Berklee College of Music
Create Your Own Afro-Latin Groove
The backbone of Latin American music is the beat! Young musicians work on blending Afro-Latin rhythms and beat patterns before incorporating the major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, and blues scales in their own compositions.
Curated OER
Kindergarten Music Time
Little ones are led through a series of rhythmic songs and chants while they march, clap, and use their tummies as percussive instruments. They work on singing in pitch, chunking, and keeping a steady beat.
Curated OER
Set a Poem to Music
Fun awaits both you and your class as you embark on a musical activity. After discussing different rhythmic meters they choose a poem to set to music. The poem must rhyme and be set to a melody in the key of C Major. Because the activity...
Curated OER
Rhythm Lessons Show The Link Between Music And Math
Educators can use music lessons that show students how to learn about rhythm in a fun and exciting way.
Curated OER
Listening To A Fanfare
In this music worksheet, learners read the biography of a composer and then focus upon his primary work of creating graphic compositions.
Curated OER
Composing Music
Students compose music with musical instruments, and write the proper notation for the songs they have created.
Curated OER
Indian Composition
In this Indian music worksheet, students use Indian notes to write their own RAGA. They write an 8 bar melody using the given rhythms.
Curated OER
Set a Poem to Music
Students consider the role of rhythm and meter in poetry. In this integrated arts lesson plan, students discuss the attributes of poetry and use their music skills to set picture book poetry to music by creating "singable" poems.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Adinkra Printing
First graders demonstrate a sense of artistic composition by creating shapes and symbols in the pattern of African Adinkra printing. They use glue to create a raised design and then print it on colored paper. Students use symbols from...
Johnny Mercer Foundation
Project-Based Songwriting
Project-based learning in a music theory class? Take note. Young songwriters compose, record, copyright, and promote their original songs. They even design their own CD cover.
Curated OER
Notating a Rainy Day
Young singers learn how to notate the rhythms and melodies of a familiar song using Kodaly hand signals and manipulatives. Individuals then create their own compositions and sing them using Kodaly notation.
Curated OER
Composing Your Own Melody
Get the songwriters in your class started early with an engaging music composition activity. After experimenting with an existing melody, class members improvise in a given range of notes and create their own melodies.
San Francisco Symphony
Quilt Making and Copland's Rodeo
Kids make quilts as they learn about pioneer life and the concept of tempo. The Aaron Copland piece, Rodeo is used to convey rhythm and tempo in music. As the children discuss tempo and rhythm, they also discuss what life was like for...
Curated OER
General Music Methods
Students work as a class to compose an original four-measure rhythm. After a brief review of a sight reading Gordon rhythm patterns, students compose their own rhythm with each student selecting a part for the composition. All...
Curated OER
Broccoli
Students figure out rhythm notation for phrases describing the benefits of broccoli. They compose four-measure patterns using the rhythms of these phrases.
Curated OER
Walk into the Desert, A Line and Wash Landscape
Students discuss a landscape art print and its composition. They create a landscape underdrawing with foreground, middleground and background as well as repeated elements for rhythm. They add a watercolor wash and lights/darks for...
Curated OER
A Round and A Round
Students practice singing rounds in daily warm-ups for 2 weeks prior to beginning this composition lesson. Students incorporate movement to the rhythm of each syllable, discuss syllables of words and their relationship to note values and...
Curated OER
Rock Till You Drop!
Students study rhythmic patterns and phrases on percussion instruments. They form a drum circle and take turns playing the beat. After listening to styles of rhythms, students compare styles of music. They compose a short piece of...
Curated OER
Indian Composition= RAGA
In this music worksheet, students use the given notes to write a composition of Indian music know as RAGA. They make 8 compositions.
Curated OER
Sight Reading Rhythm Patterns
Students demonstrate ability to sight read rhythms containing half, quarter and eighth notes and quarter rests; by clapping and chanting rhythms written on chart 1.
Curated OER
Broccoli
Students use the topic of broccoli to learn about a healthy diet as well as the notations in music. In this music activity, students are introduced to music style and content. Students create their own rhythm pattern and write a rap...
Curated OER
Music and Emotion
Young scholars identify the various emotions created by different types of music. They Identify role of music in creating various emotions for film and television . They observe and practice various ways of playing percussion...
Curated OER
Marine Poetry
Students identify characteristics of good poetry and compose their own. In this marine poetry lesson, students are introduced to several different types of poetry with a marine theme. After discussing the elements that make up a good...
Curated OER
Tradition through storytelling and music
Students discover how storytelling can shape a person's tradition.Students examine different methods of storytelling such as music, biographies, and African folktales. They then demonstrate their knowledge of storytelling by writing...