Students will learn to appreciate the beauty of the instruments in an orchestra, differentiate the sounds created by the instruments and relate the music to artwork Los Tres Musicos by Pablo Picasso, and the following exhibits at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum: The Guitar: Art, Artists and Artisans; The Power of Music- Photographic Portraits of Americans and their Musical Instruments 1860-1915.

Students will be introduced to the music of Mongolia through several activities looking into different aspects of Mongolian music. Students will be introduced to the sound of the Morin Khuur (horse-head fiddle), the techniques of Khöömei (throat singing), and given an opportunity to play a traditional Mongolian song with western instruments.

Students share ideas about cultural and/or spiritual rituals by participating in a fishbowl discussion, which explores the ways rituals have changed over time. They then synthesize their learning by writing reflective essays about their own cultural traditions.

Students will compose lyrics to songs for a music festival to promote issues in their community. They then write artists' statements explaining the issues they chose to write about, as well as the words they used to convey their messages.

Students learn about the ways New Orleans high school marching bands and professional brass bands have overcome obstacles in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to keep their musical traditions alive. They then create auditory presentations on festivals and celebrations around the world.

Learn to play and compose music with the mbira. Explore the use of the instrument in Zimbabwe to understand the relation of music to history and culture and its ability to incite social change. Lesson includes notations, historical background, and recordings and images from Smithsonian Folkways.

Students explore the inception and evolution of hip-hop music as a springboard for writing music reviews and researching other genres of music.

Students explore ways in which music can relay messages of peace and how popular songs can be interpreted as commentary on current issues and themes.

The North Carolina Symphony's Musical Meditations series offers moments to be calm, present, and mindful, supporting stress-management during the busy school day. Each short video features the NC Symphony playing musical excerpts from famous composers set to the breathtaking visuals from North Carolina State Parks.

With a focus on critical and visual literacy, this lesson challenges students to identify a song and to evaluate the meaning of the lyrics and music. Students then select digital images they think represent the meaning of the song and learn to create a multi-media presentation through the use of Windows Movie Maker. There are opportunities for self-reflection and evaluation in this lesson.

Students listen to and share thoughts about a piece of classical music. They then write a piece of music or poem, and analyze their peers and their own creative processes.

Students explore how the sounds made by everyday objects can be transformed into musical experiences, composing and performing musical pieces using non-traditional instruments.

This is the article connected with the lesson plan from the New York Times.

Students will understand the relationship with nature reflected in Native American music. Students will understand that instruments have different voices that reflect these relationships.

Students will be introduced to the music of Ethiopia through several activities including
listening, analyzing, and performing. They will perform arrangements on various instruments,
playing intact and together, and will use this material to improvise and compose their own
music. Students will become familiar with the Ethiopian Begena, a low pitched stringed
instrument that resembles a large lyre.

Students learn about the form and function of traditional musical instruments, then use this knowledge to create non-traditional instruments that replicate the sounds of traditional instruments.

Students learn about the history of major American music genres. Then, through mock radio shows, students examine the distinguishing features of each genre and how each has changed throughout the years.

This is a link to the artcile which complements the New York Times Lesson.

Students develop an understanding of the history, development, and social influence of various types of world music through the creation of music museum exhibits.

Students will research the geographical histories of various musical genres and make maps that note important places in music history.