Smithsonian Institution
Jamaican Song, Dance, and Play: Experiences with Jamaican Musical Traditions
Young musicians experience song, dance, and play of the Jamaican culture. Scholars listen for and recreate beats, they play tunes, make up original dances, and play a game that challenges pupils to pass stones to a specific beat.
Smithsonian Institution
Spirits Across the Ocean: Yoruban and Dahomean Cultures in the Caribbean Brought by the Slave Trade
Much of Latin American music owes its origins to the slave trade. Peoples from the Yoruban and Dahomean cultures brought with them the distinctive rhythms, time signatures, and eighth note patterns that now characterize Caribbean music....
Smithsonian Institution
Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
American Museum of Natural History
Sounds of the Silk Road
Young explorers may not be able to travel the Silk Road but they can listen to music that was played on instruments of the time and create their own songs with the help of an interesting interactive resource.
Northern Nevada Council for the Social Studies
What Are the Origins and Influences of Rap Music?
Considered an American art form, rap has its roots in places from Jamaica to the Bronx. Using a series of readings, comprehension questions, and videos, scholars explore the history of rap and its connections to the African diaspora....
Skoog Music
St. Patrick’s Day
Traditional Irish music can bring even the most stoic audience to tears. This St. Patrick's Day, explore the lilting flutes and mournful ballads of the Emerald Isle with a interactive and inspiring music lesson.
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.
Smithsonian Institution
The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
Curated OER
Mr. Mascot's Magical Musical Tour
Young scholars explore particular places in the world. Students decipher clues that a class mascot leaves behind as it travels the world. Through researching the clues, young scholars discover geographical locations, elements of world...
Curated OER
Music of India
Introduce the class to the music of India. They'll discover three main types of music Raga, Tala, and Kriti. Cultural context and a description of basic Indian instruments is also provided.
Curated OER
Music of Russia
Music around the globe may sound different, but it always tends to function partly as a mode of communicating religion, rights of passage, and oral tradition. Delve into the world of Russian music. Folk, peasant, Cossack, and orchestral...
Curated OER
Indonesian Music
Explore the wonderful world of Indonesian music. The purpose, instruments, and terminology that help define Javanese music is outlined in this simple slide show. Tip: Adding musical examples would greatly enhance this resource.
Curated OER
Rhythmic Travel Around the World
Students explore and play rhythm sticks while listening to songs from around the world. They locate the countries of origin on a map, and tap their rhythm sticks to the beat of the music.
Curated OER
200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Students define the term "exoticism" and identify musical elements used by 19th and 20th century composers and modern pop icons to convey exoticism.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Introduction to World Music
A complete undergraduate-level online course on world music.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Music of Africa
A complete, undergraduate-level online course on the music of Africa.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Music of India
A complete, undergraduate level online class on the topic of modern music in the 1900s. Includes course assignments.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Popular Musics of the World
A complete undergraduate-level online course on world music.
Other
African Music Encyclopedia: Glossary of African Music
This glossary gives a description of different styles of African music.
Other
Flamenco First Contact: Cante: The Voice of Emotion
An introduction to the voice of Flamenco containing a brief history and many wonderful audio recordings to enjoy.
Other
Wesleyan University: Learning Objects Studio: Virtual Instrument Museum
Access the world musical instrument collection of the Music Department of Wesleyan University through this virtual museum interface. Search for and learn about instruments by type, geographic location, instrument material, and genre....
University of Maryland
Ethnomusicology Online Journal
This is a professional, peer-reviewed journal of scholarly articles about ethnomusicology. Articles and reviews are added yearly.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Exploring the World of Music
This 12-video series examines elements of music such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture, and how they are used in a wide variety of music genres in cultures around the world.
George Mason University
Chnm: World History Sources: Music
An overview of how music has influenced history throughout time. Choose links from common questions to music resources.