LESSONS

Acoustical Science
This unit explores the connection between size and materials used to create a musical instrument and the pitches and tones the instrument makes. Grades K-4

Sing Me a Song About the USA
In this lesson, students create a song that relates to a specific geographic area of the United States. This process helps them come to a better understanding of how music reflects traditions in various cultures, and how geography affects both culture and music. Grades K-4

Music from Across America
These five lessons from EDSITEment give students the chance to listen to a variety of popular, traditional and ethnic American music. Grades 3-5

Fairy Tale Tunes
In this lesson, students create the music for a mini-musical based on The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm and Jon Scieszka's fractured tale, The Frog Prince Continued. In groups, students improvise musical scenes through a variety of musical improv games. Using the opening number of Into the Woods as a model, the class will combine all of their pieces to create a mini-musical. Grades 5-8

Creating an Original Opera
What’s opera? Most people think opera is about actors in strange costumes singing in foreign languages about stories we don’t understand. But opera is much more—the stories express many of the same desires, angers, and hopes experienced in our own lives. In this lesson, students will learn about opera’s dramatic and musical elements, and discover the similarities and differences between opera stories and students' own lives. Grades 5-8

Music and Meaning of Mexican Corridos
The corrido is a ballad form that developed in Mexico during the 1800s and still thrives today. In this 2- lesson unit, students will examine the historical and cultural significance of corridos and will compose original corrido lyrics. Grades 9-12

Don’t Fret
Yo-Yo Ma would be just another cellist if he didn’t possess a mastery of frets. Students explore geometric sequences and exponential functions by considering the placement of frets on stringed instruments. Discover the next Yo-Yo Ma in your classroom. Grades 9-12

The Poetics of Hip Hop
In this lesson, students study the common characteristics of Shakespearean sonnets, poetry and hip hop music. Grades 9-12

"Aida" and Its Relevance to the World Today
This lesson uses the opera "Aida" and the history of the Middle East and Africa to open discussions about the current crisis in the Middle East. It provides a connection between music (opera), history, and current issues. Additionally, there is a geography lesson on the Middle East and Africa, and a music lesson on operatic voices and the history of opera. Grades 9-12

Stairway to Heaven: Examining Metaphor in Popular Music
Students review the definition of metaphor, then examine the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven," or another song, to find examples of metaphor. Students then search through their own music collections for additional examples and use an online graffiti tool to explore the significance of metaphor in song lyrics by creating a multimodal analysis of a selected part of the lyrics. Grades 9-12

Learning from Lyrics
Students research contemporary songs (alternative, country, metal, pop, rap, and rock music) to study current social issues. They deliver oral presentations using factual data, graphics, and other media to interpret the song lyrics. Grades 9-12

Sea Songs
A collection of whaling and sea songs from the 19th century from the Smithsonian’s On the Water collection Grade Levels K-12

A Disaster in Song
A collection of songs about the wreck of the HMS Titanic from the Smithsonian’s On the Water collection Grade Levels K-12

PODCASTS

Music & IQ
A number of studies suggest that music classes can benefit children not only culturally, but intellectually as well. Learn more in this Science Update from Science NetLinks.

Driving Music
In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, you'll hear about an engineer who created a computer system that lets you drive a piece of music just like driving a car!

Browsing Music
The Internet has changed the way we listen to music. Now, scientists in Europe are working on a smarter way to look for it. In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, you'll hear about a powerful music browser called SIMAC. Rather than searching for titles and text descriptions, SIMAC analyzes the musical properties of a digital audio track.

Classical Music in America
Nationally-recognized NPR Morning Edition music commentator Miles Hoffman (and NSO alum) takes us on a tour through classical music in the United States from the 1720s to today. Grades 5-12

Abraham Lincoln and Music
Abraham Lincoln was one of America's most unmusical presidents: he could neither play an instrument nor carry a tune. Yet he had a passionate love of the artsرenjoying everything from sentimental ballads to nonsense songs, from melodrama to opera. This 3-part audio series explores Lincoln’s relationship to the arts of his time. Grades 5-12

Arabesque: Music of the Arab World
Join host Georges Collinet (from NPR's Afropop Worldwide) in this 3-part audio series that each explores a different aspect of Arab music: the musical instruments of the Arab World; what makes Arab music unique; and the styles of music in the Arab World. Grades 5-12

Jazz in DC
Take a tour through jazz history in Washington, DC! Pianist Billy Taylor and saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess lead listeners through their hometown's music scene in this six-part audio series. Grades 5-12

Gulf Coast Highway
The Gulf Coast Highway knits together the rich music and cultures of communities across five states- from Houston, Texas, to Jacksonville, Florida. In this series of podcasts, high school students will learn how the diverse styles of blues, choral music, Cajun, zydeco, brass band, border music, and gospel meet and mingle in the Gulf Coast region. Students will hear anecdotes and insights from scholars and renowned musicians like Nanci Griffith, Grupo Fantasma, and Marcia Ball. Grades 5-12

TOOLS & ACTIVITIES

CD/DVD Cover Creator
The CD/DVD Cover Creator allows users to type and illustrate CD and DVD covers and related booklets to provide notes and other information. Students of all ages can use the tool to create covers for books, music and movies that they have explored. They can also create covers for music and videos they compose themselves. Grades K-12

Send Postcards From the Concert
Music can set a mood and tell a story, even when there aren’t any words. In this activity children listen to a musical selection and create a personal response on a postcard to share with family and friends. Grades 3-5

Perfect Pitch
Batter up! This multimedia exploration introduces students to the most enduring all-stars of the orchestra: the instruments. Grades 5-8

Soundscapes: The Arab World
Soundscapes: The Arab World is a Web interactive that allows students to mix sounds (beats, environment, instrument, music and voice) from the Arab World to create unique audio soundscapes. Grades 5-8

The Invention of the Electric Guitar
In this online resource from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, students will learn how the need for louder guitars led to the invention and proliferation of the electric guitar and how the emergence and popularity of rock and roll led to the guitar's commercial success and more innovative designs. Students can view the collection of guitars from the exhibition, click on each guitar to learn more and listen to audio commentary by guitarist G.E. Smith. They can also listen to recordings of different types of guitars in a section entitled "How Guitars Work. Grades 6-12

Groovin' to Jazz (ages 8-13)
Groovin' to Jazz (ages 12-15)
In this music activity, from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, students will learn how to listen to and appreciate authentic jazz recordings by listening to sixteen recordings by jazz greats and reading brief introductions that discuss the relevance of the songs as well as how to listen to them.

Music in Movies: You Pick the Soundtrack
In a movie, music can ramp up the tension or make a happy moment explode with joy. In this activity, teens are invited to consider how music contributes to a movie scene. Does it succeed or fail in making the viewer feel something? Grades 7-12

Soundtrack for My Life
Teens are accustomed to the combination of text, images and music to express meaning. In this ReadWriteThink project, teens create autobiographies, adding music selections to their life stories. Grades 9-12

Calendar Activity
Check out the Music in our Schools Calendar Activities from ReadWriteThink. Grades K-12