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Two by Two Guitars!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students play three simple chords on guitar while singing American folk songs.
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Rhythmic Travel Around the World

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students explore and play rhythm sticks while listening to songs from around the world. They locate the countries of origin on a map, and tap their rhythm sticks to the beat of the music.
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Louis Armstrong Hot Five

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students investigate the history and development of jazz by studying the Louis Armstrong Hot Five. They listen to music and define how Armstrong strengthened the concept of the solo as a part of jazz. They complete guided listening lessons.
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Rhythm in Language - Feel the SWAMP BEAT!

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students explore the rhythm of words. In this reading skills instructional activity, students read Bedtime at the Swamp and use rhythm instruments to find the cadence in the words of the story. Students listen for rhythm in other written...
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Hank Williams: Still Singing After All These Years

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research the life and music of Hank Williams. They take a quiz on country music, watch a video about Hank Williams, research Williams' song lyrics, create a poster and write a bio poem about his life and work.
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Singing II

For Teachers 4th
In this music worksheet, 4th graders study terminology associated with vocal music. Students are then asked to complete five multiple choice questions and provided with one extra credit option.
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Louis Armstrong

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover the music of Louis Armstrong. In this jazz lesson, students are introduced to Armstrong's trumpet and vocal art in a matching game, then listen to a sampling of his music and respond in writing.
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Meter Readers Turned Composers

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students compose eight measures of music after they practice interpreting time/signature meter.
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Summertime - Miles Davis

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine the George Gershwin opera, "Porgy and Bess." The rhythms to some of the musical pieces are mimicked and identified as belonging to the music of jazz.
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Meet the Instrument Families

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen to a recording of a string quartet and ask questions about what kinds of instrument they think they are listening to and describe what they think the instruments look like. Then they discuss musical ideas such as...
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Form and Theme in the Traditional Mexican Corrido

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the traditional Mexican musical form of corridos. In this cross curricular history and music instructional activity, students analyze the lyrics of popular corridos and the corridos' importance in Mexican culture....
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Understanding Past and Present Labor Injustice through Music

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Pupils explore early 19th century labor conditions through the use of period songs. In this tolerance lesson, students listen to period songs and respond. Pupils write their own song that protests unfair and dangerous working...
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Satchmo's Blues

For Teachers 4th - 11th
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 instructional activity.
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Four-Note Range in Music

For Teachers K
Students sing melodic patterns and songs within a four-note range using sol, la, and mi. They echo simple melodic patterns and maintain the tonal center singing two Thanksgiving-related songs, "Hello, hello..." and "Five Fat Turkeys."
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Guitar - 12 Bar Blues

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the chord chart for 12-bar blues in C and then play the scales on the guitar. They play their scales at a moderate tempo and practice related arpeggios. After listening to "Band in the Box" music tracks, students...
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Duke Ellington

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover a variety of Duke Ellington compositions and the elements that make his sound unique. In this jazz lesson plan, students participate in a Duke Ellington Matching Game and an activity based on his music.
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Honor Choir Rehearsal

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners practice singing with complete vocal warm-ups in a unified tone. They perform sections of the following songs: "Lamentations of Jeremiah," "Soonah Will Be Done," and "Fairest Lord Jesus." As students sing, they practice...
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Learn Under the Old Masters

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Learners take a closer look at portraits. In this art appreciation lesson, students may visit the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria Art Gallery, or the Scottish National Portrait Gallery online or in-person to discover works of art.
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Joseph Mallord William Turner

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students identify the art and style of artist Joseph Mallord William Turner. In this art analysis instructional activity, students read about the life and art of Turner. Students study his paintings of keel men, his art style, and...
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The Media and Social Justice in the United States

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate why the hip hop is sometimes called the CNN of black youth. They explore the political themes in American hip hop. Students examine the connection between art, media and social justice in hip hop.
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Listening Logs

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students hone their listening skills. They develop tools for approaching research into their own musical traditions and those of community and state and examine different ways of recording data. They design different types of research...
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Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River.  In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River.  Students document...
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Rooster's Night Out

For Teachers K
Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton's Rooster's Night Out, a retelling of a classic Cuba folktale, launches a cross-curricular study of Cuban cultural traditions. Class members draw the characters from the book, participate in math and...
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Story-Hour Kit

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students explore four picture books. In this early childhood instructional activity, students are read the books, discuss them, and then complete extension activities. These include writing and illustrating their own experiences,...

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