PBS
Pbs: Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns
The companion website for a documentary film about jazz is home to a storehouse of resources and unique features about the historical, cultural, and artistic significance of jazz. With a timeline of key events in the history of jazz,...
PBS
Pbs: Independent Lens: Strange Fruit, the Film
Website on Strange Fruit, a documentary film about the history and legacy of the protest song "Strange Fruit." Includes the lyrics and audio for the song.
PBS
Pbs: Jazz Is About Freedom
One of the objectives in this lesson plan focus on how jazz contributed to the political awareness of the American public concerning lynching. Using Billie Holiday's anti-lynching song Strange Fruit, young scholars will learn about...
PBS
Pbs: Jazz Is About Collaboration: Jim Crow Laws: Segregation
Engage your students in discussion about segregation and the Jim Crow laws with this in-depth lesson plan. Using jazz music, you will contrast the ways in which America's most significant contribution to the arts depended on...
PBS
Pbs: Jazz Music and the Crisis Over School Desegregation
Working in cooperative groups, your learners will learn how jazz musicians expressed the Civil Rights era in their music. This lesson focuses on the Civil Rights movement in Little Rock, Arkansas. Also, they will learn to about the...
Lone Star Junction
Lone Star Junction: The Yellow Rose (And Other Songs) of Texas
A long list of songs about Texas, both lyrics and audio files in MIDI format. There are well-loved songs, school songs, regional songs, ragtime songs by Scott Joplin, even the theme song from the Lone Ranger television show.
Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
Yad Vashem: Heartstrings, Music of the Holocaust
Music brought comfort and unity to the Jewish people during the Holocaust. The same songs later helped document this time period. Listen to medleys of these songs in this online exhibit.
PBS
Pbs: Geography of Music the World in the Age of Revolutions
This interactive map helps illuminate the relationships among the various composers as well as connections between music and its historical and cultural context. It also illustrates the importance of the physical and cultural...
PBS
Pbs: Geography of Music: Age of Emerging Modernism, 1885 1920
See where and when composers interacted and were influenced by one another in this interactive world map. The map highlights the relationships among the various composers as well as the connection between music to history.
South Carolina Educational Television
Etv: Gullah Net: Gullah Music
Explore aspects of African music as reflected in the songs and music of slaves who lived in coastal South Carolina.
TES Global
Tes: Teaching Shakespeare: The Tudors Their Music
[Free Registration/Login Required] This resource focuses on the music of the Tudor era including harpsichords and drums. Students listen to various pieces of music and try to copy them.
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: Anthropology: Sounds of the Silk Road
Travel the tales and sounds of the Silk Road through this resource and understand how music shaped Asian, and eventually, western cultures. You can create your own music to share with your friends, and gain knowledge about common...
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.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Freedom Riders and Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement
In this lesson plan, learners will consider "The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How Architecture Helped Music Evolve
As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, he explores how context has pushed musical innovation. [16:00]
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 30: The Reagan Bush Years
The Republican era of Ronald Reagan and George Bush had to deal with difficult foreign affair events. Reagan dealt with terrorism, including hostage taking and gundowns, particularly from Libya. Bush dealt with aggression on the part of...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Music: A Vehicle for Wartime Protest
For this lesson, students will examine music during wartime protests. Students will analyze a wartime protest song and present it to the class. Includes a PowerPoint presentation discussing music as a primary source and links to help...
Contemplator
Popular Songs in American History: Ben Bolt: 19th Century Folk Song
This site contains the lyrics to a popular nineteenth century folk song. A MIDI file of the song is also available to download.
Contemplator
Popular Songs in American History: Rosalie, the Prairie Flower
This page presents the lyrics to a famous folk song of the nineteenth century.
American Forum for Global Education
American Forum for Global Education: Lullabies Link People
This site is provided for by the American Forum for Global Education. Using lullabies as the base of study, students learn about cultural differences in child care and taking care of basic human needs.
Other
Labor Arts: Labor Sings
Many songs, born of the American labor and civil rights movements, called people to action and were used to spread the messages of workers' rights and civil rights. Here you will find a nice collection of such songs. All songs in the...
Other
Mama Lisa's World: Songs & Rhymes of All Nations
This resource was organized by a mother who wanted to give people a sense of the nursery rhymes and songs from around the world. Find rhymes and songs from every continent, in many languages--you can even listen to some online.