Smithsonian Institution
The Birth of an Icon: Learning and Performing the Origins of the Drum Set and Early Jazz Drumming in New Orleans, Louisiana
Bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, cymbals. Perched behind their drum sets, wielding their drum sticks and wire brushes, drummers lay the grove and are the heartbeat of a band's performance. A dynamic lesson introduces young musicians to...
Let's Drum!
Let's Drum!
Here's a group of exercises designed to introduce a group or class to the rhythm, as well as the basic sounds of a drum, bass and tone. Individuals investigate different types of drums and form drum circles to practice traditional rhythms.
Curated OER
Exploring Instruments
Orchestral instruments are the focus of this introductory presentation. Learners identify individual instruments on slide two and then read about the characteristics of six other instruments typically used in orchestral pieces.Â
Curated OER
Dance: African Drumming
Students evaluate the messages in music. In this communication through music lesson plan, students listen to various musical selections and determine the message being conveyed in the song. Then, students create their own message as they...
Curated OER
Man of Four Strings: Cliff Williams
Use the Internet as a research tool for your High schoolers. They must discover the answers to the trivia questions presented in this on-line worksheet. This resource focuses on questions about the bass player for the band AC/DC, Cliff...
Curated OER
Jammin' to Jazz
Students identify integral parts of jazz music by listening to Quincy Jones' We Be Doin' It. They note the bass and drum sounds, scat solos, and also sing parts of the ostinato and chorus.
Curated OER
Harness Music to Enhance Writing
Use the magic of music to engage the senses and bring new life to your writing curriculum.
Apple
GarageBand
Imagine there's a recording studio on your smart phone or tablet. Its easy if you try this tool. Imagine all the instruments you can play. Imagine there's no charge. You may say it's a dream, but you can join this band with just a touch.
Poetry4kids
Rhythm in Poetry: The Basics
What makes a great poem sound so good? Learn the rhythmic secrets of poetry with an explanatory online lesson.
Midwest Clinic
Latin Rhythms: Mystery Unraveled
There is an indescrible energy to Latin American music—but if you know your music theory, it's not so indescrible after all. A thorough packet provides definitions for terms like bolero, charanga, shekere, and tumbao before listing...
Curated OER
Grouping Musical Instruments
Students study about musical instruments and group them into these categories: percussion, strings, woodwinds, and brass. After discussing these instruments, they independently complete the worksheet.
Curated OER
Making Use of Fieldwork
Students transcribe, analyze, and archive fieldwork and create a team project drawn from fieldwork. They brainstorm a list of reasons why preservation of collected materials is important and explore the online archives of the American...
Curated OER
Musical Elements Chart
In this Louisiana musical landscape worksheet, students study 6 terms and their meanings as they pertain to music instruction to be used for further classroom activities.
Curated OER
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" From Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Edvard Grieg
In this music appreciation instructional activity, students listen to In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Edvard Grieg. Students read about the composer and the piece before answering one question.
Curated OER
Air Traffic
How well does your class know the songs by Air Traffic? Use this learning exercise to find out! It includes 10 multiple-choice questions about the popular band. Print out the quiz or have your pupils take it on line. Once you have...
Curated OER
Musical Instruments
In this music worksheet, students match 12 instrument names with their pictures. Instruments include the saxophone, flute, recorder, guitar, and trombone.
Curated OER
Marching Band Cadence
Students compose an original cadence. They compose a short segment (2 measures) of a cadence on staff paper. Papers are collected and entered into Sibelius program. They compose original cadences using the Sibelius program and...
Curated OER
VH1 Driven: Kanye West, Lesson 3
Students compose a beat in the style of Kanye West. They listen to and analyze the song, "Through the Wire" by Kanye West, compose a beat, and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Instruments
In this musical instrument word map instructional activity, learners study the names of 12 musical instruments. Students place these names in word maps. The instruments all begin with capital letters even though they are common nouns.
Curated OER
Topic Books: Musical Instruments
In this ESL musical instruments instructional activity, students assemble the booklet and read about various musical instruments. Students then respond to 6 fill in the blank questions and 4 matching questions regarding the information...
Curated OER
Caribbean Beats and Blends: A Global Sound Lesson
Students listen and respond to various forms of Caribbean music. In this music and culture lesson, students clap rhythms and respond to a sung call. Lyrics are analyzed for language blends and repetition. Music and culture from Puerto...
Curated OER
Music And War
In this music worksheet, students read 4 paragraphs of information about music and wars. Students learn the 4 main roles of music in wartime. Students answer 5 questions.
Curated OER
Compas-- Modern Popular Music of Haiti
In this music worksheet, students discover facts about the musical styles and rhythms of Haiti. Students learn about Compas and Voodoo music and answer 4 questions. Note: Punctuation is missing from one of the questions.
Curated OER
Compas, The Popular Music of Haiti
In this Caribbean music worksheet, 8th graders read about the background of and musical instruments used in Compas music which is the popular music of Haiti. They answer 4 questions based on the reading. They complete an extension...