lesson:
The Impact of the Electric Guitar
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Interactive Tech Tools, Visual Analysis
How did the electrification, amplification and design of the guitar facilitate its emergence as a dominant instrument of popular music?
lesson:
The Birth of the Microphone
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the development of microphones in the 20th century change the way people make and listen to music?
lesson:
The Science and Civics of the Flint Water Crisis (High School Version)
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Civics, Science, Social Studies/History, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Maps, Musical Analysis
What is the Flint water crisis, and why did it occur?
lesson:
Almost Emancipated: The Civil War and the Port Royal Experiment
Grades:
AP/Honors/101
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Gallery Walk, Maps
How does the Union occupation of Port Royal highlight the complex issues behind the Civil War?
lesson:
Identifying and Resisting Jim Crow with Words and Songs
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Creative Writing, Textual Analysis
How have works of literature and music by Black Americans shared an empowering theme of identifying and resisting Jim Crow?
lesson:
Funk Asserts Itself
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did 1970s Funk respond to African-American life in the decade following the Civil Rights movement?
lesson:
Toby Keith & The Chicks: Songs and Words During the War on Terror
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Interview, Musical Analysis, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
What were the different reactions to songs and comments by Country musicians about the September 11th terrorist attacks versus the Iraq War?
lesson:
Loudspeakers, PA Systems, and the “Wall of Sound”
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Station Activities
What is a PA system, how does it work, and how were the Grateful Dead pioneers in live sound technology?
lesson:
Confronting the Climate Crisis
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High, Middle
Subjects:
Science, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Interactive Tech Tools, Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How can society lower the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere?
lesson:
The Who’s Generation
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share, Visual Analysis
How did the Who represent “My Generation” in mid-1960s England?
lesson:
How Dr. King’s Birthday Became A National Holiday
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How did Dr. King’s Birthday become a national holiday?
lesson:
Learning Rhythm through Gospel
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Performance
How can Gospel music help students identify the musical concepts of beat, meter, backbeat, subdivision, and syncopation?
lesson:
Negotiating Native Identity through Art, Poetry and Music
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Art/Design, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis, Visual Art
How have Native American musicians, poets, and visual artists negotiated their identity, and what role does physical space play in these negotiations?
lesson:
The Roots of Country Rock
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis
How did Country Music influence Rock and Roll and the musicians who made it?
lesson:
The Historical Roots of Hip Hop
Grades:
High
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Maps, Timeline, Visual Analysis
What are the historical roots of Hip Hop?
lesson:
Singer-Songwriters and the Environmental Movement
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share, Visual Analysis
How did the singer-songwriters of the 1960s and 70s address the concerns of the environmental movement?
lesson:
Math With The Grateful Dead
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Equations and Calculations, Visual Art, Visual Design
How can math be used to better understand the Grateful Dead’s success?
lesson:
The Reclamation of the American Cowboy
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Musical Analysis, Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How has the image and history of the American cowboy been reclaimed in the 21st Century?
lesson:
The Science and Civics of the Flint Water Crisis (Elementary/Middle School School Version)
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, Science, Social Studies/History, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Station Activities
What is the Flint water crisis, and why did it occur?
lesson:
Part 3: Asbury Park from the 1970s to Today
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Role Playing, Station Activities, Textual Analysis
What social issues continue to confront Asbury Park today, and how are activists tackling them?
lesson:
Women’s Perspectives in Country and Tejano Music
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
How did female Country and Tejano artists approach the issues of feminism and Women’s Rights in the 20th and 21st century?
lesson:
Part 1: Segregation and the Founding of Asbury Park
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Creative Writing, Document-Based Questions
What does the founding and early history of Asbury Park reveal about practices of segregation in the Northern United States?
lesson:
The Banjo, Slavery, and the Abolition Debate
Grades:
AP/Honors/101
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Document-Based Questions, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What is the relationship between the banjo and slavery, and how did music making by enslaved people influence the abolition debate during the 18th and early 19th century?
lesson:
Blues, Poetry, and the Harlem Renaissance
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis
How does Langston Hughes’ Blues-inspired poetry exemplify the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance?
