General Information

Blues, Jazz, and Rock 'n' Roll Music on the Mississippi
This is a lesson plan for seventh and eighth graders written by a technology educator in Madison, Wisconsin. Your students are asked to study the Mississippi River and, along the way, identify cities that are known for their musical traditions. Then, your students can delve into each musical style and learn about the musicians, instruments, and song types that set each style apart.

Essentials of Music
Essentials of Music is a bit advanced for early elementary students to browse on their own, but the site is a valuable resource for music teachers of all grades. Category tabs and alphabetical listings help you find what you're looking for fast, whether it be a biography of a composer, a description of a musical era, or the definition of a word. Whenever possible, entries are supplemented with sound and image files to help illustrate concepts.

Fun Music Ideas
Fresh out of thoughts for next week's music class? Turn to Fun Music Ideas for some last-minute inspiration. Browse the current issue of the magazine for lessons like "Making Musical Instruments in the Classroom" or "Musical Games for 2nd - 4th Graders." If you don't find anything in the current edition, click through the archives or execute a keyword search on a specific topic.

Learning Zone
The Learning Zone boasts a large glossary of musical terms, a set of explanations for musical genres, a list of composers and their bios, and a discography of music found in movies. The site aims at placing a novice to classical music on the path to appreciating it.

The Lessons Plans Page: Music Lessons
This site boasts over 1,000 original music lesson plans organized by grade level. Not only do you have access to myriad activities, you are also given educational links and instructions on writing effective lesson plans so that you can expand your teaching resources. If you become masterful at writing lessons or simply have an effective lesson plan of your own, you can contribute to this growing library.

Music is (and the Value of Music in Education)
Unlike other music sites on the Web that provide music education support in the form of lesson plans, this site is composed of an intriguing series of articles supporting the value of music in childhood development. The academic writings range from scientific articles on the connection between music and the brain to arguments supporting the arts and music in the classroom. This is a wonderful resource for teachers and parents who want to learn more about the importance of music in the classroom.

The Music Education Madness Site
The goal of the developers of "The Music Education Madness Site" is to develop a website where all music teachers (present and future)-regardless of their area of interest-can come to gather and share ideas and information on education and their field in particular. Future plans include adding a section just for kids; presenting software demos; allowing teachers to set up their own online quizzes for their students; setting up a calendar of events for festivals, reading sessions, and workshops;contests and/or giveaways; featuring guest writers; and job search and placement, along with a host of other ideas.

Mrs. Carroll's Music Room
There are many music education resources on this page, including a web activity to introduce students to the instruments in an orchestra. This Day in Music History is a great way to raise student consciousness of the importance of music in their lives; Music Teacher Resources link to a broad variety of lessons, activities and ideas.