Here's a collection of unit plans for middle school musicians. Topics include the mbira, opera, rhythm and culture, music in Africa, music in the movies, music theory and notation, blues and jazz, and the ocarina. Definitely worth a look.

General music students learn about the history of popular American music by creating and performing a one-act musical. After researching and creating an American Musical timeline, class members write a song with lyrics using Jam Studio,...

Whether new to the Kodály Method of music instruction or an experienced veteran, you'll find much to make your heart sing in a teacher guide that was designed for a music appreciation project. 

Students study Richard Wagner and his idea of "Music Drama". Students listen to his music, pantomime, and lead "music dramas" to discover Wagner's idea of the world of composition and drama.

This resource presents a fun and interactive way to learn all about the elements of music. It offers links to information, definitions, assessments, and examples of melody, harmony and tonality, structure, tempo, metre and rhythm,...

Like an actor's script, a sheet of music instructs a musician on what to play (the pitch) and when to play it (the rhythm). Sheet music may look complicated, but once you've gotten the hang of a few simple elements like notes, bars and...

In this epic overview, Michael Tilson Thomas traces the development of classical music through the development of written notation, the record, and the re-mix. [20:13]

To provide suggestions for learning music independently and accurately

To provide basic guidelines for writing music for particular instruments

To define and understand the duration of notes

To define and provide an overview of dynamics and accents

To learn about meters and how to recognize and classify different meters

To learn about repeats and common methods of expression repetition of previous measures

To understand how the clef symbol on a music staff works and its importance

To identify key signatures on a music staff

To understand and learn about the staff and how it is used in writing music

To explain and understand the role of the time signature on a musical staff

To understand the concept of articulation and common articulations used

To explain the role of dotted notes, tied notes, and borrowed divisions in getting note lengths other than halves

To provide an explanation of notes, chords, keys and scales using enharmonic notes

To learn about pick notes and measures

To understand the definition of a pitch, its effect on notes, and the associated symbols.

To understand and provide examples of syncopation

To introduce the elements of tempo