Source: Frontier House

Examine challenges faced by pioneers in the 19th century during westward expansion. Analyze a song recounting a couple's journey to their new home on the frontier, and compose additional verses.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Literature: Literary Terms. Immigration. United States History: 1850-1877. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Identify and describe the major events in Queen Elizabeth II's reign and create a classroom celebration to commemorate her Golden Jubilee.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: World History: 1945-1990. World History: 1990-present. Music. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Conduct background research and create an imaginary television segment based on the tenor trio Cook, Dixon and Young. Research different musical genres, construct a musical program and explore various aspects of diversity in the arts.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Critical Thinking Skills. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Describe architectural and acoustical elements that go into the construction and design of performance halls. Design a "dream music space" using these elements.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Architecture. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Consider the various influences on musicians' creations, understand the musical contributions of Skip James and Robert Johnson and explore the creation of personae by musicians, past and present.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School

Explore the history of Irish and American folk music as heard through violin and fiddle music. Determine the similarities and differences between these musical styles and instruments.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: American. Cultural Studies: European Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Scientific American Frontiers

Construct and play a replica of an ancient Egyptian panpipe to explore the science of sound. Analyze musical sounds mathematically to test Pythagorus's theory of the mathematical ratio of sounds.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Sound. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Explore opera as an art form and determine the personality traits and work ethic required to succeed in this field. Discover how Beverly Sills influenced the world of opera and helped broaden its appeal in the United States.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Careers. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore events of African American history since the Civil War, understand political and social issues involved in African Americans' struggle for equality and evaluate how these events and issues influenced and are reflected in blues music.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore regional geography and culture while also learning about the effects of different environments on musical styles, the relationships between natural resources and social organization and the cultural legacies of migrations of people.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Geography. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Perform the 12 bar blues format as a vehicle to gain fluency with improvisation and create a melodic line in the 12 bar blues structure.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Investigate the origins of the blues, and practice mapping out a blues song. Explain the difference between the use of floating verse and the violation of copyright law.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore the history of Muddy Waters's and B.B. King's musical careers, recognize contributions made by both men to the role of electric guitar in blues music and understand the important role each has played in bringing the blues to wider audiences.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore urbanization, technology and their effects on everyday life in the 20th century through a study of blues music. Examine the experiences of African Americans who moved to the city during the Great Migration.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1929-1945. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Broadway: The American Musical

Compare and contrast literary works and the contemporary musicals they inspired within the context of their influence on popular culture. Adapt an excerpt from a literary work into a three-minute musical and produce it for an audience.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Drama/Dramatics. Literature: American. Writing: Composition. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Explore the origin of blues music and its various styles. Examine how the blues has influenced modern music and how the electric guitar and guitarists have changed the sound of the blues over time.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Explore the lives of various jazz musicians and the social and historical events that were present during the lives of these individuals. Identify the musical styles of the artists.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Civil War

Describe the ways historic events influence popular music. Compare lyrics of Civil War songs from both sides, including "Battle Cry of Freedom" and "Dixie," and make conclusions about the lyrics.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: United States History: 1850-1877. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School

Examine the properties of color, and create tapestries and other collage art. Make musical instruments using found objects.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Recognize personal crossroads, depictions of the devil and pacts with the devil as prevalent themes in literature, blues music and world mythology. Analyze decisions made by people, fictional and real, when at crossroad situations.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Health & Fitness, The Arts

Topics: Mental/Emotional Health. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Compose a working definition/explanation of jazz, develop a time line of the jazz era from the early 1900's to mid-century using multiple resources and learn about various jazz artists.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: United States History: 1890-1930. United States History: 1929-1945. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Masters

Understand jazz styles, the roots of jazz, and the characteristics of different types of jazz. Consider the culture of jazz and its relationship to African-American culture and history.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1890-1930. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Analyze the plot of the musical "South Pacific," and create a graphic organizer that compares and contrasts two characters. Discuss how the dialogue and the lyrics in "South Pacific" address racial prejudice.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Literature: American. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Identify the significance of Lisbon to the European arts community and investigate the connections among music, visual art and literature. Design and present an informative presentation explaining the highlights and importance of the Europakonzert.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Media Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Independent Lens

