Curated OER
Using Prior Knowledge from Personal Experiences-Understanding Duke Ellington
Students research the life of Duke Ellington. In this music history instructional activity, students draw comparisons between the early life experiences of Duke Ellington and themselves. Students work in small groups to...
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Learn Under the Old Masters
Students take a closer look at portraits. In this art appreciation instructional activity, students may visit the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria Art Gallery, or the Scottish National Portrait Gallery online or in-person to...
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Joseph Mallord William Turner
Students identify the art and style of artist Joseph Mallord William Turner. In this art analysis instructional activity, students read about the life and art of Turner. Students study his paintings of keel men, his art style, and...
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The Media and Social Justice in the United States
Students investigate why the hip hop is sometimes called the CNN of black youth. They explore the political themes in American hip hop. Students examine the connection between art, media and social justice in hip hop.
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Animal Movement
Students participate in a movement to music activity. In this awareness of movement lesson, students hear music and move like animals they hear described in the music. Students make disciplined movements and make sounds...
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Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River. In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River. Students document...
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Rooster's Night Out
Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton's Rooster's Night Out, a retelling of a classic Cuba folktale, launches a cross-curricular study of Cuban cultural traditions. Class members draw the characters from the book, participate in math and...
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Jazz In America - Lesson Plan 8
Fifth graders explore the current jazz scene and how it reflects American culture. They listen to jazz recordings of current artists and speculate on which direction jazz is likely heading.
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Early Jazz
Young scholars gain an understanding of early jazz. They study Dixieland and the Roaring Twenties. They examine the American historical significance and cultural implications of early jazz.
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America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)
Students perform a song using correct rhythms, accurate pitches, and dynamic phrasing. They perform an accompaniment to "America" on Orff instruments.
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Subtracting from Ten: Using Math with Music
Students explore basic math functions by singing with their classmates. For this addition and subtraction lesson, students sing the song "5 Green and Speckled Frogs"and complete a list of subtraction problems. Students complete a...
SoundTree
Teaching Jazz Structure with 2-track Stereo Digital Audio Software
Melody, solo, melody. After a discussion of the structure of a jazz tune and of improvisation as it relates to jazz, young musicians listen to a jazz CD and then, using 2-track stereo digital audio software, place and label markers in an...
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Chinese Dragon Drum Lesson Plan
Students research the significance of drums and the color red in Chinese culture. They make a replica of a Chinese drum using construction paper and art materials. They examine pictures of Chinese drums before decorating the ones which...
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Music As Survival: Alma Rose and the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra
Students explore a period of European history in which musicians have used theri musical talents and abilities to survive and rise above extremely difficult situations. The psychological uses of music by the Nazis is examined in this...
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Music in West Africa
Students explore power and the symbols of power in West African music. They discuss the music of West Africa and compare it to African American music of today. In addition, they investigate musical instruments of Africa, identify the...
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Bands Reunited: The English Beat and Berlin
Young scholars listen to and discuss popular music that addresses political and social issues of oppression, but in a joyful way. They role play as artistic teams and plan a music video that may be used for a specific song.
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Crackin' the Musical Code
Young scholars decode musical notation and then synthesize and apply by notating their own musical composition. Students draw various rhythmic examples which are equal in time duration. They notate and count rhythmic patterns. Additional...
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THE FLOW OF MUSIC AND POETRY
Students explore their feelings about rain through art, music, and poetry. They listen to music as they think about rain and determine how they feel about rain. Students create either poetry or artwork about as they listen to music...
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ART- LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLS
Students discuss how color construct meaning in art. They will demonstrate a technical knowledge and creative use of formal elements and principals of design. Students then discuss the way their selection of color contributed to their work.
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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. In 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 and Fairness in a Round
Eighth graders discuss fairness. In this fairness lesson plan, 8th graders meet together to talk about how downloading free music affects the common good. They talk about their own feelings of whether it is fair or not.
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Treble Clef Lines - 3
In this treble clef lines worksheet, students read the sheet music and identify the letter names of the notes that are missing as they fill in 30 blank spaces.
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Treble Clef Spaces - 1
In this treble clef spaces worksheet, students read the sheet music and identify the letter names of the notes that are missing as they fill in 30 blank spaces.