How do you combine America’s musical and cultural heritage?

Songs of the Century is an education program created by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and Scholastic.

Designed to introduce America’s music and cultural heritage to our nation’s youngest citizens, the program unites 365 classic songs—one for each day in a year—with important historical milestones.

Teachers and students can sing along while they learn core curriculum topics—language arts, social studies, science, math, and the arts—while celebrating America’s heritage by drawing upon the power of music.

Web Portal

I designed a web portal to introduce teachers, students, and families to the 365 selected songs—and corresponding historical milestones—from every decade of the 20th century. Featuring streaming audio, users can sample every genre of music including folk, country, patriotic, pop, show tunes, gospel, jazz, and film tunes.

RIAA Home Page
RIAA Songs and Milestones
RIAA Audio Pop Up
RIAA Teacher Resources

Poster

Using streaming audio in conjunction with this colorful classroom poster, teachers introduce students to songs from every decade of the 20th century, across every genre of music including folk, country, patriotic, pop, show tunes, gospel, jazz, and film tunes.

Photo montages, inspired by the uniquely American tradition of quilting, unite popular artists from each decade with historical events that shaped American history.

Uniting America's musical and historical heritage for students.

Classroom Instruction

Classroom lessons were designed to help teach core curriculum topics—language arts, social studies, science, math, and the arts—while celebrating America’s heritage by drawing upon the power of music.

Songs of the Century Lesson Page
Songs of the Century Lesson Page
Songs of the Century Lesson Page

Take-Home Activities

Fun, interactive family activities were designed to extend classroom learning into the home and span generations through a shared love of music.

Songs of the Century Take Home Page
Songs of the Century Take Home Page
Songs of the Century Take Home Page