Film English
Music
Some emotions are indescribable, but sometimes you have to try! After brainstorming adjectives that describe emotions, pupils watch a quick film, at first with no sound. Partners share their adjectives and come up with descriptions for...
BBC
Bbc Radio2: Sold on Song
If you love classic pop and rock songs and performers, you'll want to visit this site. Includes background information and audio, a glossary, a guide to songwriting styles, songwriting tips, music quizzes, interviews, and so much more....
PBS
Pbs: American Roots Music
If teaching a unit about the history of popular music in America, this PBS web site supporting their four-part TV broadcast of a few years ago would make a great resource. Includes lesson plans and oral histories too.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Collaboration of Sites, Sounds: Wikis to Catalog Protest Songs
This lesson makes a connection to popular culture by asking young scholars to research and analyze contemporary and historic protest songs and to catalogue them in a class wiki.
Other
Vocalist
A general site for anyone interested in singing. Contains free online singing lessons and articles for vocalists related to singing plus other useful information. Resources for everyone-even kids online music games.
Library of Congress
Loc: Omaha Indian Music
A fascinating site of traditional American Indian music. Listen online to the 44 wax cylinder recordings from 1895-97! Listen also to interviews of the tribe giving background information.
Library of Congress
Loc: History of Ragtime
This article from Library of Congress' Performing Arts Encyclopedia gives an extensive explanation of the history of ragtime. Trace the development of the genre from the 1850s through the 1970s.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Music Across America
This curriculum unit devoted to the study of American music features five lesson plans that help students identify instruments, recognize styles and genres of American music and begin to comprehend the rich diversity of American music.
Pennsylvania State University
Penn State University: Design a Theme Park About Music
This is a WebQuest lesson in which young scholars design a theme park consisting of musical "Lands," of various styles and genres.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Music of the United States
Very thorough resource for music in the United States. History, genres, and references can be found on this site. Includes sample audio recordings.
Library of Congress
Loc: Patriotic Melodies
The Library of Congress site profiles 26 American patriotic songs with commentary, supporting visual material, and recordings of "America the Beautiful," "Fanfare for the Common Man" and the like.
PBS
Pbs: Continental Harmony
PBS presents several activities and lesson plans that cover the concepts of identifying different forms of music, learning about musical imagery, writing in response to music, and creating lyrics. The Sound Lounge has many interactive...
PBS
Pbs: Music, Slavery and the Civil War
This lesson could serve as the basis of a curriculum unit on slavery and/or the Civil War. Spirituals are analyzed, especially their cultural implications.
PBS
Encyclopedia of Composers & Songwriters
A great resource for learning about some of America's greatest composers and songwriters. From Irving Berlin to George Gershwin, among other, this resource provides biographies, pictures and some video.
Other
Virtual Instrument Museum: Musical Genres
This page lists all of the musical genres covered by the Virtual Instrument Museum. Each genre will link to a picture and information specific to that genre including information on the instruments associated with the particular genre.
South Carolina Educational Television
Etv: Artopia: Media Studio: Movie Soundtrack
Understand the impact of movie soundtracks. Watch a movie clip of Charade and sample nine different music genres to see how they affect the meaning of the story. [1:03]
Time
Time: The All Time 100 Albums
A comprehensive list of the 100 most influential record albums. Each album can be clicked to provide information as to why it was chosen.
Other
New Wave City: Home Page
A good, informative site describing New Wave music and fashion. Includes a history of New Wave City and how it has played a role in new wave music from 1977 to 1985.
Other
Kansas State Univ.: Music and Race in 20th C. America
Short but interesting combination of music and race and its influence on American culture from the Kansas State University. Provides most important songs, artists, and lyrics. Unusual page.
Other
Shanties and Sea Songs
This site features lyrics to numerous sea songs and shanties. Also, related information and weblinks are included. Although online sound clips would be nice, at least good sources of recordings of this type of music are listed.
Other
Alien Travel Guide: Musical Styles
A descriptive site on the many styles of music. There is information on everything from chamber music to rap.
Other
Classical Music Navigator: Forms and Styles
This alphabetized list of musical forms and styles briefly defines and describes the types of musical sounds and genres created throughout history.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign: Learning Musical Elements Through Listening
This is a site created for teaching children the art of listening to music. Includes sections on the elements of music, composers, and genres with more under construction.
Other
World Music Central: World Music Genres
A-to-Z list of musical genres, briefly defined and occasionally illustrated. [A work-in-progress, not all entries are complete.]