Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Introduce your students to The Blues culture and "instill in them a sense of appreciation for struggle."

tag(s): blues (22)

Study the drama of racial tension, prejudice and pain in To Kill A Mockingbird, The Death of Bessie Smith and Blues for Mr. Charlie.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115), blues (22)

Help students learn about the Harlem Renaissance and about themselves through this investigation of the blues.

tag(s): blues (22), harlem (9)

Build students' reading, writing, and comprehension skills while exposing them to music, film, and literature in this interdisciplinary approach to the film genre. The movies Jurassic Park and Star Wars are used in this series of lessons that contain adaptations for students from kindergarten through high school. Modifications for special needs students are included.

tag(s): literature (221)

A music history lesson from the Dallas Wind Symphony offers a history of the composer and his many many marches. If you're involved with instrumental music, don't miss this one.

tag(s): biographies (94)

Here's a site that offers printable musical scores for dozens of compositions - mostly classical - that are in the public domain. At present, the collection is small - including works of Beethoven, Bach, Satie, etc. But this is a new project that holds great promise for music lovers on a tight budget.

tag(s): composers (14)

A professional guide to Music Education for K-12 that offers access to a variety of resources including articles on music education advocacy, an interactive bulletin boards for questions and comments related to music education, retailers, instrumental and vocal music, professional organizations, and integrated units written by and for classroom teachers. Created and maintained by Larry Newman of The Children's Music Workshop, Los Angeles, CA.

tag(s): musical instruments (52)

Dr. Charry's scholarly interest in non-Western music provides sound files and research information on African Music and links to Ethnomusicology resources on the Web.

tag(s): africa (148), music theory (46)

This is an absolutely fantastic site designed to provide exposure to the incredible variety of musical instruments played during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Students and teachers can explore the unique appearance, structure, and sound of these instruments. Just click on an instrument's name to view it, read about it, and listen to a brief sound clip. Created by ensemble members of Musica Antiqua and Iowa State University, this site would nicely supplement an elementary or middle school unit on the Renaissance, serve as a resource for a music history lesson, or add greatly to a literary unit on Shakespeare's England that would include exposure to the music and instruments used in the Elizabethan theater.

tag(s): medieval (32), renaissance (38)

The companion web site to the PBS Jazz series offers an interactive history of jazz and its evolution as part of the African American experience. Click "Classrooms" on the top menu and find lesson outlines included on the site. Searching YouTube for Learn About Jazz PBS will result in a list of free vdeos about the history of jazz. If your district blocks YouTube the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): jazz (16)

Here's a look at the history of Jazz in New York's Harlem, based on a remarkable photo of several dozen jazz greats. The site includes information on musicians, their music, their instruments, and how Jazz and Harlem came to be synonymous in the early twentieth century.

tag(s): jazz (16)

This site has a graphical time-line showing composers' lives. This is an Acrobat (PDF) file.

tag(s): composers (14)

Originally established by Boise State in 1993, this is an incredibly well-organized site devoted to operas and other works by William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Highlights include biographies of Gilbert and Sullivan, original illustrations by Gilbert and a series of "Web Operas." These contain all of the music from the operas as midi files along with full lyrics, dialogue, and pictures. Full librettos, clip art, plot summaries, and song scores are included for all fourteen G & S operas. The site also features a link to twentieth-century operas and plays in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan. This information would be a great resource for a high school drama/theater course and could also be useful in a study of British history, the art of writing parody (AP English), music history (operatic styles), or even illustrating.

tag(s): songs (46)

CPDL is an internet-based free sheet music website which specializes in choral music. Visit this collaborative site offering downloadable scores of choral music in the public domain. If your music budget is tight - and whose isn't - this site could be an invaluable resource for musical scores, despite its limitation to public domain content.You can contribute scores and participate in this online community for choral music users. Join for free.

tag(s): musical notation (34)

This site has thousands of MIDI files for classical compositions.

tag(s): biographies (94), composers (14)

An award-winning site by L. D. Lampson and Classical Net devoted to "classical" music, composers, repertoire, recommended recordings, reviews, and related resources. This easy to use site provides an outstanding reference source for both teachers and students from upper elementary through high school.

tag(s): biographies (94)

Though it has some commercial content, this site also contains lots of information on Bernstein's life and works. There are composition notes, excerpts from famous pieces, biographical information, and lots more. Great resource for a music history project or for a student interested in 20th century composers.

tag(s): biographies (94)

This unit investigates the Civil War through children's literature, using multiple approaches to learning including reading, writing, dramatization, and music.

tag(s): civil war (139), literature (221)

Outstanding site for lyrics to children's songs. There are lyrics (but not tunes or music) to over 500 children's songs listed here. In addition, they will search for a song if you a re unable to find it. Another feature is the "Song of the Day' that can be emailed to you automatically. There are links to thousands of songs. Appropriate for all children and adults who work with, or have children.

tag(s): songs (46)

A collection of resources for teaching children about music