Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Silk Dragons - Activity 1

For Teachers K - 5th
Students investigate and discuss Japanese art and culture through an online video and a KWL chart. This lesson is an introduction to Japanese art with two supplemental lessons provided for further activities.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Food Rhythms

For Students 4th - 8th
Kids note the rhythm of 12 words and then list each word in the appropriate box on a learning exercise.
Activity
York Catholic

Elements of Drama

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Introduce young actors to the key elements of performance with this handout that defines key staging terms and activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners compare and contrast the rhythms of marches and jazz. They watch an excerpt about Buddy Bolden from the PBS Ken Burns Jazz documentary, compare/contrast march and jazz rhythms, complete a worksheet, and notate and perform jazz...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice -T's Rap School

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the history of rap and gain an understanding of the components of rap music. They experience the correlation between Shakespeare's poetry and rap music of today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythmic Movement Skills

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore rhythmic movements. In this performing arts lesson, students create their own movements and then repeat the each others movement. Finally, students create movements to the Haiku generated by the entire class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Page to Stage

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, utilizing video clips and Web sites, compare specific passages from original texts to moments in Broadway musicals on which they were based, analyzing similarities and differences between them. They adapt literature into a...
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Affect of Music on Visual Images

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders consider cross-curricular connections between social studies, singing, and current events. They listen to the song, "I Can't Cry Hard Enough." view scenes from September 11, then create presentations using images, a...
Lesson Plan
Education Closet

West Side Shifts

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Combine math, language arts, music, and dance with an activity focused on "America" from West Side Story. After listening to the song, learners compare the film to Romeo and Juliet, analyze the song's meter, design choreography, plan...
Lesson Plan
VH1

Lesson 4: Behind the Movie Chicago

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The elements of music and journalistic integrity in one instructional activity; What could be better? The class discusses journalistic approaches to better understand responsible reporting versus sensationalism. They watch the Act One...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

M.C. Bard: Hip-Hop and Shakespeare

For Teachers 11th - 12th
What is poetry? Does hip-hop qualify as poetry? Do Shakespeare's monologues qualify as poetry? Class members grapple with these questions as they examine the poetic elements and themes presented in different texts. Groups of four study...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning How to Sing Rounds

For Teachers K - 6th
Learn about rounding by reciting songs alongside classmates, discovering the difference between singing together and singing in canon. In this musical lesson, students discover what a "round" is and the melodic effect it can have on a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Chordal Harmony

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Practice makes perfect, especially when playing a musical instrument. This lesson examines simple chordal harmony, melody, and playing with accompaniment. Learners listen to a series of songs that exemplify the concept then play a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Welcome To Ella Fitzgerald: the Singer Not the Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the life and musical works of Ella Fitzgerald. They investigate how technology influences art using this series of web and video based lessons. They create their own melodies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine female artists who perform in the genres of rhythm & blues, jazz, soul, and hip-hop/rap. They compose lyrics and melody in one of these genres.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sondheim: Secret Metaphors

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the work of Stephen Sondheim. In this musical theater lesson, students examine the musicals Merrily We Roll Along and Sunday in the Park with George. High schoolers identify and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Composition

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students select an instrument and create a musical composition. In this musical composition lesson, students invent an original piece of music that is 16 measures long. Students hum and record their pieces.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop, Episode 2, Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners discuss how Run-D.M.C. brought Hip Hop into mainstream popularity. They discuss why melding two styles of music is popular and what the results have been through history. They take two songs and combine elements to make a new...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

True Spin

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students gain an understanding of concepts of marketing and promotion in popular music. They pretend as if they are in the position of employee in a recording label's promotion department and determine what type of promotion is needed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Chorus For Us

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine "serious" choral music written for student choirs and the composers who write it. They reflect upon the notion of "serious" music, and examine the trend of concert composers writing pieces for student chorus
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Back to the Classics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students closely examine chamber music as it has changed from the Middle Ages to today. They work in small groups to research the composers, instruments and typical presentation in 5 time periods. They write biographies and share their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graffiti Project

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students inspect performing arts by participating in a class presentation. In this art collage lesson, students examine the graffiti art created on New York subways and discuss the life of Keith Haring. Students create their own images...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shaker Band

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students shake up some lively music. In this early childhood music and art instructional activity, students use a variety of materials to make shakers that will acquaint them with different rhythms and enhance their sensory awareness.