Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Explore the meanings and moods of color through art, music, vocabulary, dance and cultural activities. Examine how the arts are used to portray personal feelings and depict social protest in society, and research the artwork of Norman Rockwell.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Dance. Music. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Point of View

Explore the relationship and discuss the connection between music, history and culture. Select songs that personify American places and historical events.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Community & Citizenship. Media Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Mississippi River Of Song

Compare and contrast various styles of songs such as traditional, Cajun and the blues. Sing in these styles adding harmony, the sounds of various musical instruments and new song lyrics, and identify rhythms, scores and chords.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Mississippi River Of Song

Explore, study and perform various types of cultural music, dances and songs. Consider scale, patterns, chords, rhythm and style when participating in the various dances.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Anthropology/Cultures. Cultural Studies: Native American Studies. Dance. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Mississippi River Of Song

Explore the world of blues and gospel music. Write song lyrics, play various musical instruments and contrast electric and acoustic guitars.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Mississippi River Of Song

Explore and listen to various types of cultural music, songs, instruments and sound effects. Experience songs based on the sounds of the Mississippi River, African-American drumming, hambone percussions and clogging.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

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

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: From The Top

Compose and record a "found percussion" piece using materials at hand in the classroom, your body and rhythms identified in the environment.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Creative Thinking. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: From The Top

Discover how traditional, folk and classical music influence one another, as exemplified by 19th-century composer Pablo de Sarasate's "Gypsy Airs." Compare and contrast the elements of music in this piece with contemporary music.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Critical Thinking Skills. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Study the history, original performers and songs of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, and explain what made them a unifying force among America's slaves. Create a travelogue describing life on tour for these African Americans.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1850-1877. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Explore the world of music through activities that focus on musical beat, rhythm, mood and emotions. Investigate the science of guitars, learn musical notation and enjoy multicultural music and popular songs from three generations.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Science & Tech, The Arts

Topics: Sound. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Identify how cultures use murals to depict social issues and reclaim ethnic and cultural identity, and design a class mural on a political issue. Consider how art and music have been used for propaganda and political statements throughout history.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. Media Studies. Critical Thinking Skills. Music. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Study the changing lyrics of Stephen Foster's folk songs as springboards for studies of pre-Civil War public feeling regarding slavery and issues of race. Describe how Foster's experiences with songwriter wages compares to copyright issues today.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Cultural Studies: African American Studies. United States History: 1850-1877. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Research summer sports associated with the Olympics, how politics have influenced the games, poems and songs about sports and sports injuries. Use math skills to investigate exercises and the game of baseball.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Subjects: Health & Fitness, Math, Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Fitness. Social Skills. Sports. Data Analysis/Probability. Numbers and Operations. Literature: Literary Terms. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Examine the lyrics of several Carter Family songs for the way they reflect attitudes and beliefs about love, God, hope and fate. Survey friends and your own opinions about songs that have special meaning for different people.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: The Arts

Topics: Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Select a popular song from the past five years that reflects some important aspect of life today and create a poster that connects the lyrics to popular culture. Explore the public's fascination with the private lives of prominent entertainers.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Media Studies. Sociology. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Explore the idea of people being chosen as symbols of national pride and patriotism and research the African-American artists and organizations of Harlem, New York, to explore the cultural renaissance of the 1930s.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Civics: Community & Citizenship. Cultural Studies: African American Studies. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Examine the lyrics of popular songs of the era that refered to the Vietnam War and explore the influence they may have had on certain sections of the public. Construct a timeline and critique of Hollywood films about the war.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Media Studies. United States History: 1945-early 1970s. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project