Art and music are hard to cover with a substitute because the plans often depend on supplies, skills or equipment. The lessons below are written so a sub does not need to be an artist or a musician to run them. Check each plan’s materials list before you print.
What is in the arts library
There are 50 free arts lessons for middle and high school: 18 for art, 18 for music (general, band and choir), 8 for drama and theater, and 6 for graphic design and photography.
How to use these as art sub plans
- Pick a lesson that fits the room. Check the materials and technology lines on each plan.
- Use reading and analysis lessons for emergencies. Written-response tasks are easy to run in any room.
- Print student pages only. Teacher pages and answer keys are separate.
All arts lessons
Art
- Architecture on Paper: Scale Drawings, Floor Plans and Elevations
- Art Movements Field Guide: Six Big Ideas
- Character Design Sheet: Shapes, Silhouettes and Expressions
- Color Theory on Paper: Wheel, Schemes and Mood
- Color Wheel Lab on Paper: Mixing Chart and Labeled Wheel
- Composition Case Files: Balance, Focal Point and Flow
- Contour Drawing: Slow Looking at Your Own Hand
- Five Art Movements at a Glance: Reading and Fact-Finder
- How to Critique Art: Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Judge
- Line Language: Types, Moods and a Line Sampler
- Logo Lab: Design a Mark for an Imaginary Business
- One-Point Perspective: A Road to the Vanishing Point
- Pattern Mandala: Radial Symmetry and Repeating Line Designs
- Poster Layout Plan: Thumbnails, Hierarchy and Design Careers
- Still Life Study: Value, Light and Overlap with Objects from the Room
- Storyboard It: Plan a Six-Panel Comic Page
- Symmetry and Pattern: Mirror, Spin, Repeat
- Value and Shading: From Light to Dark
Drama / Theater
- A Short History of Theater: From Greek Festivals to Realism
- Character Analysis: What Do Actions Reveal About Imani?
- Design Day: Sketch a Set and Costume for The Night Market
- Reading a Script in Pairs: Rain Check, Tone and Subtext
- Stage Areas and Directions: Read the Map, Place the Actors
- The Elements of Drama: Break Down a Play Plot
- Theater Careers: Who Does What Behind the Curtain?
- Write an Original Monologue: Plan, Draft, Revise
Graphic Design / Photography
- Camera Vocabulary: Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO
- Color Wheel and Mood: Choosing a Palette
- Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity: Critique the Flyer
- Logo Concepts: Six Types and a Page of Thumbnails
- Photo Composition on Paper: Thirds, Framing and Leading Lines
- Typography Vocabulary: Serif, Leading, Kerning and More
Music (General / Band / Choir)
- Building Major Scales with Whole and Half Steps
- Careers in Music: More Than Performing
- Caring for Your Instrument and Your Voice: Habits and Routines
- Concert Etiquette: Be a Great Audience and a Great Performer
- Counting Beats: Note Values and Full Measures in 4/4
- Design a Concert Program: Order, Timing and Program Notes
- Four Composers, Four Eras: Mini-Biographies and Timelines
- Intervals: Measuring the Distance Between Two Notes
- Key Signatures Decoded: Sharps, Flats and Major Keys
- Loud, Soft, Fast, Slow: Dynamics and Tempo Terms
- Major and Minor Triads: Build the Chords
- Meet the Instrument Families: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion
- Music and Emotion: A Listening Journal from Memory
- Plan Your Practice: Read a Practice Log and Build a Weekly Plan
- Rhythm Detective: Counting Beats in 4/4 and 3/4
- Six Musical Traditions Around the World
- Song Form Detective: Verse, Chorus and Bridge
- Treble Clef Note Names: Lines, Spaces and Spelling Words
More help
Search the full lesson library by class time and technology, or see our guides on emergency sub plans and sub tub ideas.
Sub plans for other subjects
Covering more than one prep? Try these related collections:
- Science sub plans
- Math sub plans
- Social studies sub plans
- ELA sub plans
- PE and health sub plans
- Spanish, French and German sub plans
- Technology and computer science sub plans
- Business and personal finance sub plans
- CTE sub plans
- Speech, journalism and media sub plans
- Advisory and study hall sub plans
Teachers can turn any of these into a backup packet with our guides to free printable emergency sub plans and easy sub plans. Substitutes can read what to do as a substitute teacher and classroom management for substitutes before the first bell.