Teach with Music

Teaching with Music at Mount Vernon

Analyzing Sheet Music. Teacher’s Guide. Library of Congress.

Guide for teachers to encourage students to generate and test hypotheses and ask questions.

Different Drummers: Using Music to Teach History by Alex Zukas. Perspectives on History. American Historical Association.

Making Sense of American Popular Song by Ronald G. Waters and John Spitzer. History Matters. George Mason University.

Resources from the Colonial Music Institute

"Fancy Minuet"

Video (0:53 seconds) playing harpsichord tunes.

"He Comes the Hero Comes"

Video (1:09 minutes) playing 18th-century harpsichord tunes.

"No Scornful Beauty"

Video (1:04 minutes) playing 18th-century harpsichord tune.

"Over the Hill and Far Away"

Video (1:09 minutes) playing 18-century harpsichord tune.

Brandywine Quickstep, Fife and Drum Tune

Video (1:58 minutes) showing 18th-century military music.

Compilation of Enslaved Worker Songs

Video (5:33 minutes) comilation of songs sung by enslaved people songs. The video includes Sit Down Servant, Sit Down; Hoe Emma Hoe; and Fungalafia.

Construction of a Harpsichord

Video clips discussing how a harpsichord is constructed and how it works.

George Washington in Song

Lesson plan asking students to analyze "Yankee Doodle" and encouraging them to write new lyrics.

George Washington, Entrepreneur

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching about the business of Mount Vernon.

Harpsichord

Object page for the Washingtons' harpsichord.

History Notes: The Music of Washington's World

Video (45:04 minutes) exploring the music of Washington's world.

Hoe Emma Hoe

Video (1:21 minutes) of the song Hoe Emma Hoe.

Little Parlor: Harpsichord

Explore the Little Parlor in the Mount Vernon mansion where Nelly Custis played the harpsichord.

Minstrel Boy and Soldier's Joy Medley, Fife and Drum Tunes

Video (2:57 minute) showing 18-century century military music.

Music Digital Encyclopedia Article

Article about music in the 18th century.

Music in the Revolutionary War

Mount Vernon web page exploring the role of music in the Continental Army, featuring video and audio.

Music of Washington's World

Forty five minute program exploring the soundtrack of George Washington’s 18th century world.

Presidents Day 2014- The Old Guard

Video (6:34 minutes) showing 18th-century military music.

Slavery in George Washington's World

Teacher Resource page featuring select primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and essentials questions for teaching slavery.