to introducing students to classical music. Students can study the history of music, listen to music, review different kinds of instruments, and explore musical careers.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Musical Theater

For Students 9th - 10th
A short and concise history of musical theater with two early performers and a composer highlighted.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Popular Culture and Mass Media in the 1950s

For Students 9th - 10th
In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television.
Website
Other

Oculus Magazine: Early Jazz

For Students 9th - 10th
Written for an audience accustomed to rock, this is a good history of Jazz, from the late 1800's, when the form supposedly took shape, to recommended recordings and books.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 44: Compositional Techniques

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Young music students rarely see or, better still, hear a connection between the different types of scales, modes, intervals and other compositional techniques such as meter, tonality, and form used in both traditional 'Art' music and...
Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 31: Syncopation and Rhythm

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Music students rarely see the value or have any interest in music other than their favorite popular artist or group. By showing connections and similarities between current music and 'classical' music, the teacher begins to break down...
Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 10: Interpretation and Meaning

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Using the lyrics, music and video of a selected song (example used here is 'One' by the Irish group U2), students will explore the ways in which words, music and visual images interact to create meaning. Students will analyze the...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 35: The Melting of the Cold War

For Teachers 9th - 10th
As the Cold War evolved over four decades, the end of the world seemed imminent as the nuclear arms race continued to escalate. Popular music, especially in the 1980s, reflected this growing pessimism. By 1989 and 1990, as the Berlin...
Website
Other

African Genesis: Black Gospel Music

For Students 9th - 10th
This Black Gospel Music site provides information on the history, artists, and spirituality of black gospel music.
Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 25: Vietnam Revisited

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using music, videos, and interviews are effective ways to study the Vietnam War era. The music from the late 1960s and early 1970s offers wonderful insights into how many Americans felt about the times. Through the use of personal...
Website
Other

Columbia Music Entertainment: Japanese Traditional Music

For Students 9th - 10th
A concise account of the history of Japanese traditional music. Included is an interactive timeline and descriptions of Japanese musical instruments.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: See, Hear and Sing

For Students 3rd - 5th
Lots of history of American music with fun links and audio clips, most from the 20th century. A neat site to learn more about America's past.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 30: The Reagan Bush Years

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Republican era of Ronald Reagan and George Bush had to deal with difficult foreign affair events. Reagan dealt with terrorism, including hostage taking and gundowns, particularly from Libya. Bush dealt with aggression on the part of...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 51: Song Form

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Many high school students do not recognize the use of repetitive song form in rock and roll music. This lesson will introduce concepts for identifying musical structure and, more specifically, song form. A comparison of the Red Hot Chili...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 40: Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Rock music can serve as a way to increase student interest in the curriculum, and a way to help students make sense of who they are and what their place is in the world, so asking students to bring in their own music to teach each other...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 39: People Everyday

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This activity with a song of my choice, 'People Everyday' by Arrested Development, will be an introduction to literary analysis and media/popular music literacy. Students will learn to examine critically what they view and hear. They...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 36: Cross Genre Comparisons in Hip Hop

For Teachers 9th - 10th
From being viewed as a fad, hip-hop's commercial success has allowed it to permeate virtually all aspects of popular culture. By critically analyzing hip-hop music and comparing it with established music forms, the cultural relevance,...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 32: The John Travolta Syndrome

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The songs and movies of modern times have had a major influence on fashion. Coincidentally, many of these important fashion-influencing films of recent times had one thing in common: John Travolta. From the white leisure suits ofSaturday...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 11: The Cigar Box Guitar

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Science instruction is most effective when using a hands-on delivery system. This lesson will use your students' natural affinity for music and musical instruments to reinforce and refine their knowledge of the nature of sound -...
Website
Other

Music of Puerto Rico

For Students 9th - 10th
Providing in-depth information about the music of Puerto Rico, this sites mission is to enhance the appreciation of its musical heritage. Featured are instruments, a glossary and a detailed history of the music of Puerto Rico.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 17: Irony Made Understandable

For Teachers 9th - 10th
One of the more difficult literary concepts to teach is irony, especially ironic point of view. Not only do learners often miss the subtle linguistic clues, they become distracted by the issue of author's intent. Whether it's the classic...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 43: Screening Coleridge's Fantasies

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students are often hesitant to speak out with their own explications of literature, but usually have no qualms when asked to offer interpretations of popular musical lyrics. In fact, they seem quite eager to defend a lyrical explanation...

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