LESSON PLAN IDEAS THAT INCLUDE MUSIC


Music as a writing prompt

1. This could be used at the beginning of a period as a warm-up. Teacher would play the music, not telling students the title of the piece, and students would write a short story about the story the music is telling. It is interesting to see what students hear in the following pieces because they are composed on very obvious topics. There would be no class discussion beforehand so students' ideas would be solely their own.

Possible choices:

  • Leroy Anderson - Waltzing Cat
  • Ludwig von Beethoven - Symphony NO. 6 - esp. 3rd movement
  • Aaron Copland - Rodeo (esp. Hoedown)
  • Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
  • Ferde Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite
  • Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - all four parts are very descriptive

2. After students have experienced listening and writing, one might try playing a not-so-obvious-thematic composition but with the same idea as the plan above -- not telling the title, but having them listen and react.

Possible choices:

  • Borodin - Polovetsian Dances
  • Chabrier - Espana
  • Debussy - Clair de Lune
  • Copland - Appalachian Spring
  • Gershwin - An American in Paris
  • Glass - The Journey
  • Granados - any of his Spanish Dances
  • Ravel - Bolero
  • Tchaikovsky - anything from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty


Music that elicits a response

This could be integrated into any study of emotions.

Happy -- Anderson -- Buglers' Holiday
Frantic -- Chopin -- Minute Waltz
Pompous/royal -- Handel - Water Music or Royal Fireworks Suite
Fear/mysterious -- Bach - Toccata in d minor; Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite - Hall of the Mountain King
Sad -- Brahms - Tragic Overture
Carefree -- Joplin - The Entertainer, Elite Syncopation, The Favorite
Pride -- Copland -- Fanfare for the Common Man; Gould - American Salute
Melancholy/reflective – Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, adagio; Ravel - Pavanne for a Dead Princess; Tchaikovsky - Pathetique Symphony No. 6, 4th movement
Joy --Rossini -William Tell Overture; Schumann - Merry Peasant


Music to use with Historical Studies

American Studies

  • anything from the section "Music of and about America"
  • anything from the section "20th Century Music with a Conscience"
  • Glenn Miller War Broadcasts - his band, his attempt at propaganda, his radio interviews from Germany
  • "Out of the Ghetto" - songs of the Jews in America
  • Copland - Lincoln Portrait (combines many of his speeches with orchestral music
  • Gershwin - "Porgy and Bess"
  • Gould - American Salute
  • Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite
  • Marsalis - Black Codes from the Underground (composed jazz)

European Studies

  • Dvorak - Symphony no. 9 "From the New World"
  • Grieg - Peer Gynt Suites, Norwegian Bridal Procession
  • Smetana - Vltava
  • Tchaikovsky -1812 Overture with live cannon (features Russian and French national anthems and Tchaikovsky's "take" on who would be triumphant in the war!

World-wide Studies

  • any of the multi-cultural cds
  • collections of National Anthems
  • Gregorian chants to compliment the study of early architecture, poetry, writings
  • Latin rhythms - Rhumba!; Montoya - solo Latin Guitar - steel drums of the Caribbean
  • Avant-garde - any music of John Cage, Charles Ives or Philip Glass


Music for specific literature

  • "THE BELLS" (Poe) - Phil Ochs, All the News that's fit to Sing
  • "WALK-ABOUT" - see Australian cds under Multi-cultural
  • "HAMLET" (Shakespeare) -- Tchaikovsky - Hamlet Fantasy Overture
  • Mussorgsky, Modest --Night on Bald Mountain


Music for background

When you want music for background in the classroom during warm-ups, study times, etc.

  • Bach - Brandenburg Concertos
  • Corelli - Concerto Grosso in D
  • Handel - Water Music
  • Mozart - Piano Concertos #20 and 21
  • Pachelbel - Canon in D
  • Vivaldi -- Four Seasons, Famous Flute Concerti