Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Elements of Music—How do Composers Plan?
The introduction to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and the finale of his Symphony No. 4 provide young musicians with an opportunity to investigate the music elements composers employ to develop the themes they want to create. They compare the...
Curated OER
Is Your Heart Getting a Good Workout?
Students practice raising their heart rates through exercise. In this physical education lesson plan, students discover the key to a healthy body is a healthy heart that must be exercised often. Students perform a sing along...
Curated OER
The Amazing Heart
Students examine human blood flow by comparing the pulse of athletes. In this human body lesson, students discover the equation for finding the cardiac output from a human heart. Students identify heart rates of accomplished...
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...
Curated OER
Exploring Pulse & Rhythm
When we play music, we count beats both high and low. This introductory music activity explores tempo and rhythm. Learners will follow along as they clap to the beat, they clap high in the air and low. A very good introductory lesson.
Curated OER
Jazz and Math: The Beat Goes On
Young scholars collect real data through listening, counting and timing jazz pieces.They use ratios, rates, and proportions to report collected data and demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of rhythm and tempo in music.
Curated OER
Where Does the Blood Go?
Students investigate where the blood in our hearts travels by observing a diagram in class. In this cardiovascular lesson, students examine their own heart by checking their pulse in class. Students investigate a human body...
Curated OER
Musical Art
Students create pieces of Abstract art by listening to various genres of music and reacting to the music with a pencil on a piece of paper and their eyes closed. This activity is intended for a middle-level Art class and can be used as...
Curated OER
Rhythm in Language - Feel the SWAMP BEAT!
Learners explore the rhythm of words. In this reading skills lesson, students read Bedtime at the Swamp and use rhythm instruments to find the cadence in the words of the story. Learners listen for rhythm in other written text as they...
Curated OER
Tap Your Feet
Pupils access a website to examine how to follow a pattern. They find their own heartbeats and tap along with the beat. They access a second website to design a class composition before showing how they keep the beat. They use...
Curated OER
Tap Your Feet
Students listen to, analyze, and describe music. They experience performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
Curated OER
Drumming from the Heart
Students complete a craft activity using recyclable containers and read a story to a younger child. In this service lesson, students read the story 'The Drum' and do a service project retelling the story and making a drum from recyclable...
Curated OER
Aiden
You may not have heard of a band called Aiden, but this quick quiz might be just the thing to help your learners hone their research skills. Your class can use the Internet and other resources to find the answers to the set of questions.
Curated OER
Learning to Give
Students learn what it means to give generously. In this giving instructional activity, students give examples of when they have given of themselves. Students complete a service project where they create a gift for preschoolers with...
Curated OER
Pink Floyd and the Carpe Diem Theme
Students listen to Pink Floyd's "Time" in order to apply the theme of carpe diem to other works of literature and to their own life.