Contemporary Music Teacher Resources

Find Contemporary Music lesson plans and worksheets
Showing 33 resources
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Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Henry David Thoreau and Linda Ronstadt? Ann Tyler and Pete Townshend? Joyce Carol Oates and Pearl Jam? This richly detailed plan pairs classic literature with contemporary music and asks learners to analyze how the theme of conformity is...
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Lesson Plan
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Timbre: Identifying the Tone Color of the Saxophone

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students explore the concept of timbre. In this timbre instructional activity, students experience timbres produced by saxophones in contemporary music. Students explore the science behind the music.
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Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the American dream. In this contemporary music lesson plan, students analyze the lyrics of songs by Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, and David Massengill. Students create 3-D representations of the American dream and...
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Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Need a musical activity for your drama or performing arts class? VH1 has put together a really neat activity, in which learners use biographical information about Alicia Keys to write and perform a one-act musical related to her life....
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Music of My Heart

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view and discuss the movie, Music of the Heart. They compare/contrast two versions of the song, Music of My Heart, identify characteristics of heroes, and sing the song, Music of My Heart.
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Rhythm and Art: Gesture Drawing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers make connection between music and art. In this integrated arts lesson, students complete gesture drawing activities as they listen to Cuban, flamenco, classical, jazz, and contemporary music. 
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Class in the Media: Writing a Television Show

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students look at popular media presentations to determine what type of messages they convey about class and class-linked behavior. They listen to contemporary music to explore how the songs touch upon social class issues. They read...
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Lesson Planet Article
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Feel the Beat of the Drums

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
These percussion instruments have a rich history and a variety of uses.
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A Modest Proposal: Irony Made Understandable with Rock and Roll

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Who doesn't love music? Poems and songs will engage your high school class in a discussion about irony. Use songs like "Rockin' in the Free World" or "Born in the U.S.A." to illustrate the ironic point of view. Print the lyrics so...
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"Hey, Mr. Producer!"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the economic roller coaster involved in the production of a Broadway musical. They read online articles to investigate similarities and differences between nonprofit theater production and Broadway, or commercial,...
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Curated OER

Primary PE lesson

For Teachers K - 1st
Students participate in dances to a music CD to practice making a conga line formation. They then use locomotor movement shown on an animal picture card, moving to the music.
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Hispanic Arts: Visual Arts, Dance and Music

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students observe global cultures by listening to music and watching videos. In this Latin American dance instructional activity, students define merengue, salsa and other dances from the Hispanic culture while listening to Latin rhythm...
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What is a Hero? Heroism in Greek Mythology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the tales of Greek mythology and discuss what it means to be a hero. They associate acts of epic heroism with philanthropy noting that these characters acted in a larger than life manner to secure the common good.
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Rhythm Sticks

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders experience artistic perception of rhythm in music and see how to move their bodies and tap their sticks to the rhythm of a particular song.
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A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students 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 research...
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Hispanic Arts and Culture Unit: Visual Arts, Dance, and Music

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students learn about Latin American dance and rhythm in different forms and participate in dancing. In this Latin American lesson plan, students also analyze Latin American paintings.
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Celebrations of the Pacific Rim

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners research a celebration belonging to a Pacific Rim culture. They prepare a written and oral report with their findings and present such information as how the celebration has changed over time, its origins and the significance of...
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Mending Walls: Barriers in Communications

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore a literal and figurative wall. In this communication lesson, students examine and discuss barriers in communication as they analyze Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Robert Frost's "Mending Wall".
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Composing From a Thread

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students listen to music composed in the 20th century and discuss varying interpretations. They play a contemporary piece of music and explore techniques available to a modern composer.
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Rhythm Sticks

For Teachers All
Music and dance appreciation are important to the education of children to help them appreciate the cultures that make up our society. Rhythm sticks teach kids artistic perception of rhythm in music and how to move their bodies and tap...
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It is All in the Call

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders have an opportunity to show mastery of square dance skills by calling a square dance of their own in a non-threatening environment. Conclude the lesson by reviewing some of the calls that were done, especially ones that...
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Nosferatu Expression and Diminished Chords

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore how to construct and play diminished triads and half and whole diminished chords on the keyboard. They create appropriate sounds to accompany sections of the movie "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors." Students...
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Artist Unknown

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Learners examine how Lennie Gardner's process of discovery about his bronze mask parallels a personal discovery process. They receive an introduction to the art, history, and religion of Benin
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Songs of Protest/Songs of Unity: 1865 to the Present

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students study song-poems from 1865 to the present. They explore the works of Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers (including Pete Seeger).

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