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Writing Lyrics
Students examine the themes and structure of a bluegrass song and identify the common themes in bluegrass music. They practice songwriting by rewriting the lyrics of "Oh! Susanna" as a bluegrass tune.
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Twelve-Bar Blues
Students examine blues music. In this music genres instructional activity, students discover details about the history of the musical genre and compositional techniques. Students then compose melodies of their own with 12-bar blues chord...
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Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, The Minstrels
Learners explore "Stairway to Heaven". In this music history lesson plan, students examine the music and lyrics of the Led Zeppelin song. Learners compare the song to Renaissance madrigal music.
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Carnival of the Animals
Young scholars listen to music to study the various sounds instruments make and feelings they incur. In this music analysis lesson, students listen to musical extracts from 'The Carnival of Animals' describe the music. Young scholars...
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The Space Between
Students explore major, minor and perfect intervals and watch the PowerPoint presentation "The Space Between." They identify the various intervals by sight and differentiate major, minor and perfect intervals. Students perform the...
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A Picture's Worth a Thousand Notes
Students listen to classical music and create a listening map for each piece. In this classical music lesson, students select a piece of classical music and create a visual map for the piece. Students set their pictures to music in a...
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Instruments In Action
Students read and demonstrate eight measures of four beats. In this music reading lesson, students read and demonstrate through movement their mastery of eight measures of four beats. Students also classify instruments.
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Singing II
In this music worksheet, 4th graders study terminology associated with vocal music. Students are then asked to complete five multiple choice questions and provided with one extra credit option.
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Louis Armstrong
Young scholars discover the music of Louis Armstrong. In this jazz lesson plan, students are introduced to Armstrong's trumpet and vocal art in a matching game, then listen to a sampling of his music and respond in writing.
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Meter Readers Turned Composers
Students compose eight measures of music after they practice interpreting time/signature meter.
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Meet the Instrument Families
Fourth graders listen to a recording of a string quartet and ask questions about what kinds of instrument they think they are listening to and describe what they think the instruments look like. Then they discuss musical ideas such as...
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Form and Theme in the Traditional Mexican Corrido
Students examine the traditional Mexican musical form of corridos. For this cross curricular history and music lesson, students analyze the lyrics of popular corridos and the corridos' importance in Mexican culture. Students will...
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Satchmo's Blues
Students work cooperatively to create a jazz composition using the computer program GarageBand and incorporating the musical stylings of musician Louis Armstrong. Internet access is required for this lesson.
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Four-Note Range in Music
Students sing melodic patterns and songs within a four-note range using sol, la, and mi. They echo simple melodic patterns and maintain the tonal center singing two Thanksgiving-related songs, "Hello, hello..." and "Five Fat Turkeys."
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Guitar - 12 Bar Blues
Students explore the chord chart for 12-bar blues in C and then play the scales on the guitar. They play their scales at a moderate tempo and practice related arpeggios. After listening to "Band in the Box" music tracks, students...
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Duke Ellington
Students discover a variety of Duke Ellington compositions and the elements that make his sound unique. In this jazz lesson plan, students participate in a Duke Ellington Matching Game and an activity based on his music.
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Learn Under the Old Masters
Young scholars take a closer look at portraits. In this art appreciation lesson, students may visit the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria Art Gallery, or the Scottish National Portrait Gallery online or in-person to discover works...
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Acoustical Science
Students explore musical instruments and the pitches and tones they make. In this acoustical science lesson, students create their own string instruments and explore how pitch is altered.
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Singing "What's New With Me"
Kindergarteners sing the song, "What's New With Me" adding rhythm with each go around. They clap, tap, and sing along with the teacher. Note: The song or song lyrics are not included.
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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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Bells 'n' Scales
Young scholars work together to arrange bells in order from low to high and play songs. They discuss differences in pitch and musical notation.
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Dance Sequences and Phrases
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...
Poetry Out Loud
The Tabloid Ballad
What do the theme song from Gilligan's Island, the nursery rhyme "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat," and the poem "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" all have in common? Why, they're ballads of course! Challenge your young balladeers to compose their...
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Visual Aural Impressions
Students view a piece of impressionist art, listen to a piece of jazz music and then write a piece about the picture in the style of beat poets. They compare their writing and look for differences in their perceptions.