This site takes you through the process of building a major scale, the essential building block of all key signatures and music. Audio examples of major scales are included with visual examples of how to build a scale. Very useful for beginning instrumental and vocal students.

Copland, an American maverick, becomes a storyteller as he writes about life in the early years of America. His Appalachian Spring helps students understand how people, places and things change over time, while his musical sketch reinforces the six traits of writing.

Why do two composers from the same period of history compose different music? Students will gain an understanding of how culture and history influences music as they analyze and compare the music of Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington, and learn how these composers used special sounds to enhance their music.

This lesson takes advantage of students' interest in music and audio sharing as part of a persuasive debate unit. Students investigate the controversial topic of downloading music from the Internet. They draw upon their prior knowledge and experience by discussing their own sources of music and Internet practices, then conduct internet research to investigate the history and legal issues of copyright infringement.

Students will be introduced to and develop a basic understanding of copyright laws. They will identify musical examples of copyright infringement.

In this series of lessons, students will research the lyrical and dramatic structure of opera through internet sources and audio examples. Students will cooperatively discuss similar and different elements of opera stories vs. their own lives. Finally, students will create a one-act opera based on their own life experiences that has both singing and spoken (recitative) parts, and simple original accompaniment using classroom percusion instruments.

After gaining familiarity with the lives and music of Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington, students are asked to write a letter to these composers, expressing an understanding of how the history and culture of one"™s life can be reflected in a composer"™s music. Students also create a bio-poem to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the composer"™s thoughts and feelings about his life and music.

In this lesson, students learn about the Mirembe Kawomera Coffee Cooperative in Uganda, a movement designed to promote the sale of Ugandan coffe, and also to unite several culture groups, including Christians and Muslims, to promote a common cause of world peace. Students will explore the music found on the album created by members of the co-op.

This lesson branches out into diatonic seventh chord labeling and construction. Major and minor keys are discussed, and visual and keyboard representation is given. Essential for advancing theory and composition students.

This lesson site introduces diatonic triads within a scale. Essential in intermediate and advancing theory and composition. Audio and visual examples are given.

This article talks about performance anxiety from a very scientific point of view, and is good for both musicians and non-musicians regarding any type of performance anxiety. Discusses psychological reasoning for anxiety and offers some preventitive measures.

This interactive site shows how dots and tenuto ties change rhythmic values in standard time signatures. Audio examples clarify these points.

This interactive game allows the listener to identify chords aurally. Customizable for classroom assessments and self practice. Very useful for musicians of all grade leves, vocalists or instrumentalists.

Students will learn to focus and listen to music and begin to recognize the musical elements of dynamics and tempo. Students will learn to discuss the emotions that music can portray and evoke with a writing activity to allow students to brainstorm ideas of what they hear.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of steady beat as they participate in this fast paced passing game. This lesson is designed to fulfill Standard #1 and #2 of the National Standards for Music: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music; and Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

It is a lot of fun to create music and Incredibox makes it easy using a beatbox technique along with dragging and dropping sound icons on different characters to create music. Students can easily create a music track in seconds and download it as background music in a project. The track can be use for private use, non-commercial projects and student projects.

In this two-day lesson, students explore the ways in which the worlds of popular music and opera can work together to complement the other. Students work in small groups to analyze the plot, characters, setting and themes of a popular opera using a summary of that opera as a guide. Students then rewrite what they consider to be the opera's pivotal scene, placing the scene in a modern setting. Finally, students view and evaluate a filmed version of the opera, assessing how the various story elements of the opera are affected by being performed in the opera genre.

In this two-day lesson, students explore the ways in which the worlds of popular music and opera can work together to complement the other. Students work in small groups to analyze the plot, characters, setting and themes of a popular opera using a summary of that opera as a guide. Students then rewrite what they consider to be the opera's pivotal scene, placing the scene in a modern setting. Finally, students view and evaluate a filmed version of the opera, assessing how the various story elements of the opera are affected by being performed in the opera genre.