Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: Hank Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
Featured is a biographical essay on the life of country crooner, Hank Williams. There is a career timeline and video footage interviews from those who knew him well.
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Musical Harlem

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge offers a great unit for introducing jazz to students. Its use of Harlem as the "glue" which binds together elements such as jazz history and jazz terminology, makes it particularly effective for the...
Unit Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Blues Journey

For Students 9th - 10th
Trace the history of the blues in America through the play, Blues Journey, based on the book by Walter Dean Myers. You can see video clips of the stage play, listen to blues radio shows, and learn about different types of blues music.
Handout
Classical Net

Classical Net: Jan Dismas Zelenka

For Students 9th - 10th
Excellent site with a wealth of info on who influenced Zelenka as well as who Zelenka influenced. Very comprehensive.
Handout
Other

Usps: Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song

For Students 9th - 10th
Celebrate Black Heritage Month by studying this extraordinary vocalist who transcended a troubled childhood to become an American treasure. Create a musical timeline of the noteworthy events in Ella's life. Explore her sensational lyrics...
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Josephine Baker

For Students 9th - 10th
World-renowned performer, World War II spy, and activist are few of the titles used to describe Josephine Baker.
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey

For Students 9th - 10th
Often called the "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey was known for her deep-throated voice and mesmerizing stage presence that drew packed audiences and sold hit records in the early twentieth century.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 18: Artistic Persona vs. the Individual

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The topic of an author's or artist's public image or persona may become more understandable for students with the judicious selection of contemporary musicians who have taken on obvious and sometimes changing personae in their careers....
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: Math With Jake: Inverse Relationships

For Students 6th - 8th
Musician and composer Jake Shimabukuro explains how ratios of notes have an inverse relationship to the string length of a ukulele, allowing musicians to produce various notes and pitches, in this video from the Center for Asian American...
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Curated OER

Dirk Hals. Musicians. 1623.

For Students 9th - 10th
Links from this site access biographical information concerning Thomas Campion, texts of his works, articles and essays about his works, and a list of other available sources.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Music and Theater Introduction

For Students 9th - 10th
This official site for the Music Divison of the Library of Congress offers a wealth of information about music and composers. A "must" site for the devoted musician.
Website
PBS

Mpr: The Meaning of Sioux Music and Song

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Minnesota Public Radio provides the text of a 1915 article written by musician and self-trained anthropologist, Frances Densmore. Densmore spent years studying the music and culture of the Teton Sioux and other native...
Unit Plan
BBC

Bbc Radio 3: World on Your Street: The Music of Brazil

For Students 3rd - 8th
A full-featured site for learning about the music of Brazil, although not actively maintained since 2005. Easy-to-read spotlights on instruments and musicians communicate the essential qualities of Brazilian music. Accompanying audio...
Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Benjamin Franklin

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief review of the life of one of the founding fathers of the United States. Learn about the important events in the life of Ben Franklin - inventor, patriot, musician, scientist, statesman, and more. (In Spanish)
Activity
University of Houston

University of Houston: Biography: Franz Liszt (1811 1886)

For Students 9th - 10th
Offers biographical information about musician and composer Franz Liszt. Includes links to samples of his works.
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Pulaski, Wisconsin Polka Town, u.s.a.

For Students 9th - 10th
The town of Pulaski, Wisconsin claims to have more musicians per capita than anywhere in the U.S. Learn about Pulaski, a town that thrives on polka music in this video segment from EGG: the arts show.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Sound: Using Open Tubes to Demonstrate Beat Notes

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this interactive demonstration, students will observe while the teacher creates two sound frequencies using open tube resonators of nearly identical length. The nearness in length produces two slightly different frequencies which...
Handout
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Otis Redding (1941 1967)

For Students 9th - 10th
A short but informative article on one of Georgia's most influential soul musicians. Best known for his ballad "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash before the song was even released.
Handout
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Isaac Hayes (B. 1942)

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview of the life and career of soul musician Isaac Hayes who was the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best original Song for the "Theme from Shaft."
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: The Works Progress Administration (Wpa)

For Students 9th - 10th
A great summary of the Works Progress Administration, its goals, and the support it gave ordinary workers as well as artists, writers, and musicians.
Unit Plan
Vocabulary.com

Merle Haggard (1937 2016) Tribute List

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains a list of 12 words from the songs of country musician, Merle Haggard (1937-2016). Teachers can digitally assign this list to their students to reinforce the spellings, pronunciations, and meanings of these words.
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British Library

British Library: Expressions of Faith: Hindu Manuscripts

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of seven Hindu books from various time periods. There is a written commentary plus great illustrations. The author of the commentary is Ravi Shankar, the famous Sitar musician.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How to Read Music

For Students 9th - 10th
Like an actor's script, a sheet of music instructs a musician on what to play (the pitch) and when to play it (the rhythm). Sheet music may look complicated, but once you've gotten the hang of a few simple elements like notes, bars and...
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Brass Instruments Work

For Students 9th - 10th
What gives the trumpet its clarion ring and the tuba its gut shaking oompah-pah? And what makes the trombone so jazzy? Al Cannon shows how these answers lie not in the brass the instruments are made of, but in the journey that air takes...

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