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Starting at the Beginning

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders develop basic band skills through in-class instruction, individual practice, and the Essential Elements band method. Instruction is teacher-led with examples and drill/practice. National Standards for the arts are...
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FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the rhythm instruments as part of a rhythm band to accompany the well-known poem, "Five Little Pumpkins." They study instrument names, playing techniques, and playing at the appropriate time. They study how to perform a...
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The Monkey Dance: Exploring Balinese Culture

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore Balinese culture. In this Balinese integrated fine arts instructional activity, students listen to a podcast of "The Monkey Dance," taking notes about important features of the dance. Students participate in a jigsaw...
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Maracas

For Teachers K - 8th
Students create Maracas out of various supplies while learning about percussion instruments in this Art and Music lesson for the elementary and middle level classroom. Detailed directions for two different methods are given.
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2 Black Keys, 3 Black Keys

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars explore the black keys on the piano and basic music theory techniques using the Internet as a guide. Websites visited include www.PianoNanny.com and musictheory.net.
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Shaker Band

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students shake up some lively music. In this early childhood music and art lesson, students use a variety of materials to make shakers that will acquaint them with different rhythms and enhance their sensory awareness.
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Handprint Rainbow

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students find differences in handprints in a cooperative effort to make a rainbow.  In a rainbow painting lesson, students use their hands to create the different levels of the rainbow. Students may choose their colors.
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Style Myself Batisse

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore the artwork of Henri Matisse. In this Matisse lesson, 3rd graders recognize the characteristics of Henri Matisse. Students create a pastel collage self portrait in the style of Henri Matisse.
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Wyclef Jean for VH1 Storytellers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use recordings of Wyclef Jean's music to study and explore different styles and techniques.
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And You Don't Stop-30 Years of Hip-hop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers identify the musical genre of Hip-Hop and make a connection with other styles of music. A time line of musical styles is developed and discussed.
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Let Freedom Sing: A Patriotic Program for Grades 1 - 6

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students explore the history, meaningful background, and significance of Patriotic songs in the eight lessons of this unit. Each of the different grade levels experience a different amount of lessons all culminating in a Patriotic Program.
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I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze song lyrics and discuss Faust theme in musical history. In this thematic lesson, students view a film clip and create a song lyric, poem or short story developed around the Faust theme. Students perform or present their...
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Chinese Percussion Music

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students investigate Chinese percussion instruments and ensemble performances. They play compositions with Chinese percussion instruments such as small gongs, large gongs and drums.
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Fusion: Calligraphy of Thought

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students read about Calligraphy of Thought, a collection of poetry linking Islam to the West. In this art and poetry lesson, students read about the poetry collection and complete a culture flower.
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Live Performance!

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars in groups create, produce and perform as many poems as there are members of the group. They choose between recording them, reciting them orally with music or interpreting them with dance or acting. Each group attempts to...
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Keep on Pushing: Popular Music and the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore music that exemplified the Civil Rights Movement. For this music and history lesson, students research 1960's protest songs, Motown recorded music, and rap of the 1990's to consider the power of music and its...
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Louis Armstrong Hot Five

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students investigate the history and development of jazz by studying the Louis Armstrong Hot Five. They listen to music and define how Armstrong strengthened the concept of the solo as a part of jazz. They complete guided listening lessons.
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Musical Makeover

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils explore the importance of folk music is various ethnic cultures.
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Lesson 56

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders practice Least Common Multiple in fractions. In this fraction lesson, 6th graders look at two different fractions and find a common denominator. They sing a song to memorize mean, median, and mode. 
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Folk

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students read about Woody Guthrie and how folk music often tells of events of the time and can be effective protest music.
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Flowers Growing Through Music, Rhymes & Movement

For Teachers 1st
First graders experience the growing process of a seed becoming a flower as it is exposed to the sun, rain, wind, day and night, and -tickling- bees as they move creatively to music.
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Music of the Estuary

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students explore the sounds of the estuary. In this wetlands lesson, students discuss how to simulate the sounds of nature. Students write and record a musical score featuring the sounds of the wetlands.
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Lesson Plan for Granny Will Your Dog Bite and Other Mountain Rhymes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders practice choral reading of poetry.  In this creative literature instructional activity, 6th graders incorporate elements of performing arts into their choral readings of various poems.  They discuss musical...
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Spin Art

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
The best part about spin art is that is demonstrates the concept of centrifugal force. Explore the magical spin of gravity as you make colorful art. This lesson idea is short, very simple, and requires a spin art machine.