TeachRock

Motivational Activity:

1. Ask students:
   • What is an anthem? What makes a song an anthem?
   • Can you think of a song that defines a historical moment you have experienced in your lifetime, or speaks to your identity? Would you consider that song an anthem? Why or why not?

Procedure:

1. Ask students:
   • What do you know about the Black Lives Matter movement and organization? When did you first hear about it, and where?
   • What issues do you think Black Lives Matter confronts?
2. Pair students together, and give each pair Handout 1 –  Black Lives Matter Document Set.  Have each student in the pair read one document in the handout, and then summarize what they’ve read with their partner, mentioning the main ideas of the reading. After student pairs have gotten a sense of both documents in this way, convene as a class. Ask students:
   • What is Black Lives Matter?
   • How is it organized? Who are the founders?
   • What inspired its formation?
   • What are the goals of Black Lives Matter ?
   • What are the guiding principles of Black Lives Matter? How do these principles connect to their overall goals?
   • Considering the beliefs and mission of the organization, what do you think art inspired by Black Lives Matter might look or sound like?
3. Tell students they will be looking at two songs that have become connected to the Black Lives Matter movement. Play Clip 1, “Alright”and ask students:
   • Have you heard this song before? Where?
   • According to the clip, Rev. Jesse Jackson tried to get demonstrators to sing the song “We Shall Overcome.” What is the historical relevance of this song?
   • According to the clip, why didn’t the song resonate with demonstrators of today?
   • Why do you think “Alright” resonates with the Black Lives Matter movement?
4. Play a portion of the official music video for “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar, starting at the 2:40 mark (Note: This is a YouTube link which may also feature advertising. We suggest loading the video before class.) Encourage students to take notes on whatever strikes them as important or appealing. After showing the clip, ask students:
   • What kind of lighting and color is used in the video? Why might the directors have chosen this artistic direction?
   • The song opens with “All my life I had to fight n—-. . .” which is a reference to Alice Walker’s classic book The Color Purple. How does this first line frame the rest of the song? How might it affect the listener?
   • How is the community presented in the video?
   • In the song, Lamar raps “We hate po-po when they kill us dead in the streets fo’ sho,” and the video features scenes relating to the police. How are police depicted in relation to the community of color in the video? How might this relate to high profile cases of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown?
   • There are several scenes of people dancing, including a scene where kids dance atop of a police car. What might dancing represent?
   • What do you think makes “Alright” an anthem?
5. Play the a portion of the official music video for “Formation” by Beyoncé (3:12- 4:47). Encourage students to take notes on whatever strikes them as important or appealing. After viewing, ask students:
   • What are some of the settings featured in the video? Where do you think the video takes place? What role do the settings play in the overall message of “Formation”?
   • What references to Black culture did you see or hear in the video?
   • The dancing scenes that take place in a parking lot are shot differently than other scenes in the music video. Describe how this scene is shot differently. Why do you think director Melina Matsoukas made this decision? How do you think this might relate to issues regarding the treatment of Black Americans?
   • In the chorus, Beyoncé calls out “okay ladies, now let’s get in Formation!” Why might Beyoncé specifically focus on Black women? What significance might the act of “Formation” have?
   • At the end of the video Beyoncé sinks into water on top of a New Orleans’ police car? What might this symbolize?
   • How are the police depicted in the music video for “Formation”?
   • Who do you think the intended audience for this video is?
   • What makes “Formation” an anthem?

Summary Activity:

1. Place students into groups, and pass out Handout 2 – Connect, Extend, Challenge to each group. Using the notes they took while watching the videos, ask the students to complete the handout as a group.
2. Have student groups present their ideas to the class.

Extension Activities:

