Curated OER
Bad to Good Singing
Fourth graders view videos and identify good singing and bad singing. For this singing lesson, 4th graders recognize that pitch, tone quality and breathing are important to good singing.
Curated OER
Music Video
Students explore songs that tell stories over various decades and create a Garage band track for their voice. In this story song lesson, students create a video for their song group. Students present a proposal to their...
Curated OER
Making Music
Students create auditory musical patterns. For this patterns lesson, students create a pattern using their hands, feet, dancing, and snapping their fingers. Students use a recorder to recreate a pattern.
Can Teach
Pass the Melody
Get a jam session started in your elementary music class! Learners engage in melody transitions by singing a familiar song and passing on the tune to the next person.
Classics for Kids
"Mars" from The Planets
Gustav Holst's The Planets provide young musicians an opportunity to examine how composers can create a suite: a collection of smaller pieces grouped to explore a single topic. After listening to "Jupiter," they examine "Mars" in...
Concordia College Archives
Our School Song
Show your school spirit! Class members use instruments or sing along and employ what they have learned in the two previous lessons to perform their school's songs.
Curated OER
Singing "What's New With Me"
Kindergarteners sing the song, "What's New With Me" adding rhythm with each go around. They clap, tap, and sing along with the teacher. Note: The song or song lyrics are not included.
Curated OER
Music in South India-Kerala
Students identify various instruments and styles of music from South India-Kerala. In this music lesson, students discover main languages of South India and the Kathakali dance drama. Students discuss the types of singers and dancers in...
Curated OER
Cover the Music
Students explore U.S. history by listening to musical pieces in class. In this Civil War era lesson, students discuss the types of musical instruments that were available to soldiers during the war and the themes of their songs. Students...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Gospel Beginnings
Students identify musical characteristics of gospel and sing a gospel selection. They practice the call and response technique. After going through individual parts, they sing the entire song with piano accompaniment.
Curated OER
African Popular Music
Students explore popular music of West Africa. In this musicians lesson, students complete listening tasks that challenge them to analyze the music of Oumou Sangare, Angelique Kidjo, and Baaba Maal.
Curated OER
African Music
In this African music worksheet, learners read about how family life, community music, and rhythms are part of the culture and music of Africa.
Curated OER
What is Timbre?
Students analyze the differences in similar songs. In this music appreciation lesson, students discover the meaning of timbre and how it can drastically change similar pieces of music. Students sing two pieces of music with...
Curated OER
Phonics Lesson Plans Brought to Life With Music
Phonics lesson plans using music for kindergarten through first grade can make learning about letter sounds more fun.
Curated OER
Caribbean Music: Calypso and Found Percussion
Students become familiar with the music of Trinidad. For this Caribbean music lesson, students listen to music from Trinidad and find it on the map. Students recognize the calypso beat and can imitate them. Students can create their...
Curated OER
Down By the Riverside
High schoolers discuss the musical genre of spirituals and its influence on our musical history. They perform various songs, and read the student score for, Down By the Riverside.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Yankee Doodle: How Has It Changed over Time?
Grab your feathers and your hat! And perhaps some macaroni! It's time to investigate the evolution of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Groups do a close reading of sheet music covers, lyrics, and even YouTube videos to see how this political song...
Curated OER
Alleluia
Singers practice perfecting the song, Alleluia. They focus on singing techniques, style, phrasing, and working with syncopation. This lesson is a microteahing lesson and includes a warm up and vocal exercises.
Curated OER
Epic Improvisation
Really? Rapping The Odyssey? Really. A discussion of the oral tradition of story telling and its links to Epic poetry sets the stage for a series of activities that encourage improvisation to integrate music into other classrooms....
Digital Public Library of America
Women and the Blues
A 12-piece primary source packet sets the tone for a study of the role women played in the origins, development, and impact of blues music. Legends like Bessie Smith, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Mamie Smith, and Ida Cox are featured, as are...
Core Knowledge Foundation
A Time for All Seasons - Summer
The sun is shining and the birds are singing, what better time to teach young learners about the fun season of summer. In this week-long science series, children learn how the rotation and orbit of the earth influence...
PBS
Hidden Messages in Spirituals
Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...
Curated OER
Subtracting from Ten: Using Math with Music
Students explore basic math functions by singing with their classmates. In this addition and subtraction instructional activity, students sing the song "5 Green and Speckled Frogs"and complete a list of subtraction problems. Students...
Curated OER
Musical Mountain
Students listen to low, middle, and high pitches of music and identify if they are low, middle, or high. In this musical pitch lesson plan, students visually see low, middle, and high pitches on a mountain.