Music can be a powerful tool for teaching analysis in the classroom.
Analyzing can often be a daunting task for students, and many times they shy away or resist digging deeper into the material. It is important to help students realize that analysis is a natural tendency and, in fact, is imbedded in the fabric of their lives. Music is a wonderful tool to make analysis accessible and fun for students. By examining music within its context, students can enhance their understanding of other subjects like history and literature.
This can be done as parody...
A group listed on YouTube just as "historyteachers" created a series of music videos in which discuss major events in world history to the tune of popular songs. What makes these videos such a fantastic resource (beyond their pure fun) is that they not only give great detail about the events, but provide analysis via the lyrics. This could be used to help students see how to use the factual information to draw conclusions or make an argument.
EXTENSION: Have students write their own lyrics and make their own music videos. This could be a way to cover new information or a great review activity! This is a great way to engage students in music-making and to just have a lot of fun!
EXTENSION: Have students write their own lyrics and make their own music videos. This could be a way to cover new information or a great review activity! This is a great way to engage students in music-making and to just have a lot of fun!
...Or by using music as a gateway into discussion....
Andrew Chipman, a history teacher at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, uses two Randy Newman songs in his history classes to introduce two very important but sometimes difficult concepts in world history: colonialism and communism. Newman takes a clear stance in his music, often using irony, humor and sarcasm to make his points. This style of music is a great way to begin a discussion on the "right" and "wrong" of these kind of big ideas.
EXTENSION: Andrew has created a notes sheet on Karl Marx to go along with "The World Isn't Fair." Feel free to use or adapt!
EXTENSION: Andrew has created a notes sheet on Karl Marx to go along with "The World Isn't Fair." Feel free to use or adapt!
| karl_marx_notes.doc |
Debate is a wonderful analytical tool. In this lesson, two of the Beatles' most political songs are used to stage a debate on social justice. Both songs make clear arguments and present strong visions of social justice, as well as ask important questions that are great jumping off points for the debate. The questions are accessible and do not require a lot of outside information for students to shape their own opinions. On the other hand, students can also use these questions to conduct research of their own. As these were both popular songs, students can think about how these songs reflect the time in which they were written as well as shaped that time.
EXTENSION: Students can find and present current popular songs that make a statement about social justice and compare those messages, including tone and style, to those in the Beatles' songs. How do they this music shapes their own ideas about social justice?
EXTENSION: Students can find and present current popular songs that make a statement about social justice and compare those messages, including tone and style, to those in the Beatles' songs. How do they this music shapes their own ideas about social justice?
...Or by looking at the music of a time period to better understand it.
Jennifer Johnson, a history teacher at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago, uses Billie Holiday's seminal song "Strange Fruit" to teach her students about the difficult topic of lynching. In this case, the use of the music helps students feel the emotional aspect of the issue and connects the academic to the visceral. By using a song from a time when lynchings were common, students are given a glimpse of what it really felt like for blacks struggling against this at the time. Holiday's juxtaposition of images in this song are also a great example of analysis and open up a discussion about the complexity of the era
EXTENSION: Jennifer has created several pieces to accompany the music which she uses in her class, including a powerpoint, a packet for students and discussion prep. Feel free to use them!
EXTENSION: Jennifer has created several pieces to accompany the music which she uses in her class, including a powerpoint, a packet for students and discussion prep. Feel free to use them!
| strange_fruit_lesson_plan.doc |
| strange_fruit_2.ppt |
| strange_fruit_historians_chair.doc |
| strange_fruit_resource_packet.doc |
When studying the Industrial Revolution, we don't readily think of music as a significant element. However, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, first performed in 1830, is a wonderful tool for introducing students to classical music as well as provides a creative critique of industrial society. It is important for students to learn that there are many ways to analyze--not just with words. When using this in class, see if students can hear the way Berlioz utilizes the sounds of the different instruments, tempo, pacing and volume to articulate a clear and powerful argument.
EXTENSION: Andrew Chipman, in conjunction with the education liasion at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has created a great handout to help students understand Berlioz's argument and the way in which he makes it.
EXTENSION: Andrew Chipman, in conjunction with the education liasion at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has created a great handout to help students understand Berlioz's argument and the way in which he makes it.
| symfanie_fantastique.docx |
When studying the Great Depression, music is a powerful way to demonstrate the frustration, despair and hope of this time. When studying music within its historical context, it is often good to look at the musicians as well as the music itself. In this short piece, a woman talks about her grandmother's memories of her father singing to her. By giving the personal story around the music, it reminds students that music comes from somewhere and someone. This is a great opportunity to encourage students to engage in their own analysis about the source of music and what role it played in the lives of Depression era families.
EXTENSION: This would be a great starting point to have students interview their own family members about their music memories from significant periods they experienced in history. This is also a wonderful way to have students explore identity via music.
EXTENSION: This would be a great starting point to have students interview their own family members about their music memories from significant periods they experienced in history. This is also a wonderful way to have students explore identity via music.
Music as a tool for analysis is not just for the history class. The overlap between music and literature provides wonderful opportunities for teaching literary devices and themes.
In studying the poetry of Maya Angelou, draw on the work of current African-American female artists like Lauryn Hill and Queen Latifah to draw connections between their lyrics and Angelou's poetry. In this lesson submitted to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame's education center by Connie Burns of Maine, students analyze the lyrics along side the poems to see how each woman defines herself, her culture, and presents herself to others. Students look at how the women use language to connect to their audience, and can examine how the music enhances the messages. Burns even extends the lesson to include learning dance as another form of expression. See the full lesson plan here.
EXTENSION: Have students research the work of other black female artists: musicians, writers, singers, painters, from throughout history and the world to explore the interconnectedness of black women across space and time. How do they define and express themselves in similar ways? What are the differences?
Or have students put Angelou's poems to music in order to explore how music can enhance language. This can be music students themselves make or music that is meaningful to them.
Check out the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame's website for other fantastic lessons incorporating music into the curriculum.
What ideas do you have for using music to teach analysis?
Please share your thoughts in the forum below or on our blog!
Please share your thoughts in the forum below or on our blog!
