Curated OER
Elements of Music
In this music instructional activity, students study the elements of a musical composition: silence, pitch, texture, dynamics, tempo, attack and decay and duration. Students complete 7 questions about these elements. Prior knowledge is...
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...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Illustrate A Song
Middle schoolers listen to various selections of music, discussing the interpretations of the song. They create a picture illustrating the feelings, mood, and message the music conveys.
Curated OER
Compose Your Memory
Students notate a short musical composition using the notation software Sibelius. This composition is based on a the student's favorite childhood memory. Based on their emotions felt at this time, they incorporate tempo, range, and...
Curated OER
Musical Form and Sibelius Groovy Music Shapes
Students create a song using the form ABACADAEA. Students listen to a musical piece created by Vivaldi that is an example of this musical form. Then
students use software to create their own musical forms representing this pattern.
Curated OER
Electronically Composing Music
Students complete a worksheet and discuss components of musical composition. Students familiarize themselves with the program, Finale. Students then work cooperatively to compose a musical suite.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Composing With Computers
A complete, undergraduate level online course on music composition with computers. Includes all course material, projects, assignments, and exams with solutions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Music Composition
A complete, undergraduate level online course on music composition. Includes all course material, projects, assignments, and exams with solutions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Symphony and Concerto
A complete, undergraduate level online class on the topic of modern music in the 1900s. Includes exams.
Music Theory
Music theory.net: Interval Trainer
This online quiz is a fantastic tool to check your knowledge of intervals. Keeps score, and can be customized to fit specific lessons (augmented intervals, diminished intervals, double accidentals.)
Music Theory
Music theory.net: The Major Scale
A terrific reference for music students and teachers! Explains the fundamentals of the major scale, provides diagrams, and audio clips to help children recognize this piece of music theory.
Music Theory
Music theory.net: The Minor Scales
Listen and learn with this explanation of minor scales. Each description of harmonic, melodic, and minor scales provides an illustrated example, and audio clips.
Music Theory
Music theory.net: Generic Intervals
A thorough description of generic intervals with a printable chart at the end of the lesson. MusicTheory.net provides illustrated examples, and highlighted vocabulary terms. (You may need to download Flash Player to view this site.)
Other
Finale Music: Finale Note Pad for Windows
A free music notation software program! From the makers of Finale, the industry standard for this type of software, Finale NotePad can be downloaded from Coda for free. Although it is an entry level version of Finale, it is quite useful.
San Diego State University
Sd State: Elements of Music: Media, Genre, Form Texture
One of the elements of music is "Texture." This site gives the definition, which basically is the relationship between melodic and harmonic.
PBS
Pbs: Elements of Music: Exploring the Composer's Tools
This online lesson plan will help students understand how composers write music by engaging in a project which culminates in their own compositions.
Other
Creating Music
This online, interactive environment for music creation and exploration includes games and puzzles and interesting activities that teach about music in a visual way.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Composing With Solfege
Through solfege, students will create their own musical compositions as Maria did in the musical The Sound of Music.
Music Theory
Music theory.net: Key Trainer
A terrific tool for music teachers and students! Test students' knowledge of key signatures with this online quiz. Click "toggle" to check answers along the way, or click "setting" to customize the quiz.
Other
Chord Studio
Have fun composing your own music with this easy to use online tool. Select the chords you want your song to have and choose the various instrument styles. You can sign up for a free account so you can save your songs and edit them later.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 44: Compositional Techniques
Young music students rarely see or, better still, hear a connection between the different types of scales, modes, intervals and other compositional techniques such as meter, tonality, and form used in both traditional 'Art' music and...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: I Could Be the Next Beethoven
In this lesson plan, young scholars write the words and compose a melody for a school alma mater.
Phil Tulga
Phil Tulga: Fraction Pie Rhythms
Using pies, this interactive site allows you to create your own rhythmic songs. A whole pie equals a whole note, a half pie equals a half note and so on. There are also example songs to listen to.
McMaster University
Mc Master University: Music Composition for Beginners
A brief site on the advent of technology changing how music is written (and by whom) forever. One bad point is that for most of the links to work, you have to figure out for yourself where they go and type it in.