lesson:
The Sound of Blue Collar Detroit
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Textual Analysis
How did Rock and Roll serve as an expressive tool for the working-class youth of Detroit?
lesson:
DAMN.: The Art and Importance of Storytelling
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Art/Design, ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How do Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. and the work of photojournalist Gordon Parks tell stories that bring attention to social issues?
lesson:
The Mathematics Behind Sound
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Equations and Calculations
What are the mathematical variables that give a sound its particular quality, and how can these variables be measured, visualized, and calculated?
lesson:
Cleaning up the Plastic Beach (Middle School/High School Version)
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design, Science, Social Studies/History, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Visual Art
How is plastic made, how does it affect our marine environments, and how can plastic waste be eliminated?
lesson:
Glam: The Return of the Teenager
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How was Glam Rock part of a new teenage culture in the 1970s?
lesson:
Greta Thunberg, Music, and the Climate Crisis
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Science, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Performance, Role Playing, Textual Analysis
How have musicians helped spread climate activist Greta Thunberg’s message?
lesson:
The American Blues in Britain
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
In what ways did American Blues affect English musicians in the early 1960s?
lesson:
The Science of Sound
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Science, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Station Activities
What is sound, and how are its characteristics explained scientifically?
lesson:
Part 2: Riot or Rebellion? Asbury Park in the Summer of 1970
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis
What factors led up to the Asbury Park "Riots" in New Jersey in the summer of 1970?
lesson:
The Juke Joint: Where Oral Literature Comes Alive
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA
Activities:
Creative Writing, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
What role do Blues lyrics and juke joints play in Black American literature and life?
lesson:
Musical Ratios
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Equations and Calculations, Interactive Tech Tools, Musical Analysis
What role do ratios play in the Western musical concepts of rhythm and harmony?
lesson:
Kanye and Katrina: Environmental Racism in New Orleans
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Interview, Maps
What was Hurricane Katrina, and how did Black Americans articulate the frustrations they felt in its aftermath?
lesson:
“Y’all Better Quiet Down”: Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ Pioneers
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Station Activities, Textual Analysis
How did Black and Latinx people in the LGBTQ+ community take initiative in the Stonewall Inn rebellions, Gay Liberation Movement, and in the preservation of LGBTQ+ history?
lesson:
Ciranda: The Brazilian Music and Dance that Creates Community
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Maps, Musical Analysis, Performance
What is Ciranda, and how can group singing and dancing help us feel like a part of a community?
lesson:
Joropo: Music Inspired by Nature from the High Plains of Venezuela
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Performance
What is Joropo, and how is it inspired by nature?
lesson:
Signature Style in Art and Album Covers
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design, General Music
Activities:
Design and Build, Gallery Walk, Musical Analysis, Playlists and Podcasts, Visual Analysis, Visual Art, Visual Design
How have visual artists worked with musicians without compromising their style?
lesson:
9/11: Country Music Responds
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Interview, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
How did Country musicians’ responses to the September 11th terrorist attacks speak to the feelings of some Americans after the tragedy?
lesson:
Celebrating Community with Art and Poetry (High School Version)
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Art/Design, ELA, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Performance, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
What different types of communities exist, and how do the people in our communities impact us?
lesson:
100 Years of Dance
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Performance, Station Activities
Why might people dance, and how have dance trends changed in America since the 1920s?
lesson:
Quitiplás: Deep Listening and Rhythm Building with Afro-Venezuelan Bamboo Drums From Barlovento
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Performance
What is Quitiplás, how does it incorporate the natural world, and how is it an example of polyrhythm?
lesson:
Colombian Cumbia: African, Indigenous, and Spanish Roots of Rhythm
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Performance
What is Cumbia, and how do you play its traditional rhythms?
lesson:
The Rise of the Electric Guitar
Grades:
High
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Four Corners, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis, Visual Design
What factors led to the rise of the electric guitar as the dominant symbol of Rock and Roll?
lesson:
Math with The Beatles
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Math, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Equations and Calculations, Maps, Think-Pair-Share, Timeline, Visual Design
How can the Beatles’ growth in popularity be demonstrated with math?
