Here's a collection of unit plans for middle school musicians. Topics include the mbira, opera, rhythm and culture, music in Africa, music in the movies, music theory and notation, blues and jazz, and the ocarina. Definitely worth a look.

The traditions, costumes, and the music of the Mardi Gras Indians, African-Americans and those with African American or Native American Heritage are the focus of a unit that introduces class members to a little-known group that...

Students use rhymes, songs and games to help them study music. They discover how music can be used with movement, speech and singing.

Over the history of the world, music has been at the heart of some of the greatest social and political movements. Scholars discover their musical roots as they dive into the sounds and emotions of renowned jazz players. They see how...

Students investigate early African civilizations. They create Kufi hats, musical instruments, pottery and African masks, sing songs, play African studenT games, and participate in a feast and tour of a museum where their artwork is...

Break out the slide whistles, triangles, and tambourines. It's time for a punctuation lesson. This richly detailed plan is loaded with ideas and activities for using rhythm instruments to accent the punctuation in folk tales. A...

What do Ben Franklin and Wolfgang Mozart have in common? Find out about the musical invention, the armonica or glassy-chord. Learners will read about how Ben Franklin invented this new instrument and how Wolfgang Mozart came to play it....

Learners will compare and contrast two songs from the Civil War era, one from the North and one from the South. They'll write a comparative essay on their songs, and then compare their essays and songs with others in their small groups....

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks...

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.

Nadir and his family play in a band. Can you help him get all the instruments together? In these activities, students will write data using symbols, use one object to represent one item, create a column graph, and determine whether...

A diverse range of musical styles can be found around the world. Music from Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East all have their own unique musical features and instruments. One of the most influential types of music-making in...

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...

Video lesson on playing Dorian scales on six-string guitar. [3:26]

Many exercises and techniques for the left hand are explained on this site with the use of music studies and videos. This is a good resource that helps explain the proper techniques for using the left hand properly. (Note: Videos may not...

Many exercises and techniques for the bow arm are explained on this site with the use of music studies and videos. This is a good resource that helps explain the proper techniques for using the bow arm properly.