Curated OER
Music in Other Cultures
High schoolers examine the musical concepts of timbre, melody, and rhythm. They listen to and identify characteristics of music from other cultures.
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Comparing Native American and American Folk Music
Students examine how aspects of Native American and American folk music are alike and different. They contrast both forms of music and engage in many activities to identify or explain how music fulfills a variety of purposes.
California Department of Education
Waves and Music
Strike the right chord with a musical activity! Instructors provide a lecture on the mechanics of a pan flute. Pupils build their own pan flutes by using straws and calculating the lengths to create a scale. After cutting the straws to...
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Tone Poem Composing Project
Students explore role of music in storytelling by watching and discussing effect music has on perception of scene from movie, and using Sibelius program to compose single excerpt of music, considering dynamics, timbre, and articulation,...
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Experimental Music
Students test people's response to different kinds of music. In this music lesson plan, students associate different cords with different feelings or moods. They then observe a video that describes different feelings related to different...
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Timbre: Identifying the Tone Color of the Saxophone
Young scholars explore the concept of timbre. In this timbre lesson, students experience timbres produced by saxophones in contemporary music. Young scholars explore the science behind the music.
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Changes of Musical Elements in Popular Music Through the Decades
Students probe samples of European classical, American jazz, and rock and roll to analyze the similarities and differences. The styles and form of these three types of music are examined for tempo, timbre, and rhythm.
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VH1 Fan Club ABBA Lesson 1
Learners study the relationship between trends and individual tastes in music. They use musical terms to describe the elements of different styles of music.
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VH1 Legends Sam Cooke Lesson 3
Learners examine Sam Cooke's transition from gospel to pop music as they study his style. They dance the Cha Cha and the Twist.
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Low Brass: Tibet, Switzerland and Haiti
Students identify sounds played on instruments from around the world. In this music lesson, students listen to music played on various low brass instruments from Tibet, Switzerland and Haiti to determine the differences in pitch...
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Metallic Sounds
Learners differentiate between metallic and non-metallic sounds. In this music activity, students listen to the audio clip of "March" and march in time with the music. Learners identify the metallic sounds in the music piece. Students...
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Polyrhythmic Drumming Styles: Japan and Brazil
Students explore cyclic patterns in drumming style. In this multicultural music lesson, students listen to and compare Taiko and Samba drumming styles and complete a compare/contrast worksheet.
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Rock and Roll with Music and Movement
Fourth graders improvise music and dance to express their analysis of types of rocks. They discuss the three classes of rocks, list describing words, and create a short musical piece and dance to symbolize the rock they are dancing.
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From Sacred to Secular: Exploration of Vocal Styles/Crossing between styles - Lesson 2
Students identify some of Aretha Franklin's vocal qualities and techniques. They have a discussion of styles of music they heard on the video, including gospel, jazz, pop, rhythm and blues, and opera.
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Global Music Patterns- Islamic Art
Students compose music using Islamic patterns. In this cultural arts lesson, students examine Islamic art and analyze the patterns. Students incorporate various Islamic patterns into a musical composition.
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Songs of Fela Kuti – Nigeria
Students explore the music of Fela Kuti. In this music lesson, students listen to the fusion protest music of Fela Kuti of Nigeria. Students reflect on Kuti's music and message.
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Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain - Kenya
Students accompany music to the story Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain - Kenya to show how sound and music can accompany story description. In this music lesson, students learn how to show sound during a story.
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Music: Individual and Group Practice
Third graders, in groups and individually, perform various musical pieces on their instruments. After demonstrating how to play steady beats, they also play counter melodies to songs such as "Peace Like a River." While some students...
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Exploring Musical Instruments of the Orchestra
Students listen to "The William Tell Overture," identify instruments, sounds and other characteristics of the music. They compare and contrast orchestra music to large band music. Students discuss the musical composition and how the...
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In My Dream
Students listen to recordings of early jazz and identify examples of ostinato and syncopation. They discuss important personalities from jazz cultures and take a quiz on aspects of jazz.
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The Heart of Human Experience: Cultura Azteca
First graders explore Aztec culture to gain understanding of relationship between music, recreation, and culture. Seven lessons on one page.
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Music Technology Programs
Students are introduced to the music technology programs for the next school year. They practice reading notes and playing piano. They use the internet to research careers in music.
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Percussion Family Lesson Plan
Students gain an appreciation for percussion instruments. They can identify the instruments by sight and sound and associate them with different musical styles. Using Microsoft Musical Instruments, students hear other percussion...
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Classroom Singing
Students sing a song performing rhythms accurately with a steady beat, pitches accurately with excellent intonation, and a clear, focused tone in this music lesson for the high school Choir class. The lesson includes grading rubric.