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Alphabet Canon
Third graders recall the names of lines and spaces in music notation. They sing an alphabet song in unison and recognize the tune as that of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. They identify meter signature, quarter, half, and eighth notes.
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VH1 Storytellers for Save the Music Starring Billy Joel
High schoolers use a Billy Joel song to write a scenerio about it.
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Melody Words
Fourth graders compose a melody by placing words on the music staff. They play their melody words for the class.
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Soundtrack to War
Students discuss the important role of music in lives of soldiers stationed in Iraq. They identify and demonstrate skills in creating compositions with limited resources, similar in concept to the soldiers viewed in the documentary.
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The Electric Slide
Fifth graders examine and practice the musical concept of a series of beats. They assess how to be able to use the feel of strong and weak beats in a song through dance to identify the meter of the song. Each student participates in...
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Fundamentals of Good Musicianship
Students examine how to analyze musical performances and utilize practice techniques to improve their performances. They listen and evaluate another student's performance, then reverse roles with their partner.
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Recorder Ensemble
Third graders listen to and identify the lines and space of the treble staff and demonstrate how to sight-read to play the recorder. They answer comprehension questions regarding letter names of the musical alphabet and left and right...
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What I Did On My Summer Vacation
Students improvise then compose and notate melodies with appropriate accompaniments that are inspired by events that transpired during their summer vacations. Requires a networked keyboard lab.
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Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf"
Fourth graders study Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." They explore the characters and the instruments that represent the characters. They create their own version of "Peter and the Wolf" for the purpose of introducing the...
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Songwriting
Students watch the "The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A to Z" video and brainstorm what the songs may be about. They choose a theme for a song, write a short topic-related poem, and compose music for it.
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Watch Your Conductor Like a Hawk
Students focus their eyes on the conductor in music class. The teacher uses a music sheet to isolate the musical elements of tempo, balance, and blend.
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Overture to 'William Tell' by Gioacchino Rossini
Students create an awareness of how music creates a setting in a story or legend. They identify the instrumentation, dynamics and tempo used to create various settings for a musical story. They perform rhythmic patterns from listening...
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Tumbling and Movement
Students perform basic tumbling activities. For this movement lesson, students practice tumbling and balancing moves while listening to music. Students are "frozen" into place while in certain positions.
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Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations
Students explore the various rhythmic combinations in jazz and blues music. They watch a video segment, apply a mathematical formula to calculate the number of possible rhythmic combinations, and perform a combination of notes and...
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Rhythm Stars
Learners listen, clap, compose and identify various rhythms. In this rhythm lesson, students practice rhythm with rhythm cards. Learners become familiar with stick notation. Students glue Popsicle sticks to illustrate rhythms.
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Composing Your Melody
In this music worksheet, students perform a given melody of four phrases. Students also improvise their own melodies using notes G, A, C, D, and E.
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Rhythm Counting
Students perform various rhythms and melodies in unison on their individual instruments. Assessment is performed on the last day of the lesson with each student playing individually for the class. This lesson meets national standards...
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Original Rhythm Compositions for Poetry
Students create and perform original musical compositions using poetry as a basis for the creative process. This cross-curricular two-day lesson can be done in two 45 minute class periods. Students evaluate performances as part of...
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Composing Project
Students design, compose, and present short musical compositions for keyboard in this lesson plan meant for the high school choir class. This lesson can be adapted to any time frame, but the author suggests a considerable amount of time...
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Simple Gifts
Students explore music. They practice singing with correct posture. Students practice reading music using the correct rhythms. Students also learn the intervals Major 3rd and Major 6th.
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Creating Opera
Students study the how music enhances drama in opera. They work in small groups to develop a short story that would be enhanced with music, costumes and props. They perform their operas for classmates and others.
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Teaching Rhythm and Pitch Reading
Middle schoolers practice correct rhythms and pitches during this short instructional activity for the middle school instrumental class. Objectives vary depending on music used for the instructional activity. Students assessed through...
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Spooky Notes
Second graders move to, sing, compose, and interpret various musical techniques through the use of "America", Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers", and a song called "Skin and Bones". Emphasis is placed upon identifying names and values...
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Frere Jacgues
Second graders identify different rhythmic notation and perform simple rhythmic patterns with the group, applying them to performing the song "Frere Jacques" vocally. Emphasis is placed on meeting State and National Standards for the Arts.