Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Exploration of Folk Music

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to examine Folk music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arts of the Gilded Age

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers study the art forms of the Gilded Age. In this integrated arts lesson, students research the art, music, dance, and drama of the historical era and then create their own personal projects that exemplify the time period.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Band On Line

For Teachers 6th
In 1996, using the Internet to enhance learning was a new innovation. While the lesson here is a bit outdated, it could still provide a basic understanding of how technology can enhance music appreciation. Members of the school band...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning AB Form: Music

For Teachers 3rd
Third grade musicians play Orff instruments while they learn about the AB Form. First they learn part A of a song, then they listen to when the song changes. After they understand the concept of AB form, they learn to play part B. Note:...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arranging Patriotic Music for Instruments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers arrange a short piano composition for a group of four to six instruments of their choice. The musical arrangements should be then demonstrated and analyzed by the class as a unit study.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Click and Drag Music Composition

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders work in small groups using SMART Board Technology to write a 4 measure music composition. studying the basic structure and vocabulary of written music is the goal of this experience.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythm and Art: Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students make connections between music and visual art. In this integrated arts lesson plan, students design paintings that challenge them to examine the relationship between art elements and principles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Northwest Native American Art

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders first study the art of the U.S. Northwestern Coast Native American peoples. They select an image or make their own and make a drawing and then make a 6-inch linoleum block print.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When 1 is 2: The Art of Alighiero e Boetti

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students observe the duality in the art of Alighiero Boetti. Students discuss the life of Boetti. They examine the duality that exists in ourselves. Students produce two creative writings about duality in life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Melodies and Math: Creating Music with Non-Traditional Instruments

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Review the 4/4 and 2/4 time signatures in music with a helpful music theory lesson plan. Young musicians experiment with electronic sounds and create their own musical performance using instruments made from materials found in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Music

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners explore Folk Music in Iowa. For this folk music lesson, students discuss different types of folk music and how it relates to life in Iowa. They take the tune of a song and write their own lyrics to describe their life. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying the Beat

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders listen to various songs. In this musical properties lesson, 6th graders work in groups to identify musical selections, practice tapping the beat, review time signatures, and identify the meter of different songs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classical Music Connection-Popular Music - Connecting Pachelbel, Beethoven, and Mussorgsky to Disco and Rap

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Young scholars examine classical music and the "Art Rock" of 1967. They review classical themes in their original genre and discuss/analyze how pop musicians incorporate theses themes into a variety of pop music genres.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at different cultures and how music from differing cultures changes movements, meaning and mood

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Each of the three dance lessons included here will get your class moving. The first lesson allows learners to explore how music and movement differ in meaning depending on cultural context. Lesson two gives them an opportunity to create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Garage Band to Enhance 2nd Grade Composition

For Teachers 2nd
Your second graders can become composers with a little help from the Garage Band software. You pre-select several drum, piano, and guitar loops for the groups to choose from, then they put them together following an ABA looping pattern....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Musical Myths

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Create musical myths in this West African tales lesson plan. 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America Lesson Plan 5

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Young scholars survey Bebop and identify the basic terms associated with jazz.They experience the music of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday and participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting Pitch In Its Place

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars focus on reading musical notations. They see, hear, practice and write notations in the lessons to become more independent readers of music. They complete a Rubric for Pitch Worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Paul Chan: "Score for the 7th Light"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Music, art, and poetry coalesce in a single exhibition, and in a single lesson. Critical thinkers analyze the Fluxus art movement as it's seen in the work of Paul Chan's 7 Lights. They consider the use of poetry and music in his...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Upper graders view the animated short, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and analyze how the music score was chosen to express the scene. They create an animation as they listen to a classical recording to experience the connection between...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tango

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the music of Buenos Aires as they hear and then dance the Tango. They practice basic Tango rhythm, learn to sing the song, "Any Turkey can Tango," then practice a few Tango-riffic dance steps with a partner....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applying Music to Literature

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Kids explore music, history, culture, and literature in a multi-faceted lesson plan. They discuss how both historical and cultural contexts shape music, art, and literature, and then apply these concepts as they engage in a listening...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wynton's Tune

For Teachers K - 8th
Students examine the serigraph, "Wynton's Tune," by artist Faith Ringgold. They discuss the painting, listen to jazz music, create a drawing that tells a story inspired by their favorite music, and write sentences describing their artwork.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Affirmation, Assimilation, and Acculturation: Middle School

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Latin American culture is deeply embedded in American culture as a whole. From the Latin rock scene in San Francisco to the hip-hop world of New York, Latin American artists have influenced every genre of modern music. Learn about the...