TeachRock

Materials Needed:

• An internet accessible device for each student

Motivational Activity:

1. Ask students:
   • Have you ever heard the term “innovator”? What does it mean to be an innovator?
   • How does someone become or is considered to be an innovator?
2. Display Image 1, Definition of Innovate and have a student read the definition aloud. Ask students:
   • Can you name any people who are considered innovators in their field of work?
   • Where does innovation come from? Is it inspired by something?
   • If you could be considered an innovator, what would it be for?
3. Inform students that in class they will be examining a musician who became known for their musical innovations.

Procedure:

1. Show Image 2, Jimi Hendrix Memorial. Ask students:
   • What do you notice about this photograph?
   • Based on your observations, what might this be a photograph of?
   • Who might this memorial have been built for? What might have they been famous for?
   • Why might the memorial be decorated as it is? Who might have placed these objects on the memorial?
2. Explain to students that the memorial is to Jimi Hendrix, a musician widely considered to be one of the most influential Rock guitarists of all time and an innovator of Rock music through his influence on Psychedelia, his stage showmanship, and his guitar playing.
3. Distribute to each student Handout – Jimi Hendrix Graphic Organizer. Play Clip 1, Jimi Hendrix Live at the Isle of Wight. Once the clip is finished, ask students to write in question 1 of the handout an adjective to describe either a sound or imagery they saw in the performance. Once the clip is finished, ask students to write in question 1 of the handout an adjective to describe either a sound or imagery they saw in the performance. Then ask students to complete the rest of the questions for Clip in the Graphic Organizer, and discuss the questions in class:
   • Have you heard any music that sounds similar to this performance?
   • Can you name other musicians or bands that utilize showmanship as part of their performance?
   • How might have Hendrix developed the style of guitar playing you heard in the clip?
4. Inform students that they will be watching a video about Hendrix’s upbringing and the influence music had on him. Play Clip 2, Hendrix and the Blues, Part 1. Then, ask students to complete the questions for Clip 2 of the Graphic Organizer handout, and discuss the questions in class:
   • Why is it important that Hendrix was exposed to his dad’s music when he was growing up?
   • What might make the Blues interesting to Hendrix?
   • Why might it seem fascinating to those surrounded by him when growing up that he was able to figure out songs by the use of his ear instead of sheet music? Do you know anyone who has that ability?
5. Distribute to students Handout – “Before he was a headliner, Jimi Hendrix was a hired hand” Article and ask students to read the article individually or in groups and fill out the questions for the handout in the Graphic Organizer, and discuss the questions in class:
   • Before becoming famous, how did Hendrix support himself?
   • How many bands did Hendrix put together before moving to the United Kingdom?
   • How might have Hendrix’s experience as a “hired hand” helped his future career?
6. Show Image 3, Are You Experienced album cover. Explain to students that Hendrix released his first album Are You Experienced in 1967 with his group, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix was residing in London at the time due to his manager’s belief that the vibrant music scene in London would be an optimal place to showcase his innovative music. At the time, many people had never heard music that sounded like this due to Hendrix’s innovative  combination of various genres including Rock, Blues, Psychedelia, and R&B.
7. Play Clip 3, Hendrix and the Blues, Part 2. Then, ask students to complete the questions for the clip in the Graphic Organizer handout, and discuss the questions in class:
   • Why do you feel that it was important for Hendrix to be able to combine these musical influences together rather than to continue to progress in one particular genre?
   • By combining these genres, Hendrix was able to create his own voice in Rock music. Can you think of a musician or band who has created their own unique voice in music? How do you think they were able to accomplish that?
   • Eddie Kramer, seen in the video during “Purple Haze,” describes Hendrix’s solo as a “combination of Psychedelia and the Blues.” When listening to his solo isolated, what elements do you hear that are influenced by the Blues? What elements do you hear that are influenced by Psychedelia?

8. Explain to students that part of what was unique about Hendrix’s playing was the effects he placed on his guitar. On their individual devices, ask students to go to: https://nyumusedlab.github.io/hendrixpedals (link in Graphic Organizer handout). Invite students to play with the tech tool (posted above), and write down their favorite settings in the Graphic Organizer. If possible, ask student volunteers to share their favorite settings with the class. Then ask:
   • How did the emerging music technology of the 1960s allow musicians to create an individualized sound for their music?
9. Show Image 4, Monterey International Pop Festival Poster. Explain to students that Hendrix’s first proper show in the United States is at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival. Hendrix’s performance is packed with jaw dropping showmanship, ending with him lighting his guitar on fire during a cover of The Troggs’ song, “Wild Thing.” Play Clip 4, Hendrix at Monterey and His Showmanship. Afterward, ask students to fill out the Clip 4 section of the Graphic Organizer and share answers to the following questions:
   • Dweezil Zappa mentions that Hendrix’s showmanship at the festival is taken for granted now. Can you name a musician or band that has similar showmanship qualities today?
   • For many people in the audience, that was the first time that something like that had been witnessed before. Billy Gibbons of the band ZZ Top mentions that these tricks have been around since the 1950s. Why do you feel that this is something that many people had not witnessed in Rock music until this point?
   • Can you think of a current day performance you have seen on television or on social media that delivered the same response to you as it did with the Monterey festival audience?
   • Do you think his showmanship was something that came naturally or was it something that he had to develop over time?

Summary Activity:

1. Display Image 5, Activity: Your Musical Identity. Follow the directions and give students time to complete the project.

Extension Activities:

1. Watch three different live performances of Hendrix and write a review that would potentially appear in a magazine or newspaper. In your review, be sure to reflect specifically on how Jimi Hendrix merges different musical styles and how his use of showmanship elevates his performance.
2. Select one of the following Jimi Hendrix’s songs: “Castles Made of Sand” or “Bold As Love” and dive into an in-depth analysis of the lyrics. After exploring the imagery and meanings,  create a movie, music video, or comic book that visually represents the meaning or narrative of the song.

Handout – “Before he was a headliner, Jimi Hendrix was a hired hand” Article Handout – Jimi Hendrix Graphic Organizer

National Standards for Music Education

Core Music Standard: Responding

• Select: Choose music appropriate for a specific purpose or context.
• Analyze: Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the response.
• Interpret: Support interpretations of musical works that reflect creators’ and/or performers’ expressive intent.
• Evaluate: Support evaluations of musical works and performances based on analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.

Core Music Standard: Connecting

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

National Core Arts Standards

Creating

• Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
• Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
• Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

• Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation.

Responding

• Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
• Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Connecting

• Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
• Anchor Standards 11: Relate artistic ideas and work with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

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

Common Core State Standards

College and Career Readiness Reading Information Text Standards for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.