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Music Styles

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students watch a video showing Sesame Street's featured musical guest stars and discuss what kind of moods and emotions are elicited in the songs. They discuss what songs evoke different emotions in their life.
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Bands Reunited: The English Beat and Berlin

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare, contrast, and reflect on reggae, punk, and ska music, and how this relates to the music of the group The English Beat.
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Regional Songs in the Southern American Experience

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students write a song about transportation in 100 years after comparing and discussing "Proud Mary" and "The Midnight Special".
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Two by Two Guitars!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students play three simple chords on guitar while singing American folk songs.
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"Ricercare" from Musical Offering by J.S. Bach

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students sing pounds or partner songs. They listen for one melody in a polyphonic texture. Afterward, they use a pencil to draw the "shape" of the melody on paper.
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And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars discuss the role of the rapper in Hip Hop music and how the rapper promoted their group's DJ. They compose a short rap about a fellow student highlighting that student's accomplishments and good traits.
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The History of Rock and Roll: Part 6 - My Generation - Lesson 2

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify musical characteristics of baroque, jazz, and psychedelic music. They arrange traditional music into the style of baroque, jazz, and psychedelic music.
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Tony Bennett VH1 Storytellers for VH1 Save the Music

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore what messages lyrics give to their listeners. They use music from Tony Bennett and the Backstreet Boys.
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Tony Bennett VH1 Storytellers for VH1 Save the Music

For Teachers K - 5th
Students compare two recordings of Tony Bennett's music.
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Singing in the Round

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders experience different songs that are themed to match the seasons of the year. Each season will have a different song for the students to play non-pitched instruments, moving in rhythm and learning the pattern of a round.
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The Groundhog Came Out of His Hole

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students sing the song "The Groundhog Came Out of His Hole". In this music lesson, students sing a song and come up with matching hand motions. They use the same tune to make their own song. 
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Conjunto Music from South Texas

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students listen to conjunto music and identify the instrumentation. After discussing the the history of South Texas, they examine lyrics of several songs and interpret them. As extensions, students can learn to partner dance to the...
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Songwriting

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
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.
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Cable in the Classroom

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners understand how to successfully work in a group. Students create and perform their own autobiographical rap songs. Learners conclude how rap music and music in general can help us to deal with emotional issues.
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Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the music of Bruce Springsteen to learn literature techniques.
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Artistic Influence - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss how musicians' messages can influence society. They think of examples of artistic expression in music, the visual arts, dance, and theater that can lead to a society's self-examination.
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A Songwriter Not Silenced - Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss how a musician's message can influence society and government. They debate if political viewpoints should be publicized in music.
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The Rhythm of R & B - Lesson 8

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics background rhythms used in R&B. They perform typical R&B accompaniment patterns and develop their own horn section to play background rhythms.
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Minuet And Canon

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders sing, move, pat, clap, and drum in this Music lesson about Minuets, Canons, and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game". The lesson is for the 3rd grade classroom and includes the use of J.S. Bach's famous Minuet in G and a...
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Teddy Bear Project

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students take home an Australian Teddy Bear home and draw pictures, photograph, write or verbalize stories of what the bear did at their home. They make a book that is sent to their partner class.
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VH1 Road to Fame: Harry Connick Jr.

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars sing songs by Harry Connick Jr. and then learn different musical terms.
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VH1 Goes Inside (Out) Trey and Dave Go to Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the Western method of teaching and learning music and compare that to the aural transmission method used around the world. They practice singing two songs using aural transmission and watch a video showing musicians...
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ABBA - Lesson 2

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify and notate the musical device known as a "hook". They notate and perform rhythmic and melodic patterns in the ABBA song "Mamma Mia".
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Storytellers: Pearl Jam

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the nature of their own generation by looking at current events and music styles. They update old lyrics with new ones that are more relevant to current times and express a truth about their own generation. Finally,...