TeachRock

Preparation:

1. Set up 6 viewing stations, using devices that can access the internet, around the classroom. Prepare the following videos for each station:
   • Station 1: Navigating the (Mostly) Straight White Punk Scene
   • Station 2: Finding Your Tribe/Community 
   • Station 3: The Effects of the COVID Pandemic
   • Station 4: Advice for People Interested in Performing Music
   • Station 5: On the Meaning of “Huerta” (also include Handout – Excerpts of Proper. and The Loneliers Lyrics)
   • Station 6: On the Meaning of “No” and “The Rights Song” (also include Handout – Excerpts of Proper. and The Loneliers Lyrics)

Motivational Activity:

1. Inform students that in class they will be discussing the notion of intersectionality. Ask students:
   • Have you ever heard the term “intersectionality” before? If so, where?
   • What might “intersectionality” mean?
2. Play the introduction portion of the video “Intersectionality 101″ by Learning for Justice (0:00-1:01). Then ask students: 
   • How does the video define “intersectionality”? (“Intersectionality refers to the reality that we all have multiple identities that intersect to make us who we are.”)
   • Who coined the term “intersectionality,” and why? (Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, because she felt there wasn’t a way to describe how the experiences of Black women differed from white women and Black men.)
   • In what ways can intersectionality be used as a lens to look at oppression and privilege in American society? (Intersectionality offers a vantage point into how historic forms of discrimination [based on Race, Gender, etc.] may converge and uniquely affect a person’s life in accordance with their intersections.)
     

Procedure

1. Explain to students that they will be reflecting on how intersectionality might operate in real life by looking at the experiences of two Punk Bands: Proper. and  The Loneliers. Distribute Handout – Intersectionality Hills and Valleys, and as a class go over the directions and example on the first page.
2. Play Clip 1, “Introducing Proper.” Then ask students:
   • Why did Erik move to New York? (His goal was to create an all-Black Rock band.)
     
   • How does Erik describe the band’s intersections? (Erik describes the intersections being “Black and Queer.”)
   • What does Erik say is the “driving force” behind the band? (They “want other kids like us to feel they can do this [be in a Rock band] too.”)
3. After answering the questions, ask students to note Erik’s intersections on page 2 of the handout. 
4. Play Clip 2, “Introducing The Loneliers,” Then ask students:
   • How do the various members of the Loneliers describe their intersections?  Please write down the intersections on the handout. (Jessie describes herself as a “loud, gay, Mexican American musician”; Debbie describes herself as a “First generation Mexican American Bi-, Cis-gender woman”; Caitlin describes herself as a “white, Irish American, masculine, lesbian woman.”)
   • How did the Loneliers form? (Sisters Jessie and Debbie formed a band. Caitlin joined later after meeting them at a show.) 
5. After answering the questions, ask students to note Jessie’s, Debbie’s, and Caitlyn’s intersections on page 3 of the handout.
6. Inform students that they will now be learning a bit more about each band’s experiences operating in the Punk scene by visiting the 6 viewing stations around the classroom. Ask students to watch as many videos as time allows, and take notes on each band’s “high points” and “low points” along the curved “hills and valleys” line on the handout. Remind them to take notes on Proper. on page 2, and The Loneliers on page 3. Allow students to rotate between stations for the time allotted (students are not required to visit every station).
   • Station 1: Navigating the (Mostly) Straight White Punk Scene
   • Station 2: Finding Your Tribe/Community 
   • Station 3: The Effects of the COVID Pandemic
   • Station 4: Advice for People Interested in Performing Music
   • Station 5: On the Meaning of “Huerta” (also include Handout – Excerpts of Proper. and The Loneliers Lyrics)
   • Station 6: On the Meaning of “No” and “The Rights Song” (also include Handout – Excerpts of Proper. and The Loneliers Lyrics)
7. After completing the viewing stations, ask volunteer students to share the notes they took on the handout. On the board, write out some of the low-points, mid-points, and high-points for each band based on student responses.

Summary Activity:

1. Ask students to turn to the fourth page of the handout. Encourage them to reflect on their own intersections, and the challenges and opportunities those intersections brought them. Then, ask students to fill out the sheet in a similar way to how they filled out the sheet for Proper. and the Loneliers. 
2. Optional: Ask students to share their own intersections, and the challenges and opportunities those intersections might have brought to their life, either together as a class or in a group. Assure students that they can share as much or as little as they want. 

Extension Activities:

1. Create a playlist of the following bands for students to listen to:
   • Action/Adventure
   • Alliteration
   • Choked Up
   • Crowd the Airwaves
   • Honeychild Coleman
   • In the Mourning
   • Magnolia Park
   • Meet Me at The Altar
   • Pinkshift

Handout – Excerpts of Proper. and The Loneliers Lyrics Handout – Intersectionality Hills and Valleys

Common Core State Standards

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

Text Types and Purposes 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

Comprehension & Collaboration 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Comprehension & Collaboration 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Comprehension & Collaboration 3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Presentation of Knowledge 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Language 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Language 2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Social Studies – National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

• Theme 1: Culture
• Theme 3: People, Place, and Environments
• Theme 4: Individual Development and Identity
• Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Theme 8: Science, Technology, and Society

National Standards for Music Education

Core Music Standard: Connecting

• Connecting 11: Relate musical ideas and works to varied contexts and daily life to deepen understanding.

National Core Arts Standards

Connecting

• Anchor Standards 11: Relate artistic ideas and work with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.