Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moving with the Music

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students work cooperatively to recreate the rhythms of different modes of transportation. They discuss different modes of transportation. They create movements to accompany a song.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Caribbean Music: National Dances

For Students 5th - 12th
In this Caribbean national dance songs worksheet, students read information pertaining to the merengue, the calypso, and the mento. Students then respond to 12 short answer questions regarding the dances.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stars and Stripes Forever: Flag Facts for Flag Day

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students are introduced to the symbolism of the flag of the United States of American. They identify flag components, history, etiquette and lore. They also use constrution paper to make a flag and discuss the Pledge of Allegiance.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the basic characteristics of jazz, and its relationship to African-American culture and history. They listen to examples of jazz, conduct research, and create a 20th century timeline of music and historical events.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Jazz is About Collaboration": Jim Crow Laws And Segregation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore development of jazz music in the 1930s by forming imaginary jazz bands which tour several cities in Depression-era America. Jazz band members create imaginary identities for themselves, develop publicity for their tour,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spanish Influence in America

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students try out instruments from South America. In this multiculturalism lesson, students discuss the attributes of Latin American music and play instruments from South America.
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Admirable Armonica Admirers

For Teachers 1st - 6th
What do Ben Franklin and Wolfgang Mozart have in common? Find out about the musical invention, the armonica or glassy-chord. Learners will read about how Ben Franklin invented this new instrument and how Wolfgang Mozart came to play it....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rehearsal and Sightreading Techniques

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders prepare the two pieces "American Celebration" and "Patriotic Bits and Pieces" for an upcoming performance. This lesson is a forty-five minute lesson geared towards a middle school advanced band (8th Grade). National and...
Lesson Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Ray Charles

For Students K - 3rd Standards
Introduce young learners to the read-aloud process with a short biographical passage about Ray Charles. After listening to the passage, class members respond to factual, inferential, and evaluative questions, and then create a timeline...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to the Panpipe

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the panpipe and the cultures that use them in their music. They view photos of Peru and Bolivia and discuss their cultures, listen to recordings of music that includes the panpipe, and construct a panpipe using PVC...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Composers and Their Styles

For Students 9th - 12th
In this music worksheet, students find the words that are naming the major composers and the answers are found at the bottom of the page.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Younger Generation

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Pupils discuss the composer Aaron Copland and the lyricist Ira Gershwin and their significance in/contributions to American music of their time while singing the song "Younger Generation" in the choir setting. Emphasis is placed on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blues Improvisation

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students practice playing and improvising while playing the 12 bar blues. They practice compositional skills, evaluate and perform musical pieces focused on the blues.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fifty States In Rhyme

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students perform "Fifty States in Rhyme" with correct posture, correct rhythms, and accurate pitches. They also identify and perform such musical terms as tone color, tempo, dynamics, phrases, and accents. Emphasis is placed on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Dave Matthews Band

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students decide what the term "art" means to them. They identify artistic elements displayed by the Dave Matthews Band. They understand the relationship between music and other means of artistic expression.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning to Play Together

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars listen to and discuss American music genres, specifically ragtime, bebop/bop, and swing, and experiment with improvisation on traditional tunes and rhythms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students the influence of women's music in history and the suffrage movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Shakira, Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira and identify the elements that make her music unique. They explore Latin music and dance and research the music and dance of a specific Latin American country.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Bob Dylan

For Students 4th - 6th
In this Bob Dylan worksheet, students read about the life of the performer, then complete a variety of comprehension activities. An answer key is included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Fan Club Dave Matthews Band

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study how the music of Dave Matthews Band is based on jazz, blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, and rap.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs that Bring Us Together - Lesson 5

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students compose song as a classroom effort. They write a one-paragraph essay about "message" songs in 100 years and include three ideas for topics along with the style of music (such as folk, rock, blues, rap, etc.) that would match.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Fan Club

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners connect the diversity of American culture to the music of Dave Matthews Band and then create lyrics that emphasize how diversity pertains to their own life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Swing Your Partner!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
This was written for ESOL learners, but could work for any elementary class. Learners read about the American dance style known as Square Dancing. They explore its use in literature, write a friendly letter about it, and then use their...
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Learning Adjectives through the Duke

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Duke Ellington, jazz, and jive kick-off a fun and creative lesson on responding emotionally to music. The class will learn about jive talk used in the 1920s and the life and music of Duke Ellington. They'll listen to a selection of his...