lesson:
“Glory” and the Continuing Civil Rights Movement
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How does Common and John Legend's “Glory” signal Civil Rights movements of the past and the present?
lesson:
“Alright” and the History of Black Protest Songs
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Station Activities, Textual Analysis
How have black artists throughout the 20th century used music to speak about racial injustice in America?
lesson:
Fame and Judgement in “Funny”
Grades:
All Ages, AP/Honors/101, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis
How might Tori Kelly’s song “Funny” speak to the potential pitfalls of “superstardom,” and how does it relate to past songs written about the subject?
lesson:
New Perspectives on The Great Gatsby’s Daisy Buchanan
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA
Activities:
Textual Analysis
Does Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” help humanize Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby?
lesson:
Calculating Pitch
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Math, STEAM
Activities:
Design and Build, Equations and Calculations
How do musical instruments produce different pitches, and what variables allow you to calculate the pitch of an instrument?
lesson:
Cleaning up the Plastic Beach (Elementary School Version)
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
Science, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Design and Build, Personal Reflection
What is plastic, how is it harmful for the environment, and how can it be used more responsibly?
lesson:
Who is “Us” in P!nk’s “What About Us”?
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis
Who is the ‘us’ in P!nk’s song “What About Us?”
lesson:
Second Wave: Women’s Rights and Music in the 1960s
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Textual Analysis, Visual Design
What was second-wave feminism, and how did music contribute to the movement?
lesson:
Pre-production: Preparing for Your Life Songs Interview
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Interview, Personal Reflection, Think-Pair-Share
How do you prepare for a successful and insightful interview?
lesson:
Using Data to Analyze an Artist’s Success
Grades:
Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Equations and Calculations
How can data be analyzed and interpreted to better understand a band's success?
lesson:
Exploring Shapes in Pablo Picasso’s “Guitar, Sheet Music, and Glass”
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Art/Design, Math
Activities:
Design and Build, Visual Art
What shapes did Pablo Picasso use to create his piece Guitar, Sheet Music, and Glass and how can similar shapes be used to create other instruments?
lesson:
Singer-Songwriters and the Environmental Movement (Elementary Version)
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Art/Design, Science, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share, Visual Art
How did the singer-songwriters of the 1960s and 70s address the concerns of the environmental movement?
lesson:
ChocQuibTown: Embracing Cultural Identity through Colombian Rap
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Geography, Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Performance
How can the music of ChocQuibTown, from the Pacific Coast of Colombia, help students express and celebrate their cultural identity through Rap?
lesson:
The Black Origins of Punk
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music
Activities:
Creative Writing, Station Activities
How did the bands X-Ray Spex, Bad Brains, and Death define Punk on their own terms?
lesson:
The Crossroads as a Literary Symbol
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA
Activities:
Creative Writing, Document-Based Questions, Station Activities, Textual Analysis
How have writers, storytellers, and musicians explored the crossroads as a symbol in their work?
lesson:
Post-production: Editing and Finalizing Your Life Songs Interview
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Film and Sound Editing, Visual Design
How do you use editing to create a final media product?
lesson:
Designing Album Covers with Color Theory
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design, CTE, STEAM
Activities:
Design and Build, Visual Analysis, Visual Art, Visual Design
What is the science behind color theory, and how is it used in fashion and album cover design?
lesson:
Using Graphing to Analyze Music Industry Data
Grades:
Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Equations and Calculations
How can graphing be used to analyze music industry data?
lesson:
The Evolution of Sound Recording
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Visual Analysis
How did multitrack recording technologies enable musicians to create a form of music that could only be realized in the studio?
lesson:
Everyday Heroes: Beyoncé and United Nations World Humanitarian Day
How might Beyoncé's song “I Was Here” inspire people to serve their community and make a positive impact on the world?
lesson:
Writing Personal Narratives and The Harlem Renaissance
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Creative Writing, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
How do Langston Hughes, Gladys Bentley, and Louis Armstrong effectively write personal narratives about living during the Harlem Renaissance?
lesson:
Using Ratios to Identify Social Media Engagement
Grades:
Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Equations and Calculations
How can ratios be used to identify a music artist’s social media audience engagement?
