March is Music in Our Schools Month. Celebrate with these beautiful films plus our free lesson plans to boost student engagement across the curriculum including Music Education, Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Environmental Science and more! For grades 2 and up.
New for Music in Our Schools Month 2026: Call Me Dancer
Call Me Dancer follows a 21-year-old street dancer from India who is torn between his artistic dreams and his struggling parents’ expectations – until he meets a feisty 75-year-old ballet master. Call Me Dancer teaching resources include:
- Learning Guide for Grades 2-6
- Learning Guide for Grades 6-12
- Mini Discussion Guide / Bell Ringer (3 -pages, printer-friendly) (Grades 4-12)
- Dance-Focused Slideshow, for Physical Education classes and related learning spaces. (Grades 4-12).
These are valuable resources for global education, social emotional learning, building vocabulary and critical thinking skills, building classroom community, bolstering positive habits and more. They can be used in Career Studies, Economics, English Language Arts, Geography, International Relations, Music, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning, and Visual Arts classes.
Six More Great Films to Teach for Music in Our Schools Month
Disney’s hit film Chevalier was inspired by the true story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the historic Black violinist, composer and fencer at the court of Marie Antoinette. The Chevalier Discussion Guide explores Joseph Bologne’s legacy, as well as the impact of music and the arts on social and cultural revolutions. For high school.
Powerful Holocaust Education film Defiant Requiem chronicles how prisoners at Theresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp used music and the arts as a tool of resilience and resistance. The Defiant Requiem Curriculum Guide includes lessons on Verdi and his requiem, and also on the psychology of art and resilience. For grades 6 and up.
Landfill Harmonic is an inspiring documentary about the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, the Paraguayan classical music group that plays instruments made entirely out of upcycled garbage. The Landfill Harmonic Curriculum Guide includes a lesson all about this amazing youth orchestra. For grades 5-10.
My Music with Rhiannon Giddens Season 2 presents a series of musical performances and conversations with multicultural musicians. We offer Learning Guides for the episodes that feature Chinese pipa master Wu Man, Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, Black American violinist and improvisational conductor Mazz Swift, and Native American vocalist and lap steel player Pura Fé. We also offer handouts for two music-related extension activities. The Music Listening Handout gets students focused on the component parts of what they’re hearing and they work together. In the Song Analysis Handout, students explore the lyrics, cultural context, and meaning behind songs. In addition, we offer resources to complement this series to teach about the building of the American Transcontinental Railroad — and the diverse communities it affected. Explore the My Music with Rhiannon Giddens Season 2 teaching resources now. For grades 6-12.
Summer of Soul documents the extraordinary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, in an epic celebration of Black history, culture and fashion. The Summer of Soul Curriculum Guide introduces students to iconic Black musicians of the 1960s. It also features an activity where students plan their own music festival. For grades 7-12.
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble presents a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind that brings together musicians and artists from around the world. The Music of Strangers Curriculum Guide features a lesson on ancient instruments and a printable PDF about traditional instruments around the world. For grades 6-12.
Plan Ahead
In addition to Music in Our Schools Month, these films can also be great choices to teach with for Classical Music Month in September, International Music Day on October 1, and Violin Day on December 13.
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