North Carolina Standard Curriculum
Rhythm Counting
Understanding time signatures and rhythm counting are two very important parts of playing an instrument well. Here are three basic lessons rolled into one that prompt upper graders to play their instruments with care. They'll practice...
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Identifying the Beat
Sixth graders listen to various songs. In this musical properties lesson, 6th graders work in groups to identify musical selections, practice tapping the beat, review time signatures, and identify the meter of different songs.
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Melodies and Math: Creating Music with Non-Traditional Instruments
Review the 4/4 and 2/4 time signatures in music with a helpful music theory lesson plan. Young musicians experiment with electronic sounds and create their own musical performance using instruments made from materials found in the...
Concordia College Archives
History and Musical Aesthetics
What are the musical elements that characterize a school's fight song or its alma mater? Class members listen to examples of fight songs and alma maters from various schools, play a listening game, and then create a list of the...
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Rhythm Compositions
Fourth graders collaborate in small groups to create simple rhythmic patterns in different time signatures. Each group creates rhythms in a competitive "game" atmosphere and then constructs entire rhythmic groups for presentation to...
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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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Learning AB Form: Music
Third grade musicians play Orff instruments while they learn about the AB Form. First they learn part A of a song, then they listen to when the song changes. After they understand the concept of AB form, they learn to play part B. Note:...
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Learning Musical Terms
Students observe and discuss the following musical terms and their symbols: staff, measure, bar line, double bar line, treble clef, bass clef, time signature, common time, cut time, quarter note, half note, dotted half note, whole note,...
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Fats Waller, Handful of Keys
Playing piano is great fun and playing jazz is even better. Kids watch a video of Fats Waller playing the song, "Handful of Keys," they then use either a piano key print out or Orff instruments to practice his signature stride piano...
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West Side Shifts
Combine math, language arts, music, and dance with an activity focused on "America" from West Side Story. After listening to the song, learners compare the film to Romeo and Juliet, analyze the song's meter, design choreography, plan...
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Click and Drag Music Composition
Fourth graders work in small groups using SMART Board Technology to write a 4 measure music composition. studying the basic structure and vocabulary of written music is the goal of this experience.
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Band On Line
In 1996, using the Internet to enhance learning was a new innovation. While the lesson plan here is a bit outdated, it could still provide a basic understanding of how technology can enhance music appreciation. Members of the school band...
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Lines & Spaces; Another Round
Fourth graders recall the letter names of the notes of the C-major scale and identify the names of the C-major scale. They identify the names of the lines and spaces on a music staff. They sing rounds.
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Music Twister
Distinguish the sound of musical notes and correctly name them. For this music lesson, participate in a game of musical twister where the circles are renamed with musical note names. Additionally, display recognition of eighth, quarter,...
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Music Assessment: 8 measure piece
Eighth graders compose an eight measure piece in a major key that utilized some form of wind instrument, body percussion and voice. They notate their composition on staff paper prior to the assessment and perform their composition.
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Classroom Builder
Students explore music theory by discussing a classic song. For this musical notation lesson, students listen to the song "My Favorite Things" and discuss and share their personal tastes with the class. Students practice writing notes on...
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Let Freedom Sing: A Patriotic Program for Grades 1 - 6
Pupils 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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Unscramble the Letters - Music Terms
Students receive a worksheet on music terms. As a class, they unscramble a couple before attempt them on their own. They then write the meaning of each to research the meaning of the musical terms.
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Music and Technology
Third graders practice reading rhythm patterns with different types of notes and meters. Using a counting system, they perform a sight reading exercise and take notes when needed. They use a form of technology to illustrate the music.
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6-8 Meter Madness
Pupils identify time signatures, the down beat, and begin to understand conducting patterns. In this meter patterns lesson, students identify the signs for 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 and play an excerpt from a song. Pupils use tennis balls to...
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Music Accomplished Practice #4
Second graders create their own rhythm with a time signature. They examine notes, rests, and how many beats for ech type of note. Students clap in rhythm. They perform their own rhythm for the class.
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Twelve-Bar Blues
Young scholars examine blues music. In this music genres instructional activity, students discover details about the history of the musical genre and compositional techniques. Young scholars then compose melodies of their own with 12-bar...
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The 1980's Series - Music
Students examine artwork by Keith Haring, and listen to music popular in the 1980s that influenced him. They develop storyboards, and film music videos for their favorite song.
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It's Waltz Time!
Students, after hearing and viewing a video of the waltz scene from the musical, "Cinderella," by Mary Rodgers, "physicalize" a three beat rhythm with accompaniment video and discuss and evaluate triple meter. They master a song in 3/4...