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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Music Carnival

For Teachers 2nd
This outstanding lesson will encourage your students to combine their knowledge of rhythm, pitch, tone and color with their imaginations to create original compositions about animals. They create a music carnival to "Peter and the Wolf"...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

K-2: Dino-Rhythms

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read rhythm notation and combine four-beat rhythms. In this rhythms lesson, 2nd graders read quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests in rhythms that are written on dinosaur shapes. They clap, snap, or stamp out the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You've Got Rhythm

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students study the rhythm value of a half note, quarter note, whole note, and eighth note. They stamp a rhythm pattern and create a clay animation which demonstrates note value.
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Lesson Plan
Lauren Kitchin

Singing in the Classroom

For Teachers K - 6th
Those new to the Kodály Method of music instruction, as well as experienced educations, will find everything they need in a resource designed to launch a five-week vocal music program. Packed with warm ups, games, activities, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythm Stars

For Teachers K - 1st
Students listen, clap, compose and identify various rhythms.  In this rhythm lesson, students practice rhythm with rhythm cards.  Students become familiar with stick notation. Students glue Popsicle sticks to illustrate rhythms.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wild and Wacky Warmups

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore vocal music techniques.  In this vocal music lesson plan, students follow a series of warmup exercises modeled by the teacher, then participate in specific breathing and vocalizing exercises.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Community and Culture

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the rise of jazz music. In this Duke Ellington activity, 4th graders watch video segments regarding Ellington's life and showcasing a performance of Ellington and his band. Students discuss the rhythm of jazz as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

3-5: Rhythm Beginnings

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore tempo.  In this rhythm beginnings lesson, students differentiate between steady and unsteady beats.  Students clap a variety of tempo and then move to the tempo of a song. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get On Board This Train

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine and discuss the African American Spiritual in a choir setting. They also sing the spiritual "Get On Board This Train" while using terms and techniques studied in the lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Instruments In Action

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students read and demonstrate eight measures of four beats. In this music reading lesson, students read and demonstrate through movement their mastery of eight measures of four beats. Students also classify instruments.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify ways in which math and language arts relate to their music. After being read a book, they sing a song about who took the cookies from the cookie jar. They recognize repeated patterns in the melody and rhythm and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical Mountain

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students listen to low, middle, and high pitches of music and identify if they are low, middle, or high. In this musical pitch lesson plan, students visually see low, middle, and high pitches on a mountain.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Notating a Rainy Day

For Teachers K - 2nd
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rondo with B-A-G

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore music notes. In this music lesson, students sing the song "Hot Cross Buns" and practice playing it on melody bells to find the letter and rhythm notation. They create a new phrase to the rhythm of this song. 
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Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Quilt Making and Copland's Rodeo

For Teachers K - 2nd
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Opera Seria

For Students 6th - 12th
In this opera movie soundtrack worksheet, students read a 1 paragraph description of opera seria and then use the dialogue from the film Speed to help them determine what music is appropriate to add to the film based on the style of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music: Individual and Group Practice

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, in groups and individually, perform various musical pieces on their instruments. After demonstrating how to play steady beats, they also play counter melodies to songs such as "Peace Like a River." While some students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Here Comes the Train"

For Teachers K
Students read and explore the story, The Little Engine that Could, by Watter Piper.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting The Dance Back Into Mazurka

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students investigate the music and dance of Mazurka. They view a PowerPoint presentation that outlines some of the basic information. Then students listen to the music and dance to it. They are shown a new dance and then asked to perform...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hey Good Looking, What You Got Cooking?

For Teachers 1st
First graders perform a song and skit to illustrate how music can be used to communicate movement As part of the Thanksgiving Day program, 1st graders perform a song and skit that illustrates how music can be used to communicate movement.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Concerto for Recorder, Oboe and Bassoon by Antonio Vivaldi

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study the life and music of Antonio Vivaldi. They analyze and practice playing the various parts of Concerto a la Vivaldi on recorders. They record themselves and compare their performance to that of the same...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If Paintings Could Talk: Art and Language

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers learn about the artist Canaletto, play a vocabulary game, and create a landscape using collage technique. Background information on the artist is provided along with instructions for the game and vocabulary words to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet Louis Prima!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students discover the difference in major and minor tonality after a brief introduction to Louis Prima. They discuss swing dancing and Louis Prima's role in the "Jungle Book" as the character King Louis. Students listen to the song...
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Article
Other

Music Theory First Aid for Struggling Students

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides music theory information on such topics as rhythm, intervals, scales, chords, etc. Also, there is a fine section which describes the basic concepts of form and structure.