Participants will receive an overview of strategies and resources aligned to media content created by Blue Ridge Public Media for Appalachian music. The resources developed demonstrate instructional strategies related to music, musicians, instruments, styles, and playing techniques paired with the content created. Instructional resources were developed in collaboration with educators.

Using predetermined musical elements, either rhythmic or melodic, students compose a “music composition code” in small groups. Laying the individual lines of “musical composition code” on the ground, students add directional arrows to direct performers to the next line of “code” to create a larger musical composition.

Students learn to add music note values, and create compositions in 4/4, common time. Using traditional music  notation students may choose to compose for voice or drums. This ruler composition activity uses a familiar math visual to help students see the length or duration of musical notes. Final compositions can be emailed to the teacher for review.

Online chord looping stations and drum machines such as those found on One Motion allow students the opportunity to engage in music creation in a way that is accessible to them without a large theoretical music background. Students can use their intuition and their ears to create music in innovative ways online.

Students use a digital collaboration board to share their “wonderings” about the songs they are listening to in class. The teacher selects 3-4 songs from various cultures. Students add sticky notes to the collaboration board using appropriate music terminology, and share their musical preferences in a respectful manner. Students can have the ability to like or comment on each other’s posts and engage in meaningful conversations in small groups after sharing their wonderings digitally.

Collaborative boards allow students to share ideas and engage with each other via an online platform. When students are learning about the creative process of music creation and composition, students can use an online collaborative board to share lyrics and co-create a song together.

Students use digital research skills to Find Basic Information (F.B.I.) about a composer on websites such as Classic for Kids: Composer Explorer. Students learn about a specific composer, or composers from a specific geographic area, culture, genre, or time period. After gathering information, students write and produce a news program or podcast based on their research.

Students use aural skills to dictate various rhythmic, melodic and/or rhythmic-melodic patterns performed by a teacher. Students should be encouraged to perform their transcription to analyze and compare with the teacher given “prototype”. Based on trial and error, students can reflect and revise their answers many times until they are ready to finalize their student “copy”.

Students explore the connection between music and art by listening to a painting created by the artist V. Kandinsky, using Google arts and Culture: Play a Kandinsky. Students use problem solving skills to explore what Kandinsky might have heard when painting “Yellow-Red-Blue” and bring to life his theory on synesthesia and abstract art. Students explore Kandinsky’s theories on color and sound and the relationship between shapes. After exploring the Kandinsky painting, students create their own paintings in the style of Kandinsky, and explain the color and sound relationships that exist in their original work.

Students use NYU Music Experience Design Lab: Groove Pizza to create drum and unpitched instrument rhythms with math-inspired concepts. Students create grooves using math concepts like shapes, angles and patterns. The circular rhythm app allows students to begin exploration with “specials” pizza presets and add/remove “toppings” to adjust the groove. Final student creations can be shared as a link, downloaded as a .wav or .midi file, and converted to external music notation software.

Students work to create a new original composition using ‘samples'’ or snippets of other students' work. Students create a consent form to collect permission from the original creators of each sample. After choosing which instrument to perform the finished composition on, and practicing, students perform the finished product for the class. A possible extension could be to include opportunities for student collaboration in the form of revisions and edits.

Students can explore new musical genres and cultural traditions with music and movement using Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers Map. This interactive map includes audio and visual examples featuring different artists from around the world. Students are able to independently explore historical and cultural aspects of music, or a teacher can utilize the provided lesson plans for a more in-depth unit.

Students will use digital  research skills to Find Basic Information (F.B.I.) about a composer.  Through Classic for Kids: Composer Explorer, students will learn about a specific composer, or composers from a specific geographic area, culture, genre, or time period.

This interactive Instrument Bingo introduces students to the sounds of the instruments in an orchestra. Similar to traditional bingo, each card contains the picture and name of an instrument. 

Students create a listening map while actively listening and reacting to music. Students develop a deeper understanding of music literacy terms through making connections to visual images.

With the guidance and collaboration of an educator, students explore music composition using digital music notation software. This digital tool allows students to easily compose with traditional music notation. Students have the ability to drag and drop notes and rhythms on the staff, and can easily make changes to their compositions. Students are able to hear their composition with playback features, and receive immediate feedback on their rhythmic and melodic choices.

Through Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures, students participate in an interactive digital experience to learn instrument families and specific instruments of the orchestra. Using Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, students follow a safari theme to find instruments, listen for correct pitches, and classify instruments based on physical characteristics as well as sound.

Students work to create a soundtrack of songs that represent their community and their shared values. Songs curated in the list will include narrative justification for their selection.

Students will use a digital composition tool to create a melody with specific parameters, based on grade level goals and standards. The teacher prepares a poem with a rhythm on one note, and students will create a melodic-variation to share with others.

Students will learn about digital media production tools while viewing a high-quality video recorded performance. Students will be able to view a high quality performance, while also learning ways to record and save performances for distribution.