"America's Musical Journey”

Free Imax documentary with educator's guide

If you're looking for more ways to incorporate the arts into your distance learning plan, or if you just want to get a quick overview of the history of American music, check out America's Musical Journey.

America's Musical Journey is narrated by Morgan Freeman and stars musician Aloe Blacc. A good deal of the film is dedicated to African-American influences on American music and Louis Armstrong in particular.

Originally released in Imax, it's corny in that Imax way – if you've seen a few Imax movies you know what I mean – but it would be great for younger kids, middle schoolers who haven't been exposed to much musical history, or as a starting point for deeper investigations.

You can watch the whole film below.

Teachers: check out the America's Musical Journey website and download the educator's guide. There are two middle school-specific lessons, both of which could make good independent study projects and have many ways they can be extended far beyond the context of the film.

I first learned about America's Musical Journey from The Tech Interactive.