Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian In Your Classroom: The Music in Poetry
Take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space and, finally, music with this series of three lessons from the Smithsonian Institution. This resource introduces students to two poetic forms that originated as...
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MUSICAL ELEMENTS OF THE LITTLE PRINCE
Learners demonstrate knowledge of musical instruments and the families of the orchestra. They acknowledge different voice types found in opera. Students interpret emotional expressions through listening. They compose sounds to express...
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Composing Music
Students explore music appreciation by creating their own music pieces in class. For this music composition lesson, students collaborate in small groups with their instruments and compose a short song which they will play for class....
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Composing Music
Students explore music appreciation by reading sheet music. In this musical score analysis lesson, students utilize their individual instruments to play the song "Peter and the Wolf." Students listen to an online version of the song and...
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Music To My Ears: The District of Columbia Quarter
Students practice identifying different genres of music by creating posters. In this music appreciation instructional activity, students research Duke Ellington and complete worksheets based on his style of music, Jazz. Students...
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Carnival of the Animals and Aquarium and Magic Fish
Engage little learners in this moderately developed three-lesson unit on the composer Camille Saint-Saens and his piece "The Carnival of Animals." Each lesson includes a listening, discussion, and an art project to engage your class in...
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Poets Got Them Blues
Contemplate what music learners listen to and why they listen. Can they find poetry within music lyrics? Specifically hone in on blues lyrics and ruminate upon the social issues prevalent in the themes. Particular song lyrics coincide...
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Pop Tops
Get your class primed for a comparative analysis lesson with this activity. They compare and contrast their music preferences to those of their classmates. After reading an article, they identify current trends in popular music, analyze...
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A Pentatonic Scale Activity
The famous Japanese tune, "Cherry Blooms" was composed using a pentatonic scale. Budding musicians explore the nature and theory behind the pentatonic scale as well as the East Asian music it is commonly used in. Multiple extensions are...
Library of Congress
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance brought forth many American art forms including jazz, and the writings of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Using a carefully curated set of documents from the Library of Congress, pupils see the cultural...
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Our Own Water Music
Students listen to a portion of Handel's Water Music Suite and hypothesize about what would happen if you tapped on the edge of a glass with varying levels of water. They experiment with the glasses and, in small groups, compose their...
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Other Poetic Types
Rather than a lesson, this resource is a list of poetic forms and young poets are encouraged to try their hand at composing poems of various types.
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Cable in the Classroom
Students understand how to successfully work in a group. Students create and perform their own autobiographical rap songs. Students conclude how rap music and music in general can help us to deal with emotional issues.
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Musician Extraordinaire Based on the DC Quarter Reverse
Learners develop an understanding of the role of a musician, composer, and conductor. In this musician instructional activity, students examine the District of Columbia quarter and see that Duke Ellington is on the reverse side. They...
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Fiddling Around
Students look at a piece of art to make connections between early Baroque art and Baroque music. In this art and music lesson, students focus on the painting The Boy Violinist, by Hendrick Terbrugghen. They listen to the music to...
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From Magpies to Messiaen: Birds in Music
Learners in a music class discuss the influence birds have had on music throughout history. In groups, they create their own music using bird sounds and discuss how many composers must use everyday materials to help with their music. ...
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Bands Reunited: The English Beat and Berlin
Students compare, contrast, and reflect on reggae, punk, and ska music, and how this relates to the music of the group The English Beat.
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Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos
Learners create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition instructional activity, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In...
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Contrast Listening
Students listen to two different excerpts of the same music piece. In groups, they collectively write descriptions of the tempo and dynamics of the piece and assign a color to the music. They relate the color chosen to the tempo and...
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Teaching the Instruments of the Orchestra to Young Students using the San Francisco Symphony Kids’ Website
Using the San Francisco Children's Orchestra web site, first graders build listening and instrument identification skills. Each child wears head phones, listens to ID, and finds various instruments on the included worksheet.
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Storytellers: Coldplay
Students discover the importance of lyrics in the successful combination of music and words in the process of composing a song. They discuss how emotion-based lyrics influence the creative aspects in composing a song.
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And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop
Students discuss the role of the rapper in Hip Hop music and how the rapper promoted their group's DJ. They compose a short rap about a fellow student highlighting that student's accomplishments and good traits.
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Younger Generation
Students discuss the composer Aaron Copland and the lyricist Ira Gershwin and their significance in/contributions to American music of their time while singing the song "Younger Generation" in the choir setting. Emphasis is placed on...
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Opera on the Net
Seventh graders, with this opera exchange, increase their knowledge of the opera process. They use opera as a vehicle to better comprehend the relationship music has with all arts and other disciplines across the curriculum.