Alabama Learning Exchange
Rainforest Music
Fifth graders examine musical instruments used by the indigenous people of the rainforest, and analyze how music is used in their daily lives. They create a model, using natural materials, of a musical instrument used by indigenous...
San Francisco Symphony
Music and Early Man
Creative projects are great ways to increase interest in topical research. Middle schoolers learning about primitive life styles in the Americas explore the importance of music to hunter gatherers. They research and create musical...
Curated OER
19th & 20th Century Composers: Exoticism
VH1 Music Studio has put out another great lesson that incorporates analysis, compare/contrast, and musical terminology. Kids will listen to the song "Habanera" considering the use of specific instruments in evoking a sense of location....
Curated OER
Natural Disasters
Students create an expressive painting documenting their experience of a storm. They create a slide show presentation comparing and contrasting the impact and the response to a natural disaster in the 19th century with the impact...
San Francisco Symphony
Prehistoric Music
What was music like during the Stone Age? Learners listen to a CD entitled, Art of Primitive Sound as they consider the culture of people in the Stone Age. They use objects found in nature to create instruments, and then perform a...
Curated OER
Music: The Experience of a Lifetime
Students use rhymes, songs and games to help them study music. They discover how music can be used with movement, speech and singing.
Curated OER
Music in Nature
Students research the Incan civilization. In this Incan civilization lesson, students study the geography of the Andes mountains and play an Andean siku. Students discuss how the sounds of nature influenced their musical piece.
Curated OER
Baga Drum
Students examine a Baga Drum in order to explore the history of the Baga people of West Africa. In this art history lesson, students recognize figures used in Baga Drum design that represent aspects of Baga culture. They also design and...
Curated OER
Strum Along
Students engage in a instructional activity which takes something constructed by the class, that would be normally classified as just sound, then work together to make what can be perceived to be music. Students construct a basic...
Curated OER
Satchmo's Blues
Students work cooperatively to create a jazz composition using the computer program GarageBand and incorporating the musical stylings of musician Louis Armstrong. Internet access is required for this lesson.
Curated OER
VH1 AIDS: A Pop Culture History Lesson 3
Young scholars investigate the relationship between music and culture, and how music conveys thoughts and emotions. They write their own song.
Curated OER
When I Was Young In Appalachia
Students comapre and contrast the lifestyles of the people of the Applachian region with their own community through in-class discussions, creative projects, hands-on activities, food preservation, homemade remedies, home construction,...
Curated OER
Leaf People
Kids create leaf people out of sticks, glue, and leaves. They use their imagination to construct leaf people and then glue them onto construction paper. Tip: Extend this craft by incorporating writing. Have learners write a short story...
Curated OER
Puzzle Trees
Elementary artists use a collage and multi-media technique to create textured trees. They study the fall trees, discussing texture and what bare trees look like. They then use a variety of materials to create a textural piece.
Curated OER
Jazz in America Lesson Plan 8
Students explore the present and juture of jazz. They identify terms associated with jazz and listen to contemporary recordings. They participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of American culture...
Curated OER
Taking it to the Streets
Students explain the concept of cultural diffusion. They give examples of cultural diffusion throughout history; e.g. the development of Cuban music and dance. Students explain how cultural diffusion impacts civilizations, past and...
Curated OER
Experimenting with Sound
Students explore physical science by completing a worksheet. In this sound perception lesson, students collaborate in small groups to research sound properties on the Internet and in libraries. Students conduct a listening experiment by...
Curated OER
Rhythm Sticks
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.
Curated OER
Body and Mindscapes
Third graders view artwork by Robert Harris of landscapes and mountains. Using a map, they locate and identify the physical features of the Canadian province they live in. In groups, they use one of his paintings and add music to...
Curated OER
Native American Song and Dance
Students examine the importance of the drum and drumming in the cultural context of the Native American. Musical insturments and native dance is employed to support the focus of the lesson.
Curated OER
Observational Drawing
Students create drawings using oil pastels that convey cultural, social and historical meaning. Drawings are evaluated on use of color planning, contour drawing, color blending, line and pattern.
Curated OER
The Gift Drawings of the Shakers
Students create their own "gift drawings" that are inspired by the dreams and visions of the Shakers. In this gift drawings lesson plan, students learn the history of the Shakers, make their own drawing, and practice elements of design...
Curated OER
Fun With Sound
Second graders make predictions. In this sound lesson, 2nd graders listen to various sounds, and write down and draw what they think that sound is. Students make a chart of their predictions.
Curated OER
Trees at Work... Just Look!
Students investigate the significance of trees. They collect magazine pictures of animals that live in trees, list products that are made from trees, collect twigs and create an item using the sticks, and bring in and discuss food from...