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Worksheet
Curated OER

Piano Lessons

For Students 5th Standards
Playing the piano takes a lot of work, even before you touch the keys! Use a reading passage about learning to play the piano before answering five comprehension questions.
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PPT
Curated OER

Exploring Pentatonic Scales

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
What better way to teach pentatonic scales than to have them playing while you define them? This slide-show includes simple yet correct descriptions of five note scales in C, G, and F major as well as examples for learners to hear. 
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Worksheet
Special needs in Music

Silent Practice

For Teachers K - 12th
Don't have a keyboard in the classroom but still want to teach piano theory? No problem! Learners engage in "silent practice" as they play classic songs like "My Country 'Tis of Thee" on a printed keyboard image. Use the images on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's the Difference?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the differences between acoustic and digital pianos. In this music lesson, students listen to an acoustic piano and digital piano. Students play both types of pianos and discuss the differences.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dynamic Fun!

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students explore musical dynamics.  In this music lesson plan, students define musical terms that relate to dynamics.  Students sing "Little Bunny Foo-Foo" and apply the written dynamics to their singing voices. Students use specific...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DO YOU REMEMBER?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore where a melody and melody fragments enter different voice parts, and adjusts dynamically to enable the listener to perceive these events. Each student uses a rubric to make critical evaluations of the performances.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

KEYBOARDS

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders become familiar with appearance and characteristic sound of piano, identify piano as part of percussion family, find middle C on the keyboard, observe scale, chord, and "broken" chord, and listen to a well-known classical...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Performing Gospel Music (Keyboard or Piano)

For Students 5th - 6th
In this music worksheet, students learn to play a piece of gospel music called "Siyahamba" on the piano or keyboard. Students examine the musical notes written on the staffs and read the helpful hits in the margins. Piano knowledge is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Melody

For Teachers K
Pupils identify what melody is and the different value and pitches in songs with similar notes previously sang in class. Then they apply this knowledge to a new song learned by echo singing. Students also listen for a starting pitch and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Muffin Man!!!

For Teachers 1st
First graders distinguish between the musical terms crescendo, decrescendo, piano and forte. They interpret and analyze when music is getting louder and softer. Students sing "The Muffin Man" song. They are introduced to loud and soft...
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Graphic
University of Michigan

U.michigan: Keyboard Temperament Analyzer

For Students 9th - 10th
Features a downloadable spreadsheet for analyzing keyboard temperaments. Requires a bit of physics knowledge.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How to Make a Piano Sing

For Students 9th - 10th
The renowned pianist Vladimir Horowitz once said, "The most important thing is to transform the piano from a percussive instrument into a singing instrument." In this lab, you will learn about sympathetic vibrations, a method used to...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Comparing Vocal Ranges: How High and Low Can You Go?

For Students 3rd - 5th
What is the highest note you can sing? How about the lowest? Do you think males and females can reach the same notes? How about children and adults? Find out the answers to all these questions in this "note"-worthy science fair project.
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Interactive
Music Theory

Music theory.net: Keyboard Trainer

For Students 9th - 10th
A fantastic resource for music teachers and students learning to play the piano. This online quiz can be customized to test students on specific keys. Students can click "Toggle helpers," to check answers along the way.
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Website
Other

Tb on Web: Alternate Temperaments Theory and Philosophy

For Students 9th - 10th
Explanation of various keyboard tunings, and why modern Western music uses "equal temperament."
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Website
Other

Islandnet.com: The Gottfried Silbermann Legacy

For Students 9th - 10th
Excellent site describing Silbermann's work on the organ as well as the development of the piano. Many interesting links to musical societies which also have musical worth.
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Website
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids

For Students 3rd - 8th
This interactive site offers students resource for learning about composers, their works, the logistics of orchestra seating, the functions of different instruments, and the like.
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Website
Other

Player Piano Group

For Students 9th - 10th
Includes pictures of player pianos, player music, player history, reproduction of pianos, and much more.
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Forte and Piano

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Lesson plan where students learn what forte and piano mean and idenitfy them in music and pictures that represent sounds. Students also will demonstrate forte and piano while singing a song that they learn from a video.
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Graphic
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Musical Instruments

For Students 9th - 10th
Homepage for a hypertext about the different families of musical instruments. From this page, users can retrieve information on a the acoustics of a variety of specific instruments: stringed instruments, woodwind instruments, brass...
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Graphic
Yale University

Yale Collection of Musical Instruments: Keyboard Instruments

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about keyboard instruments from the collection of Yale University in this image gallery with descriptions of each piece, including pianos, harpsichords, and organs.
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Article
Scott Alexander

The Red Hot Jazz Archive: James Fletcher Henderson

For Students 9th - 10th
Biography, discography, suggested reading, and links to Fletcher Henderson's contemporaries.
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Article
Text Project

Text Project: Fyi for Kids: Vol. 4, Issue 9: Pianos:the Loud and the Soft [Pdf]

For Students 1st - 3rd
Read this magazine article to learn about the piano including what the word means and how it works.
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Website
PBS

Classics for Kids: Musical Instruments

For Students 3rd - 8th
An A-to-Z directory of all the instruments and tools of the orchestra. Each entry includes a description, a picture, and a sound sample.