Music Genres Teacher Resources

Jazz, folk, hip-hop. Classical music, opera, instrumental. The list of genres just keeps getting longer. And just as the list has expanded, so has the appreciation of the joys of music expanded beyond the walls of the visual and performing arts classroom. Lesson Planet provides a wealth of reviewed and rated lesson and unit plans, activities, worksheets, interactives, and articles that offer suggestions for how to infuse the study of music into any discipline.

Teacher resources suggest how instructors can use primary source materials to incorporate jazz into history classes.  A newspaper article on how Hurricane Katrina impacted the jazz scene in New Orleans leads to a research project that asks students to examine how the sounds of music reflect the culture and the time period in which it is created. Project-based learning gets a boost from an activity that engages class members in designing a music theme park with lands that represent various music genres.

Language arts classes look at the poetic elements in lyrics, the rhythms and rhymes in hip-hop and the ways music contributed to the vast social changes of the 1960’s. Lesson Planet also offers resource projects for learners and their families that will keep them engage over the summer.

A whole new world awaits.

Showing 41 resources
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Country's Music

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Jazz, Blue Grass, Hip Hop, Swing. Gospel, R&B, Ragtime, Disco. So many music genres born in the USA. After reading an article about the fate of New Orlean's Jazz after Hurricane Katrina, class members investigate the life cycles of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Save the Music Concerts: Parts 1 & 2

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Music aficionados classify pop music into by musical genres or styles. They evaluate the positive and negatives of collaborative performances, view segments of VH1's "Save the Music" concert, and discuss the difficulties of categorizing...
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Lesson Plan
Little Kids Rock

The Latin Rhythms of “Despacito”

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
When you hear the first few beats of "Despacito," the unrivaled Latin pop hit of 2017, you can't keep your feet from moving! A music analysis lesson plan examines the intoxicating hit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and introduces the...
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Instructional Video2:21
Curated OER

Worm Reggae

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Is your class learning about different musical genres? The talented worms in this video sing a catchy reggae song. Everyone will definitely want to dance along with these wiggly worms!
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Popular Music and Music Videos

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This resource is part of a three-activity unit that introduces your class to the concept of popular culture and the role that it plays in their lives. Here, learners examine the importance of the music industry and music videos in pop...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Foreign Language Lip-Sync Karaoke Contest

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Teach your class about foreign language through transcribing lyrics. They will transcribe the lyrics of a song in a foreign language and use the lyrics to create a cloze activity as they listen and speak the language with their...
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Instructional Video5:31
TED-Ed

A Brief History of Goths

For Students 6th - 12th
The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Cure. Welcome to the punk rock underground music scene, to Cybergoth, Gothability, Gothic Metal and Steam Punk. So why are they called Goths, anyway? check out a short video...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Down By the Riverside

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the musical genre of spirituals and its influence on our musical history. They perform various songs, and read the student score for, Down By the Riverside.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Pearl Jam, Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners examine the meaning of genre, and specifically investigate the musical genre of grunge. They view and discuss photos, watch the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," answer discussion questions, and paraphrase the lyrics to a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Around the Map

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research the geographical histories of various musical genres and make maps that note important places in music history. They Write geographical biographies about one of their favorite musical artists.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Off the Record

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Music reflects culture and culture is reflected in popular music. Reading an article on how hip-hop has affected the lives of two young men of different races launches an investigation of the development and influences of various musical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music Around the State: Sound and Place

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students identify and interpret the styles and elements of music in three major folk regions of Louisiana within specific traditional music genres. Then they hear the diversity of music in the state and identify the major genres of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Red, White, and Blue Notes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the history of major American music genres. Then, through mock radio shows, students examine the distinguishing features of each genre and how each has changed throughout the years.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classical Music Connection-Popular Music - Connecting Pachelbel, Beethoven, and Mussorgsky to Disco and Rap

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine classical music and the "Art Rock" of 1967. They review classical themes in their original genre and discuss/analyze how pop musicians incorporate theses themes into a variety of pop music genres.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Musical Mix from Cook, Dixon & Young: Live in Concert

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students become familiar with each member of the tenor trio: Cook, Dixon and Young. They conduct research and then create a television segment based on their findings. Students identify a variety of musical genres and explore the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And You Don't Stop-30 Years of Hip-hop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the musical genre of Hip-Hop and make a connection with other styles of music. A time line of musical styles is developed and discussed.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Music Genres

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students research and listen to a variety of American music genres and create a written comparison between three of the styles.
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Organizer
Curated OER

Music Genres and Venues Worksheet

For Students 6th - 8th
In this musical genre activity, learners identify the region of Louisiana that the listed musical example come from based on research they have completed.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Ultimate Albums Bob Marley - Legend Episode #3

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

VH1 AIDS: A Pop Culture History Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine messages in popular music, and observe the musical elements of the Rhythm and Blues and Rap genres.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Twelve-Bar Blues

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine blues music. In this music genres lesson, students discover details about the history of the musical genre and compositional techniques. Students then compose melodies of their own with 12-bar blues chord progression.
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Organizer
Curated OER

Music Prove It Worksheet

For Students 6th - 8th
In this musical genre worksheet, students identify the region of Louisiana that the listed musical examples come from based on research they have completed with a proof statement to defend their selections.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical Genre Pie Charts

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
In this pie chart worksheet, students transpose musical genre data to the charts and then answer questions about the results.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning to Play Together

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students listen to and discuss American music genres, specifically ragtime, bebop/bop, and swing, and experiment with improvisation on traditional tunes and rhythms.