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Website
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The Basics of Reading Music

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is an overview of how to read music. The basics of notation such as note and rest values, the names of lines and spaces of both treble and bass clefs, etc. are covered. Includes downloadable audio files.
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Interactive
Quia

Quia: Rhythm

For Students 3rd - 8th
Try these review activities in your music class! Chose from four games: matching, concentration, flashcards, or a word search. Vocabulary words on the topic of musical rhythm are used in these exercises.
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Website
BBC

Bbc: Bitesize: Music of Africa

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is a part of the About Music site of the BBC, and this interactive site lets you explore various parts of Africa, their music, their instruments, their sounds. Requires Real Player.
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Interactive
Quia

Quia: Musical Elements

For Students 3rd - 5th
A great matching game to reinforce music vocabulary and an understanding of the elements of music.
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Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Falling Rhythm

For Students 9th - 10th
An engineering design process project for students to create a regular rhythm of beats by spacing weights along a string and then dropping the string.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: The Lowdown: A Rhythm Etic

For Students 6th - 8th
Rock out to a musical demonstration of math involved in constructing rhythms from groups of beats in this video from KQED. In the accompanying classroom activity, students consider how the note durations comprising a measure in 3/4 time...
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Article
Other

Music Theory First Aid for Struggling Students

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides music theory information on such topics as rhythm, intervals, scales, chords, etc. Also, there is a fine section which describes the basic concepts of form and structure.
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Article
Frontiers Media

Frontier: So You Think You Can't Dance?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Believe it or not, even babies can feel the beat of a rhythm. However, science has documented the first case of a person who could not dance to the beat. His name is Mathieu, and he is an intelligent, talented - even musical - guy with...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
This lesson teaches students to sing along to a cumulative song, maintain a steady beat while singing, and create movements that go with the song's rhythm.
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Interactive
PBS

Wgbh: Peep and the Big Wide World: Games: Sounds Like Fun!

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Cleverly animated game that alerts young learners to the musical sounds all around them in their everyday environments. A useful exercise in helping children understand sound patterns and repetitive beats and the meaning of start and...
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Lesson Plan
ArtsNow

Arts Now Learning: Rhythmic Experiences [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this lesson. students will learn that musical symbols have numerical values as they divide beats and meters, perform and create rhythm patterns, and practice operations with fractions.
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Website
Other

Music You Can Read Polly Wolly Doodle

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information about the song "Polly Wolly Doodle." Includes downloadable PDF files on topics such as beats and rhythm. Also gives good ideas and questions for learning about the song.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This instructional activity deals primarily with the number of rhythmic combinations that can be found in a four beat measure of music. Students will learn through trial and error and derive a mathematical formula to calculate the number...
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Lesson Plan
ArtsNow

Arts Now Learning: The Sound of Numbers [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
In this lesson plan, students will explore numbers and their relationships through rhythm and learn how every aspect of music can be described mathematically.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Math + Arts: Musical Fractions

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
For this lesson, students will explore fractions through rhythmic sequences. Media sources and teaching materials are included.
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eBook
Other

Guitar Land: Music 10: Note Values and Rhythms

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the value of notes. Includes many examples of rhythms and tempos.
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Activity
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Life's Little Questions: Can You Beat Jet Lag

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Explore the human body's need for a normal cycle of dark and light and apply this to an understanding of biological clocks in other animals. Test the effect of light on the development of mealworm larvae into adults.
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Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Bo Diddley

For Students 9th - 10th
Creator of the "Bo Diddley beat", this rock & roller was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Here is a brief biographical sketch of his life.
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Activity
Phil Tulga

Phil Tulga: Unifix Drum Machine

For Students 3rd - 8th
Get creative making your own beat patterns with this fun interactive unifix drum machine. Simply click the yellow squares wherever you like and then hit the play button. You can also choose from example drum patterns.
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Article
OpenStax

Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Syncopation

For Students 9th - 10th
Understand what syncopation means by reading about it at this web page. Includes audio examples and written examples that help to make this type of rhythm easier to understand.
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Interactive
PBS

Pbs Kids: Sid the Science Kid: Sandbox Symphony

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Make an interesting musical composition by choosing from a menu of traditional and nontraditonal instruments.
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Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Snare Drum

For Students 3rd - 5th
Use this resource to learn about the percussion family of instruments, especially the snare drum. Find out how it helps the orchestra make music. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to listen to the snare drum by itself and with the...
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Website
Other

Metronome Online

For Students 9th - 10th
This free online metronome is ideal for anyone who does not have a metronome. It allows you to choose any tempo so you can practice at a steady pace.
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Website
Other

Vic Firth: Educator's Resource Library

For Students 9th - 10th
This website is a cornucopia of resources for percussion instruction. There are videos, audiocasts, podcasts, interviews with talented percussionists. Please check out this website is you are interested in any aspect of percussion.

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