National Dance Week Foundation
Modern Dance Project
As part of a celebration of National Dance week, class members engage in a series of exercises that introduce them to the movements of modern dance.
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Original Band Compositions
Young scholars create and perform original band compositions using their own band instruments. This two day lesson requires student compositions to be done at home. Students evaluate performances using a checklist for composing...
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SENSORY ELEMENTS
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...
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"Let's Write a Song"
Fourth graders analyze, brainstorm and practice playing a melody/pattern with rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and instrumental pieces of many styles. In addition, they create an original piece of music.
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Harp Of Gold
Students create "Harp" pictures using harp shapes, shoe box lids, paints, old sheet music, and inspiration from Harp music in this inter-disciplinary Art and Music lesson for the elementary classroom. Resource links are included for...
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Notating a Rainy Day
Young singers learn how to notate the rhythms and melodies of a familiar song using Kodaly hand signals and manipulatives. Individuals then create their own compositions and sing them using Kodaly notation.
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Vocal Awareness
Students explore the human voice through teacher-directed exercises and experiments in the Kindergarten or 1st grade general music classroom. Textbook references are mentioned and an assessment pattern is given.
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Starting at the Beginning
Sixth graders develop basic band skills through in-class instruction, individual practice, and the Essential Elements band method. Instruction is teacher-led with examples and drill/practice. National Standards for the arts are...
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Mexican Culture “La Raspa”
Here are three lessons that work together to engage learners in a cultural and musical exploration. In lesson plan one the listen to the Mexican folk song, "La Raspa" and discuss cultural context. In lesson plan two they dance along to...
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The Talking Stick
Young scholars examine the lives of the Aboriginal peoples of Saskatchewan. For this talking stick lesson, students discover dance, art, music, and traditions of the First Nations people. Young scholars design and create a talking...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Suki's Kimono
In the story Suki's Kimono drums are used to show mood. Learners discuss mood in the story after they practice playing a simple 4/4 rhythm on their drums. Each group plays the rhythm using a different tempo. They listen to each...
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Nureyev: After Petipa
Incorporating the arts into regular classroom practices isn't an easy task. Learners will research background information regarding Russian culture, history, and conflict then see how those things have applied to the rigors of Russian...
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Flip and Flop: An Adaptation Through Dancing Echoes with Shapes and Locomotor Movement
Dancers practice echoing through dance. They listen to a story "Flip and Flop" and then are put into pairs. One partner is Flip, while the other is Flop. Flip creates a shape by dancing, and Flop, the other student, echoes that shape by...
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Elementary My Dear Dancer-Foundation Lesson
Students participate in dance choreography. In this choreography lesson, students classify elements of choreography. Students collaborate in small groups and compose choreography.
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Moving to the Poems of Angel Island
A poem carved on Angel Island's walls is the guiding text of a instructional activity that challenges scholars to put movement into a written piece of art. After warm up-activities, learners play a game of "Pass the Clap" and "Pass the...
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Singing the Blues with Garageband
Music composition can be easy with a little software assistance. The class uses Garageband to listen to, write, sing, and record a blues song. They listen to the song provided through the software, write their own lyrics to the song,...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Theme and Variation
The dance elements of body, energy, space, and time are the focus of a lesson on movement and theme. The class follows along as the teacher shows them a new dance that has a theme. They practice the dance, and then change one element in...
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Emotion Painting
Budding artists explore the nature of emotion through artistic expression. They discuss feelings, colors, line, and design, mix colors and then create an emotive piece that expresses a singular emotion. There are three cross-curricular...
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Exploring Pentatonic Scales
What better way to teach pentatonic scales than to have them playing while you define them? This slide-show includes simple yet correct descriptions of five note scales in C, G, and F major as well as examples for learners to hear.
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West Virginia Def PB Wants You!
Students write, adapt, and compose a song related to the West Virginia State Museum. In this music instructional activity, students create a composition for a work of visual art. Students incorporate major and minor melodies.
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Chinese Instruments
Students explore Chinese instruments. For this Chinese instrument music lesson, students listen to a performance by Liu Fang and describe the sounds they hear. Students classify western and Chinese instruments according to their...
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Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen
Students use the correct music terminology to evaluate a performance, composition, and arrangement of the song "Blinded by the Light" by Bruce Springsteen and compare it to another version recorded by Manfred Man.
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And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop - Lesson 3
Students discuss the importance of dance within the Hip Hop genre and the dance moves which grew out of the Hip Hop style. They perform an original dance routine or demonstrate their instrument for the class.
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Songwriting
Students watch the "The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A to Z" video and brainstorm what the songs may be about. They choose a theme for a song, write a short topic-related poem, and compose music for it.