Examine some of the ways in which African Americans were treated unfairly under Jim Crow, and learn about life in Greensboro and the Greensboro sit-ins. Discuss the purposes of protest music.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. United States History: 1945-early 1970s. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Investigate instances of the blues form heard in mainstream pop music. Explore the career of Eric Clapton and the musical styles of two new artists who are helping to keep the blues alive today.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Roots Music

Identify and discuss themes expressed in song lyrics. Analyze the social use and historical meaning of a song, and write a verse of a song drawing on contemporary events.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Reading: Reading Comprehension. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore the blues as a form of African American folklore, including its language, imagery and function, define and explain the nature of oral culture and understand the ways in which cultural traditions develop over time.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Folklore. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Roots Music

Identify some of the leading figures in post-war gospel music. Compare the differences in style and approach of several gospel musicians and analyze how music has different meanings in different social contexts.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore life for African Americans during the Jim Crow era, consider terms of respect and disrespect and analyze the effectiveness of different forms of cultural protest.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1890-1930. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Calculate how many different rhythmic combinations can be improvised in a jazz/blues piece by using trial and error techniques, deriving a mathematical formula and applying the formula.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Math, The Arts

Topics: Numbers and Operations. Problem Solving. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Practice improvisational skills to collaborate and create an improvised group short story. Improvise a musical piece on found objects.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Scientific American Frontiers

Explore the relationship between vibration and pitch in airwave and water. Create and demonstrate a simplified version of Ben Franklin's glass harmonica, and construct a set of air columns to produce the eight notes of an octave.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Sound. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Collect data through listening, counting and timing, and use ratios, rates and proportions to report data. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of rhythm and tempo in music.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Math, The Arts

Topics: Data Analysis/Probability. Numbers and Operations. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Understand Jim Crow laws and their effect on African-Americans and the importance of jazz music in American life during the Depression. Contrast the ways in which America's jazz music depends on collaboration whereas segregation valued separation.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1929-1945. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Learn about lynching, its relationship to racism in American history and strategies that were used to stem the tide of lynchings that engulfed the South. Examine the ways that jazz contributed to the political awareness of the American public.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Compare and contrast the written and operatic formats of "The Little Prince." Imitate the author's voice in a similar story, identify jobs in musical productions, watch a video of the children's opera, and write a critical review.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Critical Thinking Skills. Writing: Composition. Media Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Masters

Examine the role of race and discrimination in the entertainment world through connections to the life story of Lena Horne.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School

Analyze, discuss and compare sources of inspiration and writing styles, including use of words and imagery, of various songwriters. Create a journal documenting your life experiences and write a song or poem that reflects those experiences.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Creative Thinking. Poetry and Poets. Writing: Composition. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School

Learn about the creation of wooden instruments, the factors that affect the price of an instrument and how manufacturing choices affect local and world economies and ecologies. Explore options for music-related careers other than performing or teaching.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Careers. Economics. Geography. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School

Consider alternative ways of creating music using non-traditional instruments, and create a percussion instrument out of household materials. Explore art created by people with disabilities by creating art without using hands.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Anthropology/Cultures. Creative Thinking. Music. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Masters

Read the works of Maurice Sendak, and write a class book based on one of Sendak's stories (K-2). Learn how Sendak's book, "Where the Wild Things Are," was turned into an opera, and produce an opera (6-8).

Grade Level: K-2, 6-8

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Reading: Books & Stories. Writing: Composition. Literature: American. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore gender divisions in the U.S. in general and as they are reflected in blues music. Understand how blues women were both limited by and defiant of the gender expectations under which they lived.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Media Studies. Womens Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School

Explore the physics of sound while learning the history and basic elements of pipe organs. Research pioneering women in music, and experiment with alternative materials to create a pipe organ.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Sound. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Experience

Compare and evaluate representative songs from different New Orleans musical styles. Prepare and taste various foods from New Orleans cultures, and write a description of the cuisine of that city.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Anthropology/Cultures. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Explore the African American oral tradition and the relationship of this tradition to the blues. Identify the oral traditions that exist within one's own family.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Folklore. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Cultural Studies: African Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Describe blues music and practice simple blues improvisation. Investigate the use of bending and sliding pitches and their importance in both the understanding and performance of blues music.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Consider the poetic devices and recurring themes in blues lyrics and the significance of the poetry of the blues as part of the African American oral tradition.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Reading: Reading Comprehension. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: American Masters

