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.

In this unit, students will depict favorite places based on their individual experiences. They will select and arrange their materials based on color, texture, shape and luminosity. The teacher will demonstrate techniques to join, cut and manipulate materials and support students as they execute their ideas. Students will learn about Mickalene Thomas’ embellished collages of interior spaces inside the home and places outdoors like gardens as inspiration for their art. Students will have opportunities to share their art and provide feedback for one another.

This unit of study allows for students to gain understanding and confidence in figure drawing over a series of 3 separate lessons that result in a collaborative mural. These lessons can be used to facilitate an assessment of student growth and skills development, while still encouraging expression through different types of art explorations and working both individually and collaboratively.

What would it be like living during the Harlem Renaissance? How would you feel if your family packed up and moved to another state? In this lesson students will discuss, visualize and create artwork inspired by the work of Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.

This plan provides students the opportunity to express fingerboard  understanding on string instruments, a skill opening many avenues to musical expression. The provided materials can be used and manipulated by teachers to assist with student understanding one string at a time. This technology, which is free and already used in classrooms, is intuitive to the teacher and student. 

This plan provides students the opportunity to express fingerboard understanding on string instruments, a skill opening many avenues to musical expression. The provided materials can be used and manipulated by teachers to assist with student understanding one string at a time. This technology, which is free and already used in classrooms, is intuitive to the teacher and student.

In this video, a Virginia music educator shares three coral warm-ups highlighting Standard 13 in the Technique and Application strand of the 2020 Music Standards. These warm-ups provide a foundation of aural skills that can built upon later in the lesson, and throughout the year in songwriting and connections to essential skills necessary for success in music. 

In this video (4:34), a Virginia art teacher explains how she guides middle school students to transform papers to prepare for creative collage.

In this video (7:06), a Virginia Music Educator shares strategies for reinforcing note learning and string technique. The foundational skills identified focus on correct hand position, finger placement and positions, and finger patters.