For Teachers

Through this writing activity students will explore how Aaron Copland uses music to convey a sense of landscape and time.

Students will explore the connection between music and movement through choreographing aspects of their everyday activities.

In this activity, students will learn about the canon as a compositional form and connect what they know about singing rounds to the classical canon form.

Students will compare jazz and classical performances by the same trumpeter, 15-year-old Kyla Moscovich, and will improvise a jazz version of a familiar classical tune.

In this activity, students will learn about theme and variation as a compositional form and put their own spin on a familiar melody through group improvisation.

In this activity, students will explore what it means to express their own authentic voices by examining Shundeena Beard's relationship to the viola as a vehicle for self-expression.

Students will examine an artist's connection to a piece of music and how the musician can communicate such a connection through her performance.

Students will watch an inspired jazz-style performance of "Old MacDonald" and then try improvising on their favorite children's songs.

In this activity, students will explore two different pieces of classical music, both written to convey a specific mood, image, or sensation. They will compare these to familiar music that has similar goals - like movie soundtracks.

In this activity students will listen to "Mercutio" from Prokofiev's ballet score for Romeo and Juliet and experiment with creating musical themes for different characters. They will also listen for themes from a movie soundtrack - modern "program music"!

In this activity, students will compare the human voice and the piano and experiment with adapting songs written for the voice for different instruments.

In this activity, students will compare classical music and folk music and explore the differences between consonant and dissonant sounds.

Through group discussion, individual reflection and a short writing exercise, students will explore the qualities, characteristics and skills necessary for excellence in any field by examining Kimani's high achievement in both music and sports.

In this activity, students will connect the idea behind a choral piece - change - with its musical characteristics, using appropriate musical terminology such as rhythm, tempo, and dynamics. They will then work in groups to create short pieces that express similar feelings.

In this brief activity, students will listen closely to a young cellist perform a piece played on only one string of the instrument and identify the variety of sounds he produces.

Students will learn how composer François Rabbath developed innovative ways to play the double bass as a result of not having any formal training, and they will invent their own creative learning processes.

In this activity students will observe, discuss, and practice interpretive and communications skills related to music.

In this activity, students will watch a video segment about a young Mexican-American musician and the role of music in his life, looking for social, cultural, and emotional connections that support his musicianship. They will write about how their experiences are similar to and different from his.

A quick activity (10-15 minutes) in which students watch a guitar performance and discuss the versatility of this amazing instrument.

In this activity students will develop ideas and plans for constructing their own marimbas using readily available materials. As a variation, students could construct other percussion instruments such as xylophones or drums.

In this activity students will listen to and analyze characteristics of tango music, especially rhythm, and experiment with variations in tempo.

Students will compare the experience of listening to a piece of music (without video or other visual accompaniment) and the experience of watching a performer as the piece is played.

Students work in small groups to compose and record a "found percussion" piece using materials at hand in the classroom, their bodies, and rhythms they identify in their environment.

A listening activity that focuses on how traditional, folk, and classical music influence one another, as exemplified by Sarasate's "Gypsy Airs" (Zieguernewisen).