Curated OER
Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor
Need a musical lesson for your drama or performing arts class? VH1 has put together a really neat lesson, in which learners use biographical information about Alicia Keys to write and perform a one-act musical related to her life. This...
Curated OER
"Movies That Rock": Moulin Rouge
Upper graders explore musical film and the Bohemian lifestyle common in Europe during the turn of the century through the musical Moulin Rouge. After listening to (or viewing) songs from the movie, they discuss the Bohemian era and how...
Curated OER
From Page to Stage
Students, utilizing video clips and Web sites, compare specific passages from original texts to moments in Broadway musicals on which they were based, analyzing similarities and differences between them. They adapt literature into a...
Curated OER
Adapting a Musical
High schoolers transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts instructional activity, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. High schoolers then select literature they are familiar with to adapt...
Curated OER
"The Producers" Lights Up Broadway from Recording The Producers: A Muscial Romp with Mel Brooks
High schoolers research the history of Broadway musicals and Mel Brook's life using the internet. They work together to write a short skit to present to the class. They also examine the context of different dramatic performances.
Curated OER
The Last Meow
Students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.
Curated OER
Studying The American Musical Theatre
Students discover the group dynamics necessary to produce an American musical in this six day lesson. Themes and characterization techniques are explored during collaborative small group research projects.
Curated OER
"We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover"
Learners examine video clips and Web sites related to relevant productions, study song lyrics, and compare and contrast actual history with Broadway history. They create lyrics for a new song based on a contemporary or historical figure...
Curated OER
Movies That Rock
Learners watch the opera "La Boheme" and the movie "Moulin Rouge" to explore the similarities and differences between them.
Musicals 101
Musicals101: Noel Coward 101
Profile of the life and work of Noel Coward from theater production professional and university adjunct John Kenrick.
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.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Musical Theater
Introductory site focusing on American musical theatre and Broadway. Shows how these parts can be taught in the classroom. Useful for teachers and students working with music theater.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Musical Theater
A short and concise history of musical theater with two early performers and a composer highlighted.
Musicals 101
Musicals101: History of Stage Musicals
This site from the website Musicals101 provides numerous sections/articles on the history of musicals on the stage. Page has further links to other musicals information.
Musicals 101
Musicals 101: Essay: Michael Bennett's a Chorus Line Part I
Read an essay outlining Michael Bennett's Broadway career and highlighting the success of "A Chorus Line". Very detailed. Includes photos of the original cast.
Duke University
Shuffle Along Orchestra
This section focuses on the people created the hit musical, "Shuffle Along," which helped to spur the Harlem Renaissance. Other information on the site about the importance of other black theater during the period.
Other
Musicals: Ragtime
Musicals.net offers a synopsis and songlist for "Ragtime," as well as a forum for comments and questions about the show. While "Ragtime" isn't strictly a black musical, the Coalhouse Walker, Jr. - Sarah storyline is so significant that...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: The Tech: Five Moe's Amuses With Laughs, Crowd Interaction
This site reviews the 1993 production of "Five Guys Named Moe" at Boston's Wilbur Theater. It gives a good summary of the musical, as well as a critique of that production.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Golden Age of Broadway
This primary source set uses illustrations, documents, recordings, and photographs to tell the story of the "golden age" of Broadway.
Musicals 101
Musicals101: History of the Stage Musical 1910 1920
From Jerome Kern's Americanized shows to the Ziegfeld Follies, the stages saw a whole new type of musical from 1910-1920.
Musicals 101
Cyber Encyclopedia of Musicals: The First Musical Comedies
Find out about Ned Harrigan and Tony Hart, a British musical duo, who brought musical comedies to the New York state.
Other
The Peaches: Todd's Irving Berlin Page
If you're interested in the lyrics of Irving Berlin's songs, then you may want to check this personal site out. Just click on the song title and find the lyrics as well as when, where, and why it was composed.
New York Times
New York Times: Crossword Puzzle: On Broadway
An interactive & printable crossword puzzle developed by the New York Times Learning Network. The theme of this puzzle is On Broadway.
PBS
Pbs: American Masters: Cole Porter
Cole Porter is discussed in this brief biography. It touches on the highlights of his life and career.