Smithsonian Institution
The Birth of an Icon: Learning and Performing the Origins of the Drum Set and Early Jazz Drumming in New Orleans, Louisiana
Bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, cymbals. Perched behind their drum sets, wielding their drum sticks and wire brushes, drummers lay the grove and are the heartbeat of a band's performance. A dynamic lesson introduces young musicians to...
Curated OER
Louisiana's Legendary Musicians
Students identify and interpret what legendary traditional musicians of Louisiana that allows them to hear new genres of traditional music. They also identify what it means to be a legendary artist and read, write, and create a project...
Curated OER
A World of Taste--Louisiana Gumbo
Students discover the multicultural contributions to New Orleans gumbo through participation in cross curriculum activities. In this multicultural diversity and New Orleans history lesson, students shade regions of a map according to a...
Curated OER
The Prairie Dog That Met the President
Students study the history of jazz music. They listen to various examples of jazz music and complete a worksheet in which they must identify the individual instruments they hear and identify characteristics of the genre of jazz music.
Curated OER
Independent Research Worksheet
In this moving to music worksheet, middle schoolers research folk dance in Louisiana in part A. By completing part B of the worksheet, students conduct their own primary research that will be shared with their classmates once they...
Curated OER
Spark Activity: Louisiana Line Dance
Students learn and practice 1 step at a time of the Louisiana Line Dance, then put all steps together and practice the dance to music.
Curated OER
A Fun Way to Learn Math History!
Ninth graders, in groups, search for and locate resources on a chosen famous mathematician. Enough information needs to be gathered to examine the mathematician's life and his/her contributions to the field of mathematics.
Curated OER
Questions for Dancers- Interviewing
In this interview activity, students locate someone in their community who does traditional dances. They interview dancers using the questions listed.
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.
Library of Congress
Loc: Southern Mosaic
This site, from the Library of Congress, provides a recording project by the WPA during the Depression Era of folk music collected throughout the southern states of the U.S. Supplemented by photos and other material to document life...