African-American composers and music genres in U.S. history

Lesson Plan/U.S. History/9

Grade Level

United States History: Celebrating Black History Month through Music

Learning Objective:

Students will appreciate compositions written by African-American composers. At the end of the lesson, they will be able to identify compositions according to style. They will be able to discuss the significance of the compositions to American history.

Materials to be Prepared Ahead of Time:

CD player and CDs

or, selections downloaded to MP3 player or iPod

Suggested titles/artists: "Pickin' Cotton All Day Long"/Creola Scott; "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"/Etta James; "It Don't Mean a Thing (if it Ain't Got That Swing"/Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong; "The Thrill is Gone"/B.B. King; "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"/James Brown; "God Gave Me Style"/50 Cent

Key Vocabulary Terms Related to the Lesson Concept:

work song spiritual jazz rhythm and blues funk/soul rap/hip-hop

Opening Activity:

Teacher: Today I am going to play a song on CD. Listen carefully to the words. (the class listens to a work song such as "Pickin' Cotton All Day Long" by Creola Scott.)

The teacher invites students to comment on the song. S/he provides no direction for the conversation but allows students to share their thoughts and observations. After everyone who wants to share has done so, the teacher can ask the following questions (if they have not already been answered in the discussion):

What is the song about?

Who wrote the song?

Why was the song written?

About the History

Students discusses the relevance of the song to the time period in which it was written. Student identifies one or more events that occurred at that time in history and provides details about the events.

Student makes a reasonable guess when the piece was written and can identify one event that occurred at that time in history. Student is unable to provide much detail about the event.

Student cannot make a reasonable guess when the piece was written. Student cannot identify a historical event that corresponds to the time the piece was written.

Extension Activities:

Students can write/perform their own work songs or rap songs. They should be able to explain their purpose for writing the song.

Students who play musical instruments can perform selections for the class. The school music director would be a good source for easy arrangements of spirituals and jazz compositions.

Students can create artwork in response to the musical selections. The artwork does not have to be a literal interpretation of the piece but can be an emotional response. That may mean abstract designs using colors and shapes that fit the mood of the piece.

Questions:

The instructional activities are appropriate for 9th grade because students have had the opportunity to acquire prior knowledge of American history and Black history. The time periods and events referenced by the musical selections will be familiar to them. Further research is encouraged, but they should already have enough background knowledge to be able to discuss the compositions and their historical references.

Students will connect what they know with new information through classroom discussions. Often, students know more than they realize. Skillful prompting by the teacher will elicit thoughtful responses from students. The teacher will use recordings and web resources to provide students with additional information.

Different learners may need lyrics in written form; they may not be able to process ideas sufficiently if they hear the words only. Some students may need to hear recordings multiple time before understanding. Students can wear earphones or other type of individual device for listening.

The lesson demonstrates constructivist views by providing activities in which students can participate. There is very little lecture associated with this lesson. Students listen to musical selections and discuss with their teachers and peers. The teacher uses leading, open-ended questions to elicit student responses. The musical genres are clearly defined, but much of what students are asked is open to interpretation. There are no right or wrong answers when they explain how a piece of music makes them feel. Although there are both correct and incorrect responses possible when discussing historical references, there is latitude for students to make choices about the events they choose to discuss and the details they choose to provide. The flexibility of the assignments and the variety of musical styles ensure that students will find something to their liking.

Word Search Activity

(next page)

ARMSTRONG

BLUES

BROWN

CHARLES

ELLINGTON

FUNK

HIPHOP

JAMES

JAZZ

RAP

RHYTHM

SLAVE

SPIRITUAL