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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor

For Teachers 7th - 12th
How do a person's musical preferences influence the way they compose music of their own? Learners analyze the sound and lyrics of Alicia Keys in relation to musicians that came before. Jazz, blues, and soul music from the past are shown...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Epic Improvisation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Really? Rapping The Odyssey? Really. A discussion of the oral tradition of story telling and its links to Epic poetry sets the stage for a series of activities that encourage improvisation to integrate music into other classrooms....
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Lesson Plan5:53
TED-Ed

A-rhythm-etic. The Math Behind the Beats

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your learners will dance in their seats as this talented drummer connects math to music in a short video clip. Clayton Cameron shows how math puts the "cool" in various genres of music, including jazz, hip-hop, pop, R&B, and others,...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Sting

For Students 5th - 9th
In this music worksheet, students read an excerpt from the movie The Sting and identify the American composer, Scott Joplin, who found ragtime jazz music heard in the movie. They also respond to eight questions related to the excepts read.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Misterioso: Thelonius Monk

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the musical style of Thelonius Monk, particularly Misterioso. They write in their journals how the song sounds and fits with the way Monk dresses. They journal about how their own music might sound if they wrote jazz music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time in Jazz

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine time and meter in the jazz idiom. They analyze Take the A Train and Take Five. They research websites featuring Ella Fitzgerald and her music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Duke Ellington

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students read Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of the 20th century composer. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feelin' Swing, Part 2

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Upper elementary schoolers listen to and reproduce the rythm of Mary Lou William's musical piece, "Scratchin' in the Gravel." The swing song was written at a time that women did not play jazz. She broke the rules by playing and writing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ray Charles

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners read the book Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis. For this biography lesson, students read about the life of Ray Charles. Learners answer pre-reading questions about senses, strengths, and weaknesses they have. The lesson...
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Worksheet
Special needs in Music

Music Work Sheet (Special Ed)

For Students K - 12th
Music is beneficial for all learners. Help your learners with special needs learn about different styles of music, as well as the ways that music is represented on paper, with 30 different worksheets. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interactive Timeline

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the development of ragtime music and its relation to jazz. They participate in an online Interactive timeline and read about the history of ragtime music, listen to examples of music, and in small groups create short...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music To My Ears: The District of Columbia Quarter

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students practice identifying different genres of music by creating posters.  In this music appreciation instructional activity, students research Duke Ellington and complete worksheets based on his style of music, Jazz.  Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Night in Tunisia

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students discuss musical instruments common to jazz and compare several songs by various artists. They identify musical grooves common to jazz music. They compare a string quartet to a traditional jazz group.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eckstine, Stayhorn, and the Dorseys: Masters of Swing

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students explore the history of swing music. In this music history lesson, students research the Dorsey Brothers, Billy Eckstine, and William Strayhorn to learn about swing music. Students define swing, develop a timeline of events in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Signin' the Blues with Rock, Rap 'n Roll

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders listen to recordings and study jazz and the blues music. They identify the instrumentation and explore the 12-bar blues progression. After experimenting with different sound, 6th graders create their own arrangement, with...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students study the life and music of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They practice listening for the downbeat of a musical selection. They participate in a physical exercise where they march around in a circle and clap to the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Hear a Story?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students listen to, analyze, and describe music. They explain relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tap Your Feet

For Teachers K - 1st
Young scholars listen to, analyze, and describe music. They experience performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blues Improvisation

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students practice playing and improvising while playing the 12 bar blues. They practice compositional skills, evaluate and perform musical pieces focused on the blues.
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Activity
Education World

Every Day Edit - Duke Ellington

For Students 3rd - 8th
For this everyday editing worksheet, students correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about Duke Ellington. The errors range from capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
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Activity
Glacier Peak High School

Huckleberry Finn Theme Project Ideas

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Looking for a project list to conclude a study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? The six suggestions included in the menu (a song, thematic box, CD case, book jacket, blog, scene) could be assigned to individuals or groups....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Timbre: Identifying the Tone Color of the Saxophone

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students explore the concept of timbre. For this timbre lesson, students experience timbres produced by saxophones in contemporary music. Students explore the science behind the music.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Things People Couldn't Do

For Students 2nd - 4th
In this things people couldn't do worksheet, students read context clues about famous people to determine which words in a word blank complete sentences. Students choose four answers to fill in the blanks.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Vocabulary Meanings

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this vocabulary meanings worksheet, students demonstrate comprehension of vocabulary from a word bank by logically filling in the blanks to complete sentences. Students choose ten multiple choice answers.