lesson:
“Here”: Managing Peer Pressure and Anxiety
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Role Playing, Visual Analysis
In what ways does Alessia Cara’s “Here” defy popular music conventions, and what does the song say about peer pressure in youth culture?
lesson:
Dolores Huerta and The United Farm Workers Movement
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design, Civics, ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Creative Writing, Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
Who is Dolores Huerta, what role did she play in the United Farm Workers movement, and how is she recognized today?
lesson:
Heroes and Mortals in “Something Just Like This”
Grades:
All Ages, AP/Honors/101, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share
Who are the gods and superheroes referenced in “Something Just Like This,” and what are the connections between them?
lesson:
The Many Roles of a Music Producer
Grades:
High
Subjects:
CTE, General Music
Activities:
Think-Pair-Share, Visual Analysis
What does a music producer do and in what ways does one hear the sound of a producer’s work in recordings?
lesson:
The Guitar: A Musical Transducer
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Design and Build, Performance
How can the guitar help us understand the scientific principle of transduction?
lesson:
The Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Station Activities, Textual Analysis
How did popular music reflect the values of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and help the movement convey its message?
lesson:
Using Algebraic Expressions to Calculate Touring Costs
Grades:
Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Equations and Calculations, Role Playing
How can writing and evaluating algebraic expressions be used to anticipate a musician’s touring costs?
lesson:
The Blues and the Great Migration
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History, STEAM
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Document-Based Questions, Maps, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the Great Migration spread Southern culture, helping to give the Blues a central place in American popular music?
lesson:
The Beatles Work Towards Success
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Math, Social Studies/History, STEAM
Activities:
Equations and Calculations, Maps, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How did The Beatles' rigorous work schedule during the years 1960-63 build their strengths as performers, as musicians, and as a band?
lesson:
Production: Conducting Your Life Songs Interview
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Geography, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Filming, Interview, Personal Reflection, Role Playing, Think-Pair-Share
How do you conduct and record an interview?
lesson:
Using Algebraic Expressions to Analyze Concert Schedules
Grades:
Middle
Subjects:
Math
Activities:
Equations and Calculations
How can writing and evaluating expressions be used to explain the scope of an artist’s concert schedule?
lesson:
Steve Aoki and Growth Mindset
Grades:
Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Personal Reflection, Role Playing
How can our brains be shaped by our mindset, and how has a growth mindset helped Steve Aoki become one of the most successful DJs and record producers in the world?
lesson:
The Memphis Sound and Racial Integration
Grades:
High
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Maps, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How has Memphis music culture provided one example of art’s capacity to challenge the racial boundaries that have so often structured American life?
lesson:
Rhythm as a Representation of People and Place
How does “the beat” of popular music reflect the histories of multiethnic populations and places?
lesson:
How to Study Rock and Roll
Grades:
All Ages, AP/Honors/101, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How can teachers help students analyze and understand Rock and Roll?
lesson:
Recording and Producing the Voice
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share
How have singers responded as advances in studio recording techniques have enabled increased technological “perfection”?
lesson:
Sampling: The Foundation of Hip Hop
Grades:
High
Subjects:
CTE, General Music
Activities:
Maps, Musical Analysis, Visual Analysis
How is the re-use and re-purposing of existing music at the heart of the Hip Hop recording experience?
lesson:
Creating a Personal Logo
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Art/Design
Activities:
Design and Build, Visual Art, Visual Design
How can a logo help communicate a person or group’s unique personality?
lesson:
The Emergence of Folk Rock
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis
What is Folk music? To what extent did Folk Rock sustain the spirit of Folk music?
lesson:
Sun City: A Musical Force Against Apartheid – Part 2
Grades:
High
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What was South African apartheid, and how did musicians unite to challenge it?
lesson:
Producing the Sounds of a Changing South
Grades:
High
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis
How did the recordings Sam Phillips produced at Sun Records, including Elvis Presley’s early work, reflect trends of urbanization and integration in the 1950s American South?
lesson:
Gospel Music and the Birth of Soul
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis
How did Gospel influence American popular music?