1. Research and choose a song from the list below that speaks to the sentiment or issues addressed by the Black Lives Matter movement. Analyze the song and the accompanying material (such as the cover art, the official music video, interviews, live performances, etc.). Write an argument on why the song relates to the Black Lives Matter movement and Black culture overall.
   • “Freedom” by Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar
   • “Drowning” by Mick Jenkins ft. BADBADNOTGOOD
   • “Americans” by Janelle Monáe
   • “Nike” by Frank Ocean
   • “Summer Friends” or “Paranoia” by Chance the Rapper
   • “We the People” or “The Space Program” by A Tribe Called Quest
   • “F.U.B.U.” by Solange
   • “VRY BLK” (ft. Noname) or “Blk Grl Soldier” by Jamila Woods
   • “Casket Pretty” or “Blaxploitation” by Noname
   • “16 Shots” by Vic Mensa
2. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID 19 Pandemic, uprisings and large protests broke out across the United States and around the world in response to police killing of George Floyd. The organization Black Lives Matter demanded and started a petition calling for the defunding of police across the U.S.You can read it here. Research and write a response explaining the motivation behind BLM’s call to defund the police, what defunding the police entails, and what it would mean for the Black community.
3. Research and summarize how Black writers have considered the position of Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar within Black culture after the release of Lemonade and To Pimp a Butterfly. How do their interpretations differ?

Handout 1 –  Black Lives Matter Document Set Handout 2 – Connect, Extend, Challenge

Common Core State Standards

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

• Reading 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
• Reading 2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
• 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.
• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 8: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 9: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
• Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

• Text Types and Purposes 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• 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.
• Production and Distribution of Writing 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• Research to Build and Present Knowledge 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
• Research to Build and Present Knowledge 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
• Research to Build and Present Knowledge  9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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.

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.

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

• Theme 1: Culture
• Theme 3: People, Place, and Environments
• Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Theme 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
• Theme 10: Civic Ideals and Practices

National Standards for Music Education – National Association for Music Education (NAfME)

Core Music Standard: Responding

• Select: Choose music appropriate for a specific purpose or context.
• 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.

Career Technical Education Standards (California Model) – Arts, Media and Entertainment Pathway Standards

Design, Visual and Media Arts (A)

• A1.0 Demonstrate ability to reorganize and integrate visual art elements across digital media and design applications.
  A1.1 View and respond to a variety of industry-related artistic products integrating industry appropriate vocabulary.
  A1.4 Select industry-specific works and analyze the intent of the work and the appropriate use of media.
  A1.9 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work. ia, and Entertainment |
  A3.0 Analyze and assess the impact of history and culture on the development of professional arts and media products.
  A3.2 Describe how the issues of time, place, and cultural influence and are reflected in a variety of artistic products.
  A3.3 Identify contemporary styles and discuss the diverse social, economic, and political developments reflected in art work in an industry setting.
  A4.0 Analyze, assess, and identify effectiveness of artistic products based on elements of art, the principles of design, and professional industry standards.
  A4.2 Deconstruct how beliefs, cultural traditions, and current social, economic, and political contexts influence commercial media (traditional and electronic).
  A4.5 Analyze and articulate how society influences the interpretation and effectiveness of an artistic product.
  A5.0 Identify essential industry competencies, explore commercial applications and develop a career specific personal plan.
  A5.1 Compare and contrast the ways in which different artistic media (television, newspapers, magazines, and electronic media) cover the same commercial content.
  A5.3 Deconstruct works of art, identifying psychological content found in the symbols and images and their relationship to industry and society. 

Performing Arts (B)

• B2.0 Read, listen to, deconstruct, and analyze peer and professional music using the elements and terminology of music.
  B2.2 Describe how the elements of music are used.
  B2.5 Analyze and describe significant musical events perceived and remembered in a given industry generated example.
  B2.6 Analyze and describe the use of musical elements in a given professional work that makes it unique, interesting, and expressive.
  B2.7 Demonstrate the different uses of form, both past and present, in a varied repertoire of music in commercial settings from diverse genres, styles, and professional applications.
  B7.0 Analyze the historical and cultural perspective of multiple industry performance products from a discipline-specific perspective.
  B7.1 Identify and compare how film, theater, television, and electronic media productions influence values and behaviors.
  B7.3 Analyze the historical and cultural perspective of the musician in the professional setting.
  B7.4 Analyze the historical and cultural perspective of the actor and performance artist in the professional setting.
  B8.0 Deconstruct the aesthetic values that drive professional performance and the artistic elements necessary for industry production.
  B8.1 Critique discipline-specific professional works using the language and terminology specific to the discipline.
  B8.2 Use selected criteria to compare, contrast, and assess various professional performance forms.
  B8.3 Analyze the aesthetic principles that apply in a professional work designed for live performance, film, video, or live broadcast.
  B8.4 Use complex evaluation criteria and terminology to compare and contrast a variety of genres of professional performance products.