Lesson Plan Title : Mariachi Concert

Age Range: Grade 6 through grade 8 (Middle School)

Overview and Purpose: Students work together to create a poster advertising a concert by a mariachi band. They gather the information they need from the Internet and put together an advertisement for their band.

Objective: The student will be able to work with a group to create a poster advertising a mariachi band which shows the student's understanding of the instruments needed, the type of music played, and the costumes worn by the band.

Resources:

Internet access for each group of students

Poster board

Markers/crayons/colored pencils

Glue

Glitter

Scraps of fabric and ribbon

Activities:

Divide students into groups and have them research mariachi bands on the Internet. Have them look for what types of instruments are played, what the music sounds like, and what the costumes look like that are worn by band members. Then have them work together with their group to create a poster advertising a concert by their mariachi band. The poster should show the students' understanding of the band and the music. The posters can be displayed in the classroom or in the hallway.

Wrap Up:

This activity could be extended by having students create the musical instruments out of various items and performing a mock concert. They could use music from CDs or YouTube as background music. Some students may also know people who play in a mariachi band. Those band members may be willing to come in and talk to the students about their music.