lesson:
A Veteran’s Soundtrack to the Vietnam War
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share, Visual Analysis
How did popular music amplify the voices and experiences of Americans serving in the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War?
lesson:
Latin Music in Postwar New York City
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Maps, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the growth of New York City’s Latino population in the 1940s and 50s help to increase the popularity of Latin music and dance in American culture?
lesson:
Folk Music, Rock and Roll Attitude
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How did Bob Dylan’s early experiences with Folk and Rock and Roll music influence his songwriting?
lesson:
The Rise of Disco
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Art/Design, General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Role Playing, Station Activities, Visual Analysis, Visual Design
How did Disco relate to the sentiments and social movements of the 1970s?
lesson:
Artists Protest McCarthyism
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How were musicians and artists affected by McCarthyism in 1950s America?
lesson:
Multitracking in the Countercultural 1960s
Grades:
High
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How did The Beatles’ use of cutting edge recording technology and studio techniques both reflect and shape the counterculture of the 1960s?
lesson:
Punk as Reaction
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Station Activities, Visual Analysis, Visual Design
How was Punk Rock a reaction both to the commercialization of Rock and Roll and to the social climate in late 1970s Britain?
lesson:
The Impact of 1960s Antiwar Music
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did antiwar protest music provide a voice for those opposed to the Vietnam War?
lesson:
Music Tells Our Story
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Interview, Personal Reflection, Station Activities, Think-Pair-Share
What role might music play in a person’s life, identity, and community?
lesson:
The Beat as an Object of Celebration and Concern in Segregation-Era America
Grades:
High
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis
How has “the beat” been an object of both celebration and concern in the history of popular music?
lesson:
Business with the Grateful Dead
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Creative Writing, Role Playing, Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the Grateful Dead’s business practices create a dedicated fan culture and ensure the financial success of the group?
lesson:
Introducing New Wave
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis
What did Punk Rock provide that opened the door for New Wave acts? And what are some among the defining attributes of New Wave?
lesson:
Mining and Union Songs in the Early 20th Century
Grades:
AP/Honors/101
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How do Nimrod Workman’s songs and stories about his life as a coal miner illustrate the struggles of working class people during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era?
lesson:
Debating Cultural Appropriation
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
ELA, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Station Activities, Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What is cultural appropriation, how does it affect Native American communities, and should it be regulated by law?
lesson:
Sun City: A Musical Force Against Apartheid – Part 1
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Visual Analysis
What was South African apartheid, and how did musicians unite to challenge it?
lesson:
Radio Before Rock and Roll
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Interview, Station Activities, Textual Analysis
How did radio influence American life in the years before the birth of Rock and Roll?
lesson:
From the Stage to the Studio
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What caused The Beatles to cease touring in 1966 and how did the innovative music they then created during their subsequent immersion in the recording studio both reflect and influence the world at that time?
lesson:
The Beatles and American Segregation
Grades:
All Ages, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis
How did the Beatles take a stand against segregation while touring America? And what did it mean for popular music culture?
lesson:
The Original “Going Viral”
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Personal Reflection, Visual Analysis
Could a musical group “go viral” before the internet?
lesson:
The History of Music Videos
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Art/Design, CTE, General Music, Science, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Visual Analysis
How has the relation between sound and image shifted through the history of recorded music, and how did the rise of MTV bring that relationship to a culmination of sorts?
lesson:
Bo Diddley: The Grandfather of Hip Hop?
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis
How were Bo Diddley’s recordings an anomaly in relation to 1950s Pop music, and how is his rhythm-driven sound and self-presentation a precursor to Hip Hop style?
lesson:
The Teamwork Behind the Beatles (Elementary Version)
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
CTE, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the input of manager Brian Epstein and record producer George Martin help The Beatles develop and refine skills that aided the band in presenting their music and personalities to a mass audience?
lesson:
The Teamwork Behind the Beatles
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the input of manager Brian Epstein and record producer George Martin help The Beatles develop and refine skills that aided the band in presenting their music and personalities to a mass audience?
lesson:
How Records and Radio Shaped American Culture
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did changes in the technology of record manufacturing effect popular music, radio, and the people who consumed both?
