Musicals Matching Activity

This activity utilizes a simple graphic organizer designed to enhance student awareness of famous musicals and the theme songs and music associated with the movie versions of the musicals. Pass out the handout and then play portions of the clips at the front of the class without projecting any images. Students try to guess which musicals the song clips are from. After playing the music clips, have students go to the blog site and watch the clips while correcting any missed guesses on their handouts.

Activity File: Famous Songs from Musicals

Theme Songs & Notable Songs from Musicals

The Wizard of Oz – Somewhere Over the Rainbow 

This is one of the best movies of all time and probably the best musical ever. This movie was made before the era of digital effects, but they made the most of the technology available at the time. In an amazing innovation, filming started out in black & white, but changed to color when Dorothy arrived in Oz. In this movie, Judy Garland sings the world's greatest theme song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. An unforgettable classic!

Hairspray - Good Morning Baltimore 

A funny movie about prejudice with great music and dancing. John Travolta plays a woman in this movie. The actress at left, Nikki Blonsky, plays an overweight high school girl who has a great attitude, a lot of confidence, and a dream to be a dancer.

Singin’ in the Rain – Singin’ in the Rain

This 1952 musical is considered one of the best. It features the excellent dancing of Gene Kelly (who also co-directed the movie), and it is memorable for the classic scene of Gene Kelly dancing and singing in the rain.

An interesting bit of trivia is that the rain contains milk to make it more visible on film. This theme song was later used in another famous movie, "A Clockwork Orange," by Stanley Kubrick.


Annie – Tomorrow

This scene is from the 1982 version of "Annie." "Annie" was a Broadway musical based on the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie."

The young actress Aileen Quinn sang this song with its positive message for those whose "today" is not so great.

Idina Menzel ("Frozen") does a cover version of this song.

The Lion King – Can You Feel the Love Tonight (featuring Elton John)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ2YNKbGqFc

My Fair Lady – The Rain in Spain (featuring Audrey Hepburn; dubbed vocals by Marni Nixon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVmU3iANbgk

The Sound of Music – Do Re Mi (featuring Julie Andews)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLm07s8fnzM

Mary Poppins - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRFHXMQP-QU

Beauty & the Beast – Tale as Old as Time (from 1:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ0ODCMC6xs

Dreamgirls – We’re Your Dreamgirls (featuring Beyoncé)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbNz1vlRSyM

Les Miserables – I Dreamed a Dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86lczf7Bou8

The Little Mermaid – Under the Sea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPQVrjnC1jo

Frozen – Let It Go (performed by Idina Menzel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk