Sheet music, song lyrics, and audio recordings may not be the first primary sources that come to mind when considering ways to teach about changes brought about by technology during westward expansion, but these sources engage students in thought provoking ways. In this article the author presents a 1917 photograph of Mountain Chief, of the Piegan Blackfeet and Frances Densmore (an ethnologist, who devoted her life to recording and preserving Native American music) with Thomas Edison's phonograph set up between them playing music. Additionally, the original song sheet for "Age of Progress" (published in 1860), sheet music for "Train-Eclair" (undated piano piece by 19th Century composer, Charles Kinkel), and sheet music for "The Buffalo Rag" (composed by Tom Turpin and published in 1904) are presented. Each of these primary sources is accompanied by suggested lessons on the influence of technological advancements on westward expansion.