How to Use Music Lessons for Black History Month
What is your favorite way to study Black History Month? Reading books, watching movies, writing essays or reports, doing art? Have you ever tried doing music lessons for Black History Month? Today, I’ll share many ideas to guide you!
Music Lessons for Black History Month
Musical Genres
African Americans have had a huge influence on the music of America. If you’d like to study musical genres, here are some to get you started:
- African American Spirituals
- Ragtime and Stride Piano
- Jazz
- Blues
- Gospel
- Rock and Roll
- Rhythm and Blues (R&B)
- Hip Hop and Rap
- Musical Theater
Specific Music Lessons for Black History Month
Here are some free music lessons for Black History Month:
- 15-Minute Music Lesson for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 15-Minute Music Lesson for Juneteenth
- Learn about African American spirituals and singer Henry T. Burleigh here
- 15-Minute Music Freebie on Jazz Saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker
- Hamilton the Musical Projects for Teens
- 15-Minute Music Lesson on “Hamilton the Musical”
- Learn about the African instrument the Kalimba here.
- Get a couple of musical instrument notebooking pages of African instruments (agogo bells and balafon) here.
The free Sampler Music Appreciation course has lessons on:
- Blues and Jazz
- “Follow the Drinking Gourd”, a folk song about the Underground Railroad
- International Jazz Day
- Hymn “Amazing Grace” (written by John Newton, repentant former slave ship captain)
Online Music Course Lessons
- Many countries of Africa are featured in the World Music for Elementary online course, where instruments, folk dances, and indigenous music is explored.
- Learn about the following topics and people in the American Music for Elementary online course: African American spirituals, ragtime and Scott Joplin, Jazz (and musicians such as Duke Ellington), blues, rock and roll
- Three spirituals/folk songs are featured in the A Folk Song a Week online course: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”; “When the Saints Go Marching In”; and “Follow the Drinking Gourd”
- There are 22 lessons from the continent of Africa in the My First Amazing Journey Around the World online course.
- Learn about George Gershwin who fused classical music with jazz and wrote the first American folk opera Porgy and Bess (featuring classically trained African American opera singers) in the Learn Classical Music with Cartoons online course.
Other Fine Arts Ideas for Black History Month
- Poetry: African American female poets Phillis Wheatley and Maya Angelou are featured in the Charlotte Mason Inspired High School Fine Arts course
- Dance: An African Dance masterclass is featured in the Fine Arts in Our Homeschool Plus high school membership experience
- Theater: A masterclass on “Hamilton the Musical: How and Why it Became a Sensation” is featured in the Fine Arts in Our Homeschool Plus high school membership experience
- Art: Learn to draw some African animals in the My First Amazing Journey Around the World online course.
Related Posts:
15-Minute Music Lesson on Charlie “Bird” Parker, jazz saxophonist with free printables
