Students analyze the differences in similar songs.  In this music appreciation instructional activity, students discover the meaning of timbre and how it can drastically change similar pieces of music.  Students sing two pieces...

Students investigate call and response singing.  In this fine arts and U.S. history lesson, students listen to several call and response songs that were sung by African-American slaves during the period before the Civil War. ...

Students watch a videotape on the musical career of Aretha Franklin and explore the different careers in the music industry.

Students survey Bebop and identify the basic terms associated with jazz.They experience the music of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday and participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of American...

Looking for some moves to do in the bleachers while at a school sports event? This lesson teaches two sets of 32-counts. The moves can basically be done while standing up in the bleachers!. The amount of movement will be determined by...

Introduce young learners to line dancing. Here are some simple movement patterns to teach them. First teach, repeat, and repeat again without music. Then when they have a pretty good grasp of the movement patterns, add music and practice...

Children can do almost anything to music, so get them up and moving, working out and strengthening some major muscle groups. Using exercise bands provides some resistance, which makes the muscles work a little harder. With this lesson...

1960s dances: The Twist, The Jerk, The Swim, The Monkey, The Mashed Potato, The Watusi, The Hitchhiker, and The Boog-a-loo. Introduce your class to the dances of the 60s. Find Motown music, watch online videos that show the different...

Slide right, slide left, knee, step, run, run, rolling, pivot, turn, shake those shoulders! These moves make up the 32-count dance to the tune of "Proud Mary" as performed by the cast from the TV show "Glee". Use the video to learn the...

5,6,7,8 Line Dance is a very simple, but very fast-paced line dance. It is comprised of the grapvine steps, moving forward and backwards, moving diagonally, jumping, and clapping. There is a repeating section of the dance which calls for...

Upper elementary artists create works which demonstrate an understanding of the many elements of theater and the visual arts. This four-day plan combines many wonderful aspects of visual, musical, and theatrical arts into one very...

Heel, toe, heel, toe, grapevine, stomp. Put some basic dance steps together and get moving. Teach this 32-count series to your class and when they've got the steps down add some music. "Stuck Like Glue" by Sugarland has a great beat and...

Who doesn't like playing with a parachute? Get out the CD player, find "Behind the Clouds" by Brad Paisley, and get those youngsters  moving. The movements in this dance are very basic: slide steps, walking, shaking, swaying, and...

When the music starts to play, everyone wants to get up and move to this song. Teach your class some basic steps and body moves to the beat of this mambo song. Each of the movements is repeated, which means that youngsters are not having...

A series of lessons about dance would be a great addition to your physical education class. Straightforward as well as creative, it teaches the basic skills of dance movement. A rubric helps guide the dancers to let them know what steps...

Learners practice mirroring human moves by performing a dance in class.  In this physical education lesson, students utilize different spaces around them to perform a dance expressing their full motion.  Learners cooperate in...

Teach some dance moves to "Firework" by Katy Perry. It's such an upbeat song, you will have those dancers moving and wanting to move more! There are four 16-count parts to learn. It's not too complicated. Teach them the steps, then put...

Rather than just shouting out commands on what to do with a parachute, turn some music on and make it a dance routine. This seems like a pretty cool way to engage young learners. Make a dome, hop, make waves, walk, twist, and shake that...

Do the "Space Jam" dance! A dance that is made up of basketball skills movements, such as: dribbling, defending with hands up, pivoting, shooting, and slam dunks. The dance step descriptions are very well written out with cues for...

Here's a 32-count line dance to the song "Disturbia" by Rihanna. This dance introduces the triple-step. It's a quick right-left-right or a quick left-right-left step. It's not complicated. The really nice thing about this lesson is that...

Get those youngsters moving! The activities put together to music are every day warm-up exercises. Jogging in place, jumping jacks, arm circles, and toe touches are a few of the movements presented to get children moving. Teach them the...

Two line dances that are similar yet different. These two dances are performed to disco music, fast and upbeat. Do grapevines, heel-toe moves, and even tuck your arms up and flap them like chicken wings. These two dances are sure to get...

To take "the definitive portrait of that person in that moment" is the quest of photographer and hip-hop historian Jonathan Mannion. In this short video, Mannion details his dedication to his art and the process he goes through to catch...

Pupils explore what it means to have wealth in Mali and in the United States. In this economics lesson plan, students read "Music in the Fields." Student groups answer discussion questions.  Pupils reflect on the purpose music...