Explore the qualities that define greatness through study of the life, the times and impact of black musician Quincy Jones.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Media Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Explore ragtime music, understand its development in relation to jazz and investigate the historical events taking place during the time ragtime evolved. Examine the common form used in ragtime piano pieces and the concept of syncopation.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1870-1900. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Compare and contrast "straight" march rhythms and jazz rhythms. Understand the connection between musical notation and numerical representation of fractions, and notate and perform jazz rhythms.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Math, The Arts

Topics: Numbers and Operations. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Scientific American Frontiers

Investigate the steel pan instruments of Trinidad, and explore the science of sound. Build a musical instrument from spoons to observe the effects of mass and tension on pitch.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Sound. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Civil War

Examine the events of General Tecomseh Sherman's march across the South through letters and the lyrics of a popular song. Determine whether you think Sherman's battle strategy was too severe or the only way to subdue the South.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Non-Fiction: Letters, Diaries and Essays. Ethics. United States History: 1850-1877. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The U.S. - Mexican War

Explore the relationship between real-life events and popular music, focusing on a song written during the U.S.-Mexican War. Rewrite the song from a new perspective.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Media Studies. United States History: 1801-1861. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Scientific American Frontiers

Investigate the science behind the glass harmonica, and try Ben Franklin's version. Explore the world of sound with hearing and other senses, and find out how different length straws influence sound by modifying frequency.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Design & Invention. Sound. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Scientific American Frontiers

Investigate Tod Machover's Brain Opera, which incorporates contributions of both online and live audiences playing electronically enhanced instruments. Experiment with interactive musical events.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Communications & Computing. Design & Invention. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Understand the musical and cultural importance of African drumming. Recognize the role of the backbeat in blues music, and demonstrate steady rhythms in a variety of blues styles.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Cultural Studies: African Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Analyze various musical clips to determine the attributes that make them blues, gospel, country, jazz, rhythm and blues, funk or soul tunes. Explore the lives, careers, musical contributions and social contributions of Stax recording artists.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1945-early 1970s. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Apply the Fibonacci Sequence and find its relationship to a piano keyboard. Explore various relationships between music and the Fibonacci Sequence.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Math, The Arts

Topics: Numbers and Operations. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: NewsHour Extra

Research lyrics and/or poems associated with a specific American war, and create a poster with information on the history and significance of the works. Write a song or poem about the war in Iraq or war in general.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Literature: American. Media Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Understand the difference between profiles and biographies, and explore the symbolic meaning of the soul. Write personal, literature-based and/or musician-focused profiles.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Non-Fiction: Biography and Autobiography. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: The Blues

Examine the correlation between blues music and African American literature, understand what life was like for African Americans in the Jim Crow South and explore the literature produced by African Americans throughout the 20th century.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Literature: American. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1929-1945. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Examine the manufacture, history and classical performers of the violin, explore different elements of playing the violin and respond to a piece of violin music through art and creative writing.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Investigate the Civil Rights movement with a focus on Little Rock, Arkansas. Reflect on how Louis Armstrong and other jazz musicians contributed to American music and expressed the zeitgeist of the Civil Rights era through their music.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

Learn about Jewish culture as a living, changing tradition. Relate Judaism to traditions in one's own life.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Religion. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Explore the significance of Istanbul in the cultural history of Europe and develop an understanding of Turkish oral history and how music can be used to express or enhance a mood.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: European Studies. Cultural Studies: Middle Eastern Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Great Performances

Interpret the content of various songs, understand the use of personification and metaphor in song and respond to performances through oral reports, creative writing and art.

Grade Level: 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Jazz

Connect themes of literary forms and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz. Compare and contrast historical and fictionalized versions of the jazz scenes of the Harlem Renaissance, and describe the impact of jazz on African-American literature.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Literature: American. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Broadway: The American Musical

Investigate how Broadway musicals can reflect the times in which they were created, and determine how well Broadway portrays real people, eras or incidents. Compose and perform a sample song based on contemporary or historical people or incidents.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Drama/Dramatics. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Source: Scientific American Frontiers

Explore the field of musical composition and written notation. Create an original notation device to record music.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Organizing Information & Ideas. Communications & Computing. Music.

Resource Type: Lesson Plan