World Music Teaching Materials2023-09-07T10:10:04+00:00

Attention: anyone teaching general music, either in upper elementary/primary school or junior high school.

Get 14 prepared world music lesson plans and save yourself hundreds of hours lesson preparation time!

World Music Lesson Plans

Lesson 1
What is World Music?

An overview of the term “World Music” and what it means today. World Music festivals are held in many different countries, and there is probably one near you! Just what are the defining factors that makes something “World Music”? This lesson provides a great introduction

Lesson 2
African Music

Africa is such a huge continent, with hundreds of different languages and cultures. This lesson just touches on the huge amount of music learned in Africa. Students will discuss colonialism in Africa, the trading of African slaves and the impact that this has had on the musical development of the rest of the World.

Lesson 3
Indonesian Gamelan

The Gamelan orchestra’s of Java and Bali are one of the most fascinating world music styles that one can be exposed to. Students will learn about all the different Gamelan instruments, and explore scales that give the music such a unique sound. There is even opportunity for students to play their own percussion instruments in Gamelan scales!

Lesson 4
Chinese Music

How many Westerners know the names of traditional Chinese musical instruments? I certainly didn’t know anything about an Erhu, a Guquin or a Pipa until I started preparing these lessons! In this lesson students will also learn a little about China’s political history, and the impact that this has had on the development of popular music styles.

Lesson 5
Indian Music

Traditional Indian music, using the sitar, tabla and other instruments has basically not changed for hundreds of years. With this amount of culture and background behind it students will discover what it would take to become a master on one of these instruments, and the influence that it has had on Western popular music.

Lesson 6
Irish Music

In this lesson students will learn about the foot tapping, hand clapping infectious rhythm of Irish jigs that is so popular in many countries today.

Lesson 7
Turkish Music

This lesson was going to be about “middle eastern music”, but with that topic so broad, and an opportunity to get a lesson written by an expert in Turkish musical styles we decided to just make it about Turkey – a country that geographically is like a “bridge” between the east and the west, and really is like that with its music as well.

Lesson 8
European Folk Music

This is one of the biggest lessons in the module, and could even be spread over a couple of weeks, it covers so much material. Students will learn about the different regions of Europe, and the different instruments and musical styles that are prevalent in each region.

Lesson 9
Spanish Music

What world music subject would be complete without talking about the birthplace of the guitar, Spain. The students will discover the important musical styles of Spain, including Flamenco and Tango, and how they have influenced other countries and styles.

Lesson 10
Calypso Music

Once again we started with the idea of “West Indian music”, and found the subject way too broad given the differences and range of influences around the Caribbean islands. for this reason we discuss just one style found in the Caribbean – Calypso, and discover one of the most interesting instruments developed in the last hundred years – the steel drum.

Lesson 11
Japanese Music

Another country with an amazingly rich traditional culture – Japan has so many gifts to give us with music. From the amazing and energetic taiko drumming to the peaceful and almost trancelike music of the Koto and Shamisen

Lesson 12
Lesson Twelve

Possibly one of the most important lessons of this module, as it gives some of the background of many of the Latin American dance styles that are so popular today. Students will discover the background of the Conga and Bongo drums, and learn to play the clave – the five note pattern which is the basis of many styles.

Lesson 13
Brazilian Carnival!

This lesson focusses on the samba style of Brazil, and particularly the street samba performed in the yearly Carnival. This is truly of the most biggest and most interesting festivals held in the world, and being able to expose students to the music featured in it is a brilliant opportunity.

Lesson 14
Mexican Music

Mexico in central America has a very interesting musical tradition. It’s much more than three mariachi guys standing there in big hats playing the guitar! Students will discover the different musical styles that make up Mariachi, and the instruments used in them.

World music lesson plans fact sheets

World Music Teaching Materials FAQs

How much do I need to know about World Music?2020-10-10T10:16:29+00:00

Hopefully – absolutely nothing! We’ve kept this as simple as possible, so that you can implement it with very little background knowledge or research. We’ve done all the hard work for you so that you can just have a quick read through and get ready to present the material to your students.

What age level is this material suitable for?2020-10-10T10:17:01+00:00

You can use this material in upper elementary school or in junior high school. Our lesson plan ideas have “ideas for younger students” and “ideas for older students included.

Are there included recordings?2020-10-10T10:17:30+00:00

No – this product includes printable materials and powerpoint presentations only. If we had to seek out the copyright permission to distribute recordings of each one of the artists involved the product would probably cost ten times the amount it does now. What we can do is provide links to freely available recordings on YouTube, and links to purchase individual tracks from iTunes from as little as 99c per track.

How long does each lesson last?2020-10-10T10:18:00+00:00

There is more than enough material in each lesson to complete a 45 minute – 1 hour lesson, and you could even stretch it out over a couple of lessons if you wish.

How easy is it to print out and prepare?2020-10-10T10:18:33+00:00

You can
print out just what you need for each lesson in advance, or if you wish you can print out the entire student workbook included and bind it for them at the beginning of the course.

Is all this material completely accurate and culturally ‘sensitive’?2020-10-10T10:19:07+00:00

We have made a huge effort with this module to have the lessons written by or at least viewed by someone from the country/region that the subject is on. Because the scope of the topic is so wide we know that there may be different opinions on what should or shouldn’t be included. We do take all revision requests seriously, so if you find any errors or ommissions at any time please do contact us and if necessary we’ll update the materials.

How much do the materials cost?2020-10-10T10:19:41+00:00

Printable Music Lesson Plans Modules are $39.95 per module. This includes all 14 lessons, all the printable bonuses and powerpoint presentations.

What are the terms of the license?2020-10-10T10:20:11+00:00

You can print out as much as you need for your teaching. The only restriction is that you cannot re-sell or share the license with anyone else.

What if I find that I can’t use it?2020-10-10T10:20:40+00:00

If your students don’t like it, or you find for any reason that you can’t use these materials just contact us for a no-questions-asked refund.

Printable Music Lesson Plans Module Five
World Music Teaching Resources14 Lessons covering 14 common traditions of World MusicLesson One What is World Music?
Lesson Two Music of Africa
Lesson Three Indonesian Music – The Gamelan
Lesson Four Music of China
Lesson Five Indian Music
Lesson Six Irish Music
Lesson Seven Turkish Music
Lesson Eight European Folk Music
Lesson Nine Spanish Music
Lesson Ten Calypso Music of the West Indies
Lesson Eleven Japanese Music
Lesson Twelve Cuban Music
Lesson Thirteen Brazilian Carnival
Lesson Fourteen Mexican Music
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Bonus Lesson Content
Compiled Student Workbook
Answer Key
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Bonus Powerpoint Presentations Prepared & Customizable Presentations in both Powerpoint (for PC) and Keynote (for Mac) for all 14 lessons $19.95
Bonus Resources Area
Helpful links to recordings and other resources
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Bonus #4 Completion Assessments (3 to choose from) $19.95
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