University of South Florida
Usc: Effects of Background Music on Math Test Scores
This is a paper from the University of Southern California that summarizes the findings of a study conducted on how popular and classical background music affect the math test scores of students.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Understanding Poetry of Maya Angelou Through Rap Lyric
By examining the lives and lyrics of popular, positive black female rappers such as Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill, students can trace a direct line back to the inspirational writer and poet, Maya Angelou. Rap lyrics will help explicate...
Library of Congress
Loc: Performing Arts Encyclopedia: Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Did you know that the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is over one hundred years old? Find out why this song has enjoyed lasting popularity. Includes an image of the artwork for the sheet music of this song.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Multimedia Hero Analysis
In this 9-12 instructional activity, students will analyze the positive character traits of heroes as depicted in music, art, and literature. They will gain an understanding of how cultures and societies have produced folk, military,...
Other
Arts Journal: Music Page
The ArtsJournal website provides a daily summary of arts and cultural journalism from the English-language press around the world, with links to complete articles for further reading. The music page collects links on a wide range of...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Music as a Language
Can learning to make music be as unstructured as learning to speak as a small child? Bassist Victor Wooton makes that argument in this TED Ed talk. Free registration is required to receive full access to the the complete lessons.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Music and Creativity in Ancient Greece
You think you love music? You have nothing on the Ancient Greek obsession. Every aspect of Greek life was punctuated by song: history, poetry, theater, sports and even astronomy. In fact, music was so important to Greek philosopher Plato...
National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art: Remixes
Students will examine works of art that involve appropriated images and then create their own works of art appropriating text, music, or images of their choice. Students will follow up with a discussion of how appropriation can become an...
Smithsonian Institution
Freer | Sackler Galleries: Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires
Two thousand years before today's "global economy," an exchange network linked the continent of Asia via the Silk Route. Between the first and eighth centuries of the common era, the empires and states of Asia often came into conflict as...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Music, Maestro, Please: Show Business and the Factors of Production
The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania recently opened a $300 million dollar center for the performing arts, the Kimmel Center. This lesson was developed for a special teacher workshop to incorporate economics and the arts to teach kids...
Other
Boston Globe: Arts Skills Are Life Skills
According to this article "the ability to think outside the box" is exactly what businesses are looking for from prospective employees. This article explains how the arts foster creativity in students thus preparing them for the workforce.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 44: Compositional Techniques
Young music students rarely see or, better still, hear a connection between the different types of scales, modes, intervals and other compositional techniques such as meter, tonality, and form used in both traditional 'Art' music and...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 27: The Faust Theme
The Faust theme, that of risking eternal damnation by selling one's soul to the devil in exchange for magical powers, can be found in virtually every genre of music as well as in literature and the visual arts. Examples utilizing this...
Other
Bienes Center for the Literary Arts: A Brief Overview of the Wpa
Read descriptions of the various programs for unemployed artists that were part of the Works Progress Administration.
Other
Webster's World of Cultural Policy: New Deal Cultural Programs
Detailed explanation of the cultural programs provided by the New Deal and the Second New Deal, including such things as the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theatre project,...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: The Wpa: Antidote to the Great Depression?
[Free Registration/Login Required] A good assessment of the Works Progress Administration and its contribution not only of providing jobs for the unemployed during the Great Depression, but for the lasting improvements it made in the...
Other
Al Jadid Magazine: The Legacy of the Late Sheikh Imam
In this obituary-type article, Sheikh Imam's life and musical work are recounted. He is recognized as the "Creator of Modern Arabic Political Song," and the article credits his music with helping the political movements in the Arab world...
Other
Al Mashriq: Abdul Wahab: Father of Modern Egyptian Song
This is a reprint of an article from Al Jadid magazine. It discusses the career and influence of Abdul Wahab on the world of modern Arab music.
Other
Accordions Worldwide: The Tex Mex Sound
This site explains the origins of Tex-Mex music and gives background on its leading contributers.
Other
Amistad Digital Resource: Pop Culture
General overview of African American pop-culture in the mid 20th-century highlighting music, art, theater, and sports.
PBS
Pbs: American Masters: David Hockney
From the PBS series, American Masters, this is the featured essay on British pop artist, David Hockney.
Digital History
Digital History: Avant Garde
Synopsis of the huge cultural shifts that occurred in America in the 1920s in art, music, literature, and among intelligentsia.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Biography of Itzhak Perlman
This detailed article on the musical style, collarborations, and personal life of violinist Itzhak Perlman also includes information on the variety of television and concert appearances by Perlman, as well as the recognition he has earned.
Other
District Administration: Without Boundaries
Technology is becoming more and more of an integral part of arts education. This article discusses how technology can enhance arts education by helping students explore their own creative talents.