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Creating Opera
Young scholars study the how music enhances drama in opera. They work in small groups to develop a short story that would be enhanced with music, costumes and props. They perform their operas for classmates and others.
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Introduction to African Culture Through Music & Dance
Students explore various elements in West African Culture through the medium of a traditional music and dance from Ghana. They take an imaginary tour of a village dance-drumming event in West Africa.
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Music: Follow the Drinking Gourd
Fourth graders use movement to express a concept. In this interdisciplinary instructional activity, 4th graders listen to the book, Follow the Drinking Gourd, which demonstrates the types of 'communication' used by slaves traveling the...
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Carnival of the Animals Lesson
Learners listen to Carnival of the Animals and recognize that a certain instrument represents a certain animal. In this animals and music lesson plan, students will make a book showing which musical instruments represent which animals.
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Lessons in Drama: Learning About American Political Thought
Students develop critical thinking skills so that they may produce their own written plays or music from their thoughts and feelings. They express their thoughts based on what has been presented to them over the duration of the course.
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The Influence of Musical Folk Traditions in the Poetry of Langston Hughes and Nicolás Guillén
Students listen and explore how African-American culture relates to learning Spanish as a foreign language. Poetry, music, and history are utilized while learning about Langston Hughes and Nicolas Guillen.
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Integrated Social Studies and Music Lesson
Fourth graders study the Civil War. They listen to and study the songs, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' and 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home.' They play 'Yankee Doodle' on their recorders and write in their reflection journals about their...
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The Beat of Your Heart
Students explore different applications involving their own heart. In this illumination lesson students measure their fists and relate it to the dimensions of their hearts.
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Flamenco Music
Students explore flamenco music through research into the lives and movements of the Gypsies of Andalusia. They adopted th music of Spain and added their own strong rhythmic sense and drama.
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A Melody Activity
Students explore melody. In this music lesson, students define "melody" and identify the melody line present in increasingly complex musical pieces. Students sing or hum the melody line after listening to an excerpt of music.
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Timbre Activities
Students investigate the concept of timbre. For this music lesson, students listen to several recordings of musical pieces and identify the name of the instrument playing with its picture.
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Music from a Place Called Half Moon
Pupils read the novel, Music from a Place Called Half Moon. They are assigned chapters to analyze for literary elements and to assign titles to the book chapters.
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Beat the Clock
Students discuss the importance of working together. After forming groups, they perform the movement based on their teacher's instructions. When asked to stop, they must sit down and form their groups immediately. If not, the game is over.
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Performance Poetry as Social Commentary
Students explore poetry that examines social concerns. For this poetry lesson, students research poems and poets. Students present their findings to their classmates.
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‘Pay it Forward’ Lesson Plan
Students develop their speaking skills. For this oral communication lesson, students read "One Hen" by Katie Smith Milway and work in groups to discover how making a small loan to the main character in the story had positive effects....
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Hard Rock - Lesson 1
Students perform any part of a four-part keyboard ensemble with musical sensibility in a "hard rock" style. They improvise a melody over student accompaniment.
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Elements of Music
Pupils identify three of the essential elements of music: rhythm, melody and harmony. They discover a simple song which will illustrate these three elements separately and bring them together in a final form. They analyze and critique...
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Music: Elgar (1962)
Students examine how the creation and performance of music is affected by contextual influences. They specifically examine anthems and discuss the elements that contribute to that musical genre and how the nature of a piece of music may...
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Musical Moments
Young scholars listen to popular music in French. In groups, they identify and practice speaking the words they are unfamiliar with and examine the context of the song. They complete a worksheet with a partner to end the lesson and...
National First Ladies' Library
Synthesizing Music with the Technology Invention of the Modular Synthesizer
Learners explore how to create synthesized music and discuss what they believe music would sound like without electronics. They explore a given website to determine how different types of instruments can be digitized. In groups, students...
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THE TRAVELS OF BABAR: An Adventure in Scale :Interpreting the music of Raphael Mostel's Dance/Movement exercise
Students explore how dance/movement tell a story. They analyze the elements of dance through interpretation of the story. Students exercise how the feelings and moods of the music suggest certain body movements and actions.
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Tracking the Monster: Ashley Judd and Indie.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa - Lesson 3
Students see how music and theatre deals with contemporary problems and issues. The sight-read new music and examine the musical, 'RENT.'
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Bands Reunited: The English Beat and Berlin
Students compare, contrast, and reflect on reggae, punk, and ska music, and how this relates to the music of the group The English Beat.
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Lesson 3 - Songs for Soldiers
Young scholars reflect on their own musical preferences, and how those preferences may be incorporated into self-expression.