Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Elements of Music—How do Composers Plan?
The introduction to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and the finale of his Symphony No. 4 provide young musicians with an opportunity to investigate the music elements composers employ to develop the themes they want to create. They compare the...
Curated OER
Jewish Folk Song: Ya Ba Bom
Singing is a wonderful way to express an idea of any kind. This instructional activity is written expressly for use in directing a high school chorus. They work on using four-part harmony, expression, and melodic intervals while singing...
Curated OER
Focus on Harmony
Harmony is the focus of this band instructional activity. Upper graders play the Star Spangled Banner, while focusing on harmony, chords, and musical voice. This instructional activity includes several suggested cross-curricular activities.
Curated OER
Student Composers with Music Ace
Learners compose short compositions using Doodle Pad. In this Musical composition activity, students a clef and note lines to prior knowledge of the treble clef and note lines to write short songs on the computer. Learners use Music...
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In Perfect Harmony: Teaching the World to Sing
First graders listen to music as the impetus to learn about the concept of Japanese harmony as it is understood in Japanese culture. They use the New Seeker's song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing," to compare America and Japan...
John F. Kennedy Center
Jazz music, Dance and Poetry
Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance. In this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance. Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music associated with...
Curated OER
Caribbean Beats and Blends: A Global Sound Lesson
Students listen and respond to various forms of Caribbean music. In this music and culture lesson, students clap rhythms and respond to a sung call. Lyrics are analyzed for language blends and repetition. Music and culture from Puerto...
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Electronically Composing Music
Students complete a worksheet and discuss components of musical composition. Students familiarize themselves with the program, Finale. Students then work cooperatively to compose a musical suite.
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Music
Third graders incorporate two formal music lessons into the core curriculum. They study whole notes and rests, syllables of the musical scale and practice singing.
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Music - O Brother, Where Art Thou?
High schoolers practice singing with correct posture. They sight read music and sing in choral harmony. Students identify the characteristics of a melody and examine the style of Southern Baptist hymns.
Curated OER
Global Harmony
Students listen to world music samples and try to identify the countries of origin; students work in small groups to design an online "world music caf??."
Curated OER
A Shape-Note Singing Lesson
Students discover the shape-note method of singing. In this reading and notating music activity, students learn the four shapes of the shape-note method and the tradition of Sacred Harp singers. Students sing the shapes of "Yankee...
Curated OER
Composing Music on Computers
Students compose pandiatonic works using computers as a compositional tool. Following the anticipatory set, they work individually to create their own pieces. The instructional activity concludes with a "concert" of the created student...
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Soap Opera Unit of Work: KS4
High schoolers view an episode of "Eastenders." They look at how the programme is structured in terms of individual scenes. Students view the opening of the soap and the significane of the theme music. They look at the characters and...
Curated OER
Amazing Fibonacci
Students integrate the patterns of Fibonacci into music. For this geometry lesson, students apply the concepts of recursion, pattern and Phi or Golden Ratio to composing and playing music on various instruments. They lesson is co-taught...
Curated OER
The Heart of Human Experience: Cultura Azteca
First graders explore Aztec culture to gain understanding of relationship between music, recreation, and culture. Seven lessons on one page.
Curated OER
Beginning The New School Year
Third graders investigate the concept of living in a community of learners. They engage in a variety of activities with the highlight being a story about a meerkat and a lion. Students read a play related to the story and discuss the...
Curated OER
Tinker, Tailor
First graders practice the song "Tinker, Tailor" using percussion instruments, Orff instruments, and their voices in this Music lesson plan for the 1st grade. The lesson plan is intended for use within an Orff unit of study and includes...
Curated OER
A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues
High schoolers examine the history of blues music and discover how it relates to the music of today. As a class, they listen to the drum songs of Africa and compare it to the use of drums in pop music today. Using the internet, they...
Curated OER
A Round and A Round
Students practice singing rounds in daily warm-ups for 2 weeks prior to beginning this composition lesson. Students incorporate movement to the rhythm of each syllable, discuss syllables of words and their relationship to note values and...
Curated OER
Geometric Sequences
Learners relate pattern and sequences to music. In this geometry lesson, students identify different scales using chromatic scales. They compare the different waves to sine waves and other trigonometric waves.
Curated OER
Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" by Franz Schubert
Students 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 subject...
Curated OER
B is for Banana
Students practice and perform the song "B is for Banana" using their knowledge of basic rhythms in 4/4 and student-created rhythm accompaniment based on speech. This excellent lesson is provided by the MENC (National Association for...
Curated OER
"Nutcracker"
Students recognize the timbre of a celesta by listening to music that contains the celesta. They listen to music from Tchaikovsky's "Danse de la Fee-Dragee" (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairies), track #14 and describe how the music...