lesson:
Art, Music, and the AIDS Epidemic
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
Art/Design, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Document-Based Questions, Gallery Walk, Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis, Visual Art
How did the LGTBQ+ community creatively respond to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, and protest government inaction in addressing the epidemic?
lesson:
The Beatles, a New Kind of Star
Grades:
High
Subjects:
General Music, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
How did The Beatles establish a new paradigm for the image of "the star," and how did that image support their global success?
lesson:
#BlackLivesMatter: Music in a Movement
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How have musicians responded to the Black Lives Matter movement?
lesson:
Musical Reactions to the Vietnam War
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Gallery Walk, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How were American’s divisive opinions over the Vietnam War articulated by musicians in the 1960s and early 1970s?
lesson:
Celebrating Community with Art and Poetry (Elementary School Version)
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Art/Design, Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Personal Reflection, Visual Art
What different types of communities exist, and how do the people in our communities impact us?
lesson:
The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Station Activities, Timeline
How did same-sex marriage become legal in the United States?
lesson:
Car Culture in Postwar America
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did car culture intersect with and inspire Rock and Roll?
lesson:
Debating Dylan’s Nobel Prize
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
ELA
Activities:
Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis
What are the arguments for and against Bob Dylan receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature?
lesson:
Mainstream Metal, Parental Advisories, and Censorship
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share
How was Heavy Metal involved in the 1980s controversy surrounding the creation of parental advisories for “offensive” music?
lesson:
Soul Music and the New Femininity
Grades:
High
Subjects:
ELA, General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis, Timeline
How did Aretha Franklin represent a new female voice in 1960s popular music?
lesson:
Ritchie Valens
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Role Playing
How did Ritchie Valens meld traditional Mexican music and Rock and Roll?
lesson:
Muddy Waters, the New Kid in Town
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Creative Writing, Maps, Personal Reflection
How did Muddy Waters’ music change after he moved to Chicago, and what does that say about the relationship between place and self-expression?
lesson:
Italian-American Vocalists Before Rock and Roll
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Gallery Walk, Musical Analysis, Station Activities, Visual Analysis
How did the careers of Italian American vocalists in the first half of the 20th century reflect the experiences of Italian American immigrants and attitudes toward them in the wider American culture?
lesson:
Music and the Berlin Wall during the Cold War
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Gallery Walk, Maps, Personal Reflection, Role Playing, Textual Analysis
What was the Berlin Wall and how did music respond to what it symbolized?
lesson:
Designing a Band Logo
Grades:
Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design, CTE
Activities:
Design and Build, Gallery Walk, Visual Analysis, Visual Design
What is a logo, what are the elements of effective logo design, and how have musicians and bands used logos to brand themselves?
lesson:
Debating the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis
What was NASA’s Apollo program and why was it controversial?
lesson:
The Beatles and Teen Culture
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did the Beatles’ image as a “rock band” affect young people in America?
lesson:
Ritchie Valens (Elementary School Version)
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Personal Reflection, Textual Analysis
How did Ritchie Valens meld traditional Mexican music and Rock and Roll?
lesson:
Deadheads and Reagan’s America in the 1980s
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Maps, Textual Analysis
Who are the Deadheads and how did their lifestyle contrast with the conservative values promoted by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s?
lesson:
The Indigenous Roots of Rock and Roll
Grades:
AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Interactive Tech Tools, Role Playing, Station Activities, Textual Analysis
What does Link Wray’s biography say about how Native Americans lived in the first half of the 20th century, and what role did Wray’s upbringing have on his music?
lesson:
“Twist and Shout” and Post-War Britain
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What role did cover songs like “Twist and Shout” play early in the Beatles's career, and how did their experiences growing up in post-WWII Liverpool and performing in Hamburg nightclubs help them to develop as a professional musical ensemble?
lesson:
Chuck Berry
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Station Activities, Visual Design
Why is Chuck Berry often considered the most important of the early Rock and Rollers?
lesson:
World War II and the Shrinking of the Ensemble
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did wartime restrictions and other factors cause popular music ensembles to shrink in size during the 1940s, helping to set the stage for the small “combos” of Rock and Roll?
