Music History and Appreciation - Curriculum Framework

This is the Curriculum Framework for a Music History and Appreciation course that is outlined below in the description.

Each unit is outlined based upon time period and each lesson is listed to include the topics of discussion, the recommended sequencing of courses, and accompanying NAfME standards.

Feel free to edit any of this material to make it your own and to suit your needs. If you have any questions about anything here, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at nickrulie@gmail.com. Thank you all for your support! Please be sure to check out resources for this curriculum on my TPT page as well as mt other products.

Curriculum Information:

The full course, Music History and Appreciation, was originally designed as a course that was meant to be taught one day per week throughout the entire school year at the school that I teach at. This course can also be taught in half a school year 2-3 days a week.

I am currently a certified music teacher at a school for middle school, high school, and transition students with autism spectrum disorder. Part of the challenge of this job was not just the fact that I had all of my students in one class, but I also had to develop a curriculum for students who did not take any kind of music course for 3 or more years.

With that in mind, I designed this course with the goal of getting the students actively talking about music again and appreciating all different kinds of music. This course examines music that was popular in the United States starting from the beginning of the 20th Century and ending with current music in the 21st Century. Students will learn how this music is connected with the time period and how it is important to our lives. In addition, I set out with the goal of getting my students, who tend to be especially particular about the music they will tolerate and listen to, to be more open to other types of music. Additionally, this course was designed to facilitate learning and discussions based on the following questions:

1. What genres of music were popular in the United States?

2. When and where were these genres of music popular in the United States?

3. How did these genres of music and their associated musicians/groups become popular?

4. What musicians/groups and songs are associated with these genres of music?

5. What current events and cultural influences in the United States influenced how Americans listened to and made music?

6. How did technology impact how people listened to and accessed music in the United States?

7. What musical characteristics define a certain genre of music that was popular in the United States?

8. After listening to specific musical examples, what are some key characteristics that you can observe after listening to it and how do these characteristics impact how the song is perceived by both you and others?

9. How do specific musical examples relate to the climate of the United States at the time?

This curriculum is ideal for a middle school music appreciation class (grades 6-8). But this course can also be taught and adapted for the high school level. All the materials in this curriculum are linked to Google Drive folder to facilitate ease of access and convenience.