Lesson Plan - Music Matters

Watch the Video
Watch the video “The Magic of Music” and discuss: What evidence does the video give to show that music has long been an important part of human civilization? Why do you think people have always valued music?

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• discipline
• accessible

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them identify some benefits of playing an instrument.

1. Why does Louis Sylvestre say that he likes it when music class is tough?
Louis Sylvestre says that he likes it when music class is tough because it teaches him discipline, which helps him in other school subjects.
^{R.5 Cause and Effect}

2. Based on the article, what does it mean to “aim high”? How does the article support the idea that music education can encourage kids to aim high?
Based on the article, to “aim high” means to be ambitious and set big goals for yourself. The article supports the idea that music education can encourage kids to aim high by showing that kids in the Miami Music Project achieve academic success. It explains that last year, every 12th-grader in the program graduated from high school and went on to college.
^{R.4 Determine Meaning}

3. What might be another good title for the sidebar, “Full Brain Workout”? Explain.
Sample response: Another good title for the sidebar is “Brain Booster” because it is all about how playing music is good for the human brain.  The brain’s corpus callosum is bigger in musicians than in other people. This is thought to improve memory and problem-solving skills. 
^{R.7 Text Features}

Featured Skill: Identifying Text Structures
Like many nonfiction texts, this article includes several text structures. Use the skill builder “Explore Text Structures” to have students identify them. As a bonus, challenge students to work in pairs to identify the main structure in the sidebar, “Full Brain Workout” (cause and effect). 
^{RI.5 Text Structure}