lesson:
The Cassette Tape Offers New Possibilities
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, Science, Social Studies/History, STEAM
Activities:
Role Playing, Visual Analysis
How did the cassette tape change the audience’s experience by allowing the listener to record, compile and disseminate music?
lesson:
The Roots of Heavy Metal
Grades:
High
Subjects:
ELA, General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Role Playing, Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Think-Pair-Share
What are the musical and cultural roots of Heavy Metal?
lesson:
The United Farm Workers Movement through Music and Poetry
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Creative Writing, Personal Reflection, Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis, Visual Design
Who is Dolores Huerta, what role did she play in the United Farm Workers movement, and how is she recognized today?
lesson:
Designing an Electric Guitar with Shapes
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Art/Design, Math, STEAM
Activities:
Design and Build
How can shapes be used to design an electric guitar?
lesson:
The Musical Roots of the Surf Sound (Elementary Version)
Grades:
Elementary
Subjects:
Art/Design, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Station Activities, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis, Visual Art
How does the “Surf Sound” in Rock and Roll reflect early surf culture, and what are the roots of this genre of music?
lesson:
“Seneca Falls, Selma, Stonewall”: The Stonewall Riots in the Fight for Equality
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Timeline, Visual Analysis
What were the Stonewall Riots, and what role did they play in ongoing struggles for LGBTQ+ equality in the United States?
lesson:
The Ethics of Sampling
Grades:
High
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Structured Academic Controversy, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What makes a work of art “original,” and how does the use of “sampling” technology in Hip Hop challenge perceptions of “originality”?
lesson:
How a Bill Becomes a Law: Legislating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Civics, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Timeline
How does a bill become a law in the United States of America?
lesson:
The Influence of Rhythm and Blues
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Musical Analysis, Textual Analysis
What did R&B bring to early Rock and Roll, and how was early Rock and Roll different?
lesson:
Drawing to Music
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Art/Design
Activities:
Playlists and Podcasts, Visual Analysis, Visual Art, Visual Design
How might visual artists use music as a tool for inspiration, and how might sound be reflected through art?
lesson:
The Latin Rhythms of “Despacito”
Grades:
Elementary, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Musical Analysis
What Latin American genres inspired Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s hit song “Despacito”?
lesson:
Rock and Roll and the American Dream
Grades:
High
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
What is the American Dream and how did Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash personify its ideals?
lesson:
The Rolling Stones: Giving America Back the Blues
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis, Visual Design
How did the early Rolling Stones help popularize the Blues?
lesson:
Considering the Future of Rock and Roll
Grades:
High
Subjects:
ELA, Social Studies/History
Activities:
Role Playing, Textual Analysis
How is Rock and Roll's power, at least in part, a result of its being born on the margins of society?
lesson:
The Musical Roots of Doo Wop
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
General Music
Activities:
Station Activities
How did Doo Wop develop as a musical genre?
lesson:
The Gospel Origins of “Chain of Fools”
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
ELA, General Music
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Maps, Musical Analysis
Essential Question: How did Aretha Franklin’s foundation in Gospel music influence her recording of “Chain of Fools,” helping to establish a Soul sound and bringing black culture into mainstream America?
lesson:
Sound Waves, Analog Synthesis and Popular Culture
Grades:
All Ages, AP/Honors/101, Elementary, High, Middle
Subjects:
CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
Activities:
Interactive Tech Tools, Textual Analysis, Visual Analysis
How did synthesizers allow musicians to create new sounds and how did those sounds reflect American culture throughout the 20th century?
lesson:
Jerry Garcia, Addiction, and Intervention
Grades:
High, Middle
Subjects:
Social Emotional Learning
Activities:
Charts and Graphs, Personal Reflection, Role Playing, Textual Analysis
How can you help someone struggling with addiction?
lesson:
Swing Down: Afrofuturism & Flight in the Black Imagination
Grades:
High
Subjects:
Art/Design, ELA, General Music
Activities:
Document-Based Questions, Maps, Musical Analysis, Playlists and Podcasts, Visual Analysis, Visual Art
What is Afrofuturism and what are some of the cultural traditions and historical events that inspired and reinforced it?
