+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Song for Today - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze musical and topical elements in popular songs and compose song as a classroom effort. They write a short paragraph evaluating the effectiveness of the song in conveying the message of the lyrics.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discuss the role of the rapper in Hip Hop music and how the rapper promoted their group's DJ. They compose a short rap about a fellow student highlighting that student's accomplishments and good traits.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The History of Rock and Roll: Part 6 - My Generation - Lesson 2

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify musical characteristics of baroque, jazz, and psychedelic music. They arrange traditional music into the style of baroque, jazz, and psychedelic music.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vocabulary Songs: Vocabulary Reinforcement Activity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars compose songs using vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students are introduced to a new set of vocabulary words and their definitions. Young scholars collaborate in groups of three or four to write new lyrics to...
+
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.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: Fate versus Free Will

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders explore Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. After reading specific scenes, they brainstorm and discuss free will. Students observe a clip from the Dr. Phil television show entitled, "Afraid to Age" and make connections from the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Storytellers for Save the Music Starring Billy Joel

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use a Billy Joel song to write a scenerio about it.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songwriting

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
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.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overture to 'William Tell' by Gioacchino Rossini

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the music of Bruce Springsteen to learn literature techniques.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop, Episode 2, Lesson 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss Public Enemy's lyrics and compare and contrast them with songs popular during the Civil Rights Movement. They write their own rap song that expresses feelings of oppression or freedom from oppression.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as a means of self-expression.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

James Brown: Life and Times

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students trace James Brown's rise from "Little Junior" in Depression-era Augusta, Georgia, to the "Minister of the New Super Heavy Funk" and create a collage that captures his impact on American music.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aaliyah Biography

For Teachers 5th - 6th
For this biographical reading / writing worksheet about the singer Aaliyah, learners first read a one page biographical essay. Students then compose 11 short answer responses to the following questions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Rock Singers and Songwriters

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars listen to and analyze songs of folk rock musicians of 1970 and then compose and perform a song in a popular or folk style for acoustic guitar and voice or for two acoustic guitars.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz: An Expression of Cooperation - Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students describe ways in which the principles of students or citizens working together are interrelated with those of musicians working together. They demonstrate their knowledge of the concept of "swing" in various jazz styles.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Storytellers for Save the Music Starring Billy Joel

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine recordings of Billy Joel.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beat the Greeks

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students conduct research of the history of atomic theory. Information is presented from Democritus and Aristotle to the early Renaissance using the Internet and video.The integration of technology allows for a vast amount of research...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wyclef Jean for VH1 Storytellers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use different folk songs to learn chords and other musical elements.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Goes Inside (Out) Trey and Dave Go to Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the Western method of teaching and learning music and compare that to the aural transmission method used around the world. They practice singing two songs using aural transmission and watch a video showing musicians...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hong Kong Symphony: Heaven, Earth, Mankind

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students complete a unit on the reunification of Hong Kong with China in 1997. They watch and discuss a documentary, write an essay about unification, conduct Internet research on three artists from the film, complete a data sheet, and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black and Blue: Jazz in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the impact of jazz on the novel, "Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison. They read and discuss excerpts of the novel, write an essay on the influence of jazz on Ralph Ellison as a writer, and view video excerpts on jazz...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Heritage in Arkansas

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students research and write about three African American composers from Arkansas: Scott Joplin, Florence Price and William Grant Still.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wyclef Jean for VH1 Storytellers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students watch a video with Wyclef Jean. They identify lawful uses of copyrighted materials and explain the interrelated roles of composer, lyricist, publisher, performer, agent, and record company.