Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Kanye West

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch a video excerpt about the life of Kanye West. They draw connections between his life and their own and compose a rap song in the style of West, using his song, "Through the Wire" as an example.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching the Instruments of the Orchestra to Young Students using the San Francisco Symphony Kids’ Website

For Teachers 1st
Using the San Francisco Children's Orchestra web site, first graders build listening and instrument identification skills. Each child wears head phones, listens to ID, and finds various instruments on the included worksheet. 
Lesson Plan
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The Ultimate Instrument!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the four instrument families of the symphony orchestra. They listen to the instruments and compare the similarities and differences of each of the four families. They design and create an instrument that belongs to...
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Learning Adjectives through the Duke

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Duke Ellington, jazz, and jive kick-off a fun and creative lesson on responding emotionally to music. The class will learn about jive talk used in the 1920s and the life and music of Duke Ellington. They'll listen to a selection of his...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landscapes of the Mind

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars review Emily Dickinson's biography and examine themes and forms of some of her poems. They measure ways Graham integrates aspects of Dickinson's life and the themes and forms of her poetry into Letters to the World.
Lesson Plan
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The Play's the Thing

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students describe to a partner theater experiences they have had in their lives that were memorable, and analyze why. They study about one director's original artistic choices for staging Shakespeare by reading and discussing "Nature's a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Kanye West, Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners compose a beat in the style of Kanye West. They listen to and analyze the song, "Through the Wire" by Kanye West, compose a beat, and complete a worksheet.
Lesson Plan
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Lines & Spaces; Another Round

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders recall the letter names of the notes of the C-major scale and identify the names of the C-major scale. They identify the names of the lines and spaces on a music staff. They sing rounds.
Worksheet
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Boombox Classroom: Native American

For Students 2nd - 3rd
In this music worksheet, students circle names of Native American tribes or nations. They answer three true/false questions. Students answer 3 multiple choice question about the history of Native America. They name 8 music notations.
Lesson Plan
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Dynamics

For Teachers 1st
First graders review Frere Jacques and perform crescendos and decrescendos. In this music lesson plan, 1st graders also learn about the dynamics of music including piano, forte, mezzo piano, and mezzo forte.
Lesson Plan
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Moving Rhythms

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore the elements of tempo, beat and rhythm. They create rhythm patterns and an original dance. In groups, students perform their phrases for their peers. As a class, they explore choreographic principles, processes and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Concert Ettiquette

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of social ettiquette. They complete exercises that are targeted at finding the right kind of behavior to display while performing in a concert setting. They make a list of the most desirable behaviors for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Rock Singers and Songwriters

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars listen to and analyze songs of folk rock musicians of 1970 and then compose and perform a song in a popular or folk style for acoustic guitar and voice or for two acoustic guitars.
Lesson Plan
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From Broadway: Fosse

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the life and contributions of choreographer and director Bob Fosse. They analyze reviews, write a review after watching one of Bob Fosse's films, and view and compare Fosse dances to current music videos.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating with "Found Sounds"

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils are placed in small groups for this project. Groups collect and use ordinary objects to create a "Stomp" like performance.
Lesson Plan
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VH1 Ultimate Albums Bob Marley - Legend Episode #3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners compare Reggae to other musical genres and identify rhythms. They study the history and musical significance of Reggae as a musical genre.
Lesson Plan
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Dance Tag

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students get moving instantly while reviewing already learned dance movements, the levels concept, and the self-space concept.
Lesson Plan
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Let's Play Again

For Teachers 1st
First graders use rhythm instruments to explore dynamic fluctuations in music. They experiment with clapping, body movement, recorded music and pitch instruments to explore the concept of tempo.
Lesson Plan
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Triple Meter

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students chant "Mabel, Mabel, Set the Table" in beats grouped in 4's using a percussive pattern. They repeat using 3's. Students sing a song in 4's and in 3's. they move to recorded music to practice threes. Students create Orff...
Lesson Plan
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders listen to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". Using the music, they identify the high and low parts in the orchestal composition. They compare the elements of a story to the piece of music and respond to the music and state how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" by Franz Schubert

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young scholars review vocabulary words and look at a piece of art work with one subject and play any or all of the familiar musical examples listed. They then identify the melody of each example and make a comparison between the art...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

No Title

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders assess how to read and write rhythmic notation in music. They explore the concepts of whole, half, quarter, eighth, dotted lines, extended pentatonic, diatonic and major/minor modes. Symbols along with additional...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythm and Nature

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders listen to song "Listen to the Water," discuss nature sounds and importance of water to life, perform quarter and eighth notes from notation, play instruments in rhythm patterns of quarter and eighth notes, and write rhythm...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baroque Presentation

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students use Microsoft Publisher to create a concert program of music featuring a Baroque composer of their choice. They research their chosen composer using the provided internet links. They then create a computerized presentation.