This lesson plan focuses on how students can learn basic blues percussion patterns by considering the polyrhythms of African drumming and investigating how and why such drums were banned during slavery. Students will listen to several...

Young scholars combine creativity with the rigor of careful editing by adding music to their story. It forces them to focus on how they communicate the meaning of their story to the listener.

Upper graders having skills in music performance will extend their abilities through creative musical composition. They'll use Finale 2000 to explore facets of music composition, they'll then compose a piece for their instrument in C, F,...

Add a comprehension resource to a unit on the Renaissance or music of the Renaissance period. Middle schoolers answer eight comprehension questions and complete ten additional questions in order to fill out a crossword...

"Ode to la Tortilla" and "Ode to Joy"? Sure! Use Gary Soto's poem to introduce learners to the ode format. After examining the descriptive words Soto uses, class members study a poster of Ludwig van Beethoven, suggest words that describe...

Harmony is the focus of this band lesson. Upper graders play the Star Spangled Banner, while focusing on harmony, chords, and musical voice. This lesson includes several suggested cross-curricular activities.

Students examine the musical influences on the emergence of Rock and Roll.

Students explore the Gullah culture. In this social studies lesson, students construct and play instruments similar to those of the Gullah people.

In this Michael Jackson worksheet, students read a passage about Michael Jackson and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym...

What is the difference between formal and informal letter writing? Who gets a formal letter? What about an informal letter? This reference page presents different introductions and phrases you might see in each type of letter, and then...

Upper graders listen to and watch a documentary about an all female group Antigone Rising. They discuss how females are portrayed in the rock world, the type of music they play, their song lyrics, and what they note in the documentary....

Students discover the United Nations through the use of musical examples and performance. This two day instructional activity requires two forty-five minute sections and delivers information about different cultures around the world. ...

Third graders create a rap using basic AB form composition. Evaluation of performances are based on rubric formed during the first lesson by all students. This three to four day lesson culminates in student performances and evaluation.

Students analyze the genres of folk and country music and the importance of the singer/songwriter. They compose their own lyrics based on an inspiring event.

Students write, adapt, and compose a song related to the West Virginia State Museum.  In this music instructional activity, students create a composition for a work of  visual art. Students incorporate major and minor melodies.

Third graders investigate the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. They experiment with various tools to simulate the mouth parts of insects, conduct research, record their observations of butterflies hatching, write a play, complete...

Students explore Folk Music in Iowa. For this folk music lesson, students discuss different types of folk music and how it relates to life in Iowa. They take the tune of a song and write their own lyrics to describe their life. 

Students discuss similarities in various pop songs over the second half of the 20th century and explore how musical management influences the careers and longevity of various artists.

In this music elements worksheet, students listen to several songs listed on the Louisiana Voices Traditional Music Examples Resource Sheet and select some to review using the chart provided.

In this jazz history worksheet, students respond to 7 essay and short answer questions about the life and accomplishments of Bessie Smith.

Students are divided into groups of employees of a jazz radio station and a classical radio station. They role play their own broadcasts.

Tenth graders use a published monologue to create three various interpretations featuring different emotions. Following the presentation of the three interpretations to the class, the student will use self-evaluation and audience...

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...

In this music worksheet, students answer the questions that are based upon the influences upon the composition of the piece of music.