Hey fellow educators!
Did anyone else completely fall in love with “Trolls: World Tour”? This movie wasn’t just a fun watch; it was practically a goldmine for music teachers! While watching, I instantly saw how easily my students could connect with and explore the diverse world of music genres presented in the film. It sparked an idea: an interactive lesson plan focused on Music Genres, inspired by the amazing Songs From Trolls!
Interactive slide introducing music genres
Exploring Music Genres Through the World of Trolls
With the shift to digital learning, I wanted to create an engaging, interactive presentation that students could use at home to learn about the different genres highlighted in the movie. If you haven’t seen “Trolls: World Tour,” the story revolves around six magical strings, each representing a different genre of music and belonging to a unique Troll tribe. Although the movie touches on twelve genres in total, I decided to concentrate on the main six to avoid overwhelming younger learners. My goal was to design a fun and accessible way to introduce these core genres through the catchy songs from Trolls World Tour.
Building Musical Background with Trolls
To start, students will delve into the basic concept of a music genre. They’ll watch a short clip from the movie and try to identify as many genres as they can recognize on their own. For those familiar with Marzano’s framework, this is all about “building background knowledge for academic achievement” – setting the stage for deeper learning in a fun, Trolls-themed way!
Slide explaining background knowledge for music genres
Click Your Way Through Musical Styles
The heart of the lesson is the main interactive page. It features all the musical strings and main characters from “Trolls: World Tour”. By clicking on each string, students will be taken on a journey to discover the unique characteristics of that specific music genre. This interactive element makes learning about songs from Trolls and their genres a truly hands-on experience.
Interactive main page for genre exploration
What Musical Knowledge Will Students Gain?
Each genre section will provide students with key information, making learning both informative and engaging:
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Genre Definition: A clear and simple explanation of what each genre is.
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Historical Timeframe: An idea of when the genre originated and developed.
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Genre Focus/Main Instrument: Highlighting a key instrument or focus commonly associated with the genre.
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Audio-Visual Example: Most importantly, a video or listening clip allowing students to experience and connect with the genre through music and songs from Trolls!
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Slide detailing genre definition learning outcome -
Slide detailing genre timeframe learning outcome -
Slide detailing genre instrument focus learning outcome
Grab Your Free Trolls-Inspired Music Genre Lesson!
I’m excited to offer this interactive presentation to you completely FREE! Recently, I’ve felt inspired to create more up-to-date and relevant music education resources. I believe in a balanced curriculum that includes both classic and contemporary music, but finding resources that incorporate new music or pop culture references, like songs from Trolls, can be challenging, especially when navigating copyright issues. I strongly believe in respecting and protecting the work of artists and creators, which means we educators need to get creative in developing resources for our students!
Creating engaging lessons from scratch takes considerable time and effort, but it’s my passion! Seeing students light up when they connect with a lesson that’s relevant to their world, like learning about music genres through songs from Trolls, is incredibly rewarding. These moments fuel my motivation to keep creating resources that use modern music and share them with you!
I invite you to join me on this journey and become part of the Music and Motivate community! I’ll be sending out Modern Music Freebies, just like this “Trolls” inspired lesson, to your inbox each month.
Simply fill out the form below to join the Music and Motivate family and access your free lesson plan, bringing the exciting world of songs from Trolls and music genres into your classroom!
