Pop Music Teacher Resources

Learners 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...

High schoolers explore popular music in its historical context. In this music lesson, students examine the lyrics, musicical arrangement, and video imagery of selected songs to interpret the messages and themes of the songs.

High schoolers investigate the impact of popular music in 1960's America. In this music and history lesson, students listen to several identified songs from the decade and analyze their lyrics. High schoolers discuss their impressions...

Students explore fashion through the 20th Century. They create a poster about their assigned era. Students teach their classmates about the fashion of the assigned period. They describe the fashion trends, current events, popular music...

Students who are learning English play a game in which they hear pop music lyrics (in English) and they must identify the song from which the lyrics come. This activity encourages students to listen to all words being said, not just the...

In this classic songs of Paul Simon worksheet, students use their knowledge of popular music to fill in the blanks in the 15 song titles.

In this handout, students examine the lyrics of popular music from the counter-culture era. Songs included are: Crimson and Clover, Turn, Turn, Turn, Have you Been to Jail for Justice, Uncle Sam, Ohio, Give Peace a Chance, Eve of...

Young scholars discover literature by conducting a free writing experiment. In this sonnet lesson, students read the sonnet "The Parting" and compare it to modern-day songs about breaking up. Young scholars listen to pop music in...

Provide a visual and auditory representation of how to decode multisyllabic words in a music video set to an upbeat jazz tempo.

Students study the creators of a musical style that is a cornerstone of popular music today. They examine how that style was born, grew, and became accepted in its home and around the world.

Students choose a minority culture or an event and research the musical influences of that culture or event on American popular music. They discuss how minority cultures and events in American society influenced the Disco era.

Ninth graders read first hand accounts of soldiers' lives during World War I, examine historical timeline of major events during war, and research and listen to clips of popular music of the time.

Students examine the impact of the media on various wars, especially the Iraq and Vietnam wars. By examining cartoons and popular music as primary sources, they suggest motivations for the conflicts and propose reasons for public...

Students increase dance skills while having fun dancing to popular music.

Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira. They research various foreign music styles and discuss how they influence American pop music today.

Learners listen to popular music in French. In groups, they identify and practice speaking the words they are unfamiliar with and examine the context of the song. They complete a worksheet with a partner to end the lesson and evaluate...

Students analyze the music Shakespeare chose for his play The Tempest. They seek to research why he alluded to popular music and contemporary artists. Students make connections between their own musical knowledge/tastes/interests and the...

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...

Trey from Phish and Dave from the Dave Mathews Band took a trip to Africa to explore music, culture, and history. Your class watches this episode from VH1's Music Studio to understand how African culture and music have influenced modern...

While music lyrics are often used to teach literary elements, the richness of this resource comes from the wealth of exercises, activities, and support materials provided in the packet.  Although designed for gifted learners, the...

Young scholars examine the impact of WWII on the development of jazz music and consider how jazz music helped to boost morale of both soldiers and those left at home. They identify the function of jazz as a cultural export and discuss...

Stuck for a journal topic? Download CAHSEE’s 21 “Expository Journal Prompts” as a pdf handout for yourself or class. A great resource for your writing program, print it up and add it your curriculum library.

Students research the evolution and cultural significance of the Arabic ghazal form of poetry. They, in groups, compose an original ghazal poem and read it aloud to the class.

Art and music have been vehicles for statements of civil unrest for hundreds of years. Upper graders critically analyze several pop songs or music movements from the 1980s that exemplify politically charged motives. They...