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Essential Question
How do successful music producers practice positive leadership skills?
Overview
Have you ever wondered what goes into creating a successful album? Or, how an artist writes a song on acoustic guitar that somehow becomes a fully orchestrated pop hit? Almost always, a successful recording is the result of a team effort.
There are dozens of ways a songwriter can funnel a song from her brain to the airwaves. She might work with other composers, lyricists, and arrangers to craft and finely tune the song. Then, when recording, she may employ any number of extra musicians to add instruments or vocals. Engineers are required to record all those instruments, and later to “mix” them into a final product. Artists, photographers and designers must create a “look” for the recording package that complements the artist and music. And, perhaps most importantly, someone will need to manage the entire process, guiding all team members toward a unified aesthetic and timely completion. That someone, most often, is the “producer.”
A successful music producer will see the potential of the artists with whom they work, have a vision for how to best reach the public with the artists’ music, and, more importantly, a plan regarding the steps required to do it. The producer may take on many roles, such as choosing a recording studio, gathering ideas, helping to compose and arrange the music, selecting musicians to play on a track, coaching the artist, and leading the recording session. The producer can function as a boss, a coach, a teacher, a colleague, or any combination of the above. But being a music producer rarely just means telling people what to do. A successful producer is aware of each team member’s strengths and weaknesses, and works with each to inspire their best work. In other words, a successful music producer is a successful leader.
In this lesson, students are introduced to two of the most well-known producers in music history: Quincy Jones and George Martin. By examining Jone’s relationship with Michael Jackson, and Martin’s relationship with The Beatles, students discover how interpersonal leadership skills are essential for a music producer who aspires to help artists achieve their full potential. By watching clips from the PBS Soundbreaking series and conducting a class brainstorming activity, students then further define what types of particular leadership skills are necessary to be a music producer, and how developing such skills are useful in other avenues of life.
Objectives
Upon completion of this lesson, students will:
- Know (knowledge):
- Positive leadership skills
- How a producer contributes to recorded music
- The relationship between a producer and an artist
- The ways a producer can influence an artist’s sound
- About music producer Quincy Jones’ work with Michael Jackson and producer George Martin’s work with The Beatles
- Mastery Objective:
- Students will be able to contrast and compare positive and negative leadership skills by learning what a music producer does.
Activities
Motivational Activity
- Use a whiparound activity to ask students in the room to name a song they like or have listened to recently. Pick a song from the students’ selections and ask:
- How do you think that song was written? Do you think it was written by the performer? If not, who else do you think might have been involved? (Encourage students to consider how different parts of a song, such as the melody, the chords, the beat, or the lyrics, might be developed by different people.)
- What does it take to turn a written song into a recording heard on the radio or internet, or even a music video? What kind of skilled work might be needed to accomplish this? (Encourage students to think about all the visual and sonic elements that go into a recording, and what might be needed to create them.)
Procedure:
- Ask students if they’ve heard of Michael Jackson, and then use another whiparound activity to ask what Michael Jackson songs they know. (Chances are, some students will name songs on the album Thriller, which include “Billie Jean,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Thriller,” and “Beat it.”)
- Tell students that some of Michael Jackson’s most famous songs were from the 1984 album Thriller, which is one of the top-selling albums of all time. Display Image 1, Robin Eggar Quote. Select a student to read the quote out loud, and then ask:
- Who might Quincy Jones be?
- What might have he done with Michael Jackson that had such an impact on Thriller, Bad, and Off the Wall?
- Tell your students that Quincy Jones was the producer of the three albums mentioned in the above quote. If you choose, play some of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” for students (Note: This links to the official Michael Jackson YouTube page and may begin with an advertisement, we suggest loading the video before class.) Ask students:
- What do you think it means to be a producer for a record?
- What sort of skills might Quincy Jones need in order to be a record producer?
- If you played “Billie Jean,” encourage students to think of the different elements they hear in the music and what role Quincy Jones may have had?
- Play Clip 1, Soundbreaking – What Does a Producer Do? and tell students to take notes on a piece of paper to keep track of the various statements they hear about producers. Then ask:
- According to some of the people interviewed in this clip, what does a producer do?
- What are some of the personality traits suggested as important for producers to have? Why might these traits be important?
- Why do you think an artist or a band might choose to work with a producer? (If helpful, ask students to compare an artist’s relationship with a producer to an athlete’s relationship to a coach.)
- In what ways do you think a song might “get lost in bad production”? (Again, a sports analogy may be useful: why might a team of excellent athletes still lose?)
- Tell students they will now be watching a clip about successful producer George Martin. Play Clip 2, Soundbreaking – The Early Beatles and George Martin. Ask your students:
- How did George Martin contribute to the music of The Beatles? How might one describe his style of interaction with the band?
- How were The Beatles and George Martin able to work together despite the great age difference between them?
- George Martin is often referred to as “The 5th Beatle.” Why might have people given him this title?
- Display Image 2, Leadership Quote in the class, and read the quote out loud. Then ask students:
- What are the differences between a boss and leader? Can you think of any experiences with either in your life?
- Based on what you learned about Quincy Jones and George Martin, do you think these music producers were more “leaders” or “bosses.” Why?
- Tell students that to further understand the difference between bosses and leaders, they will play a matching game. Print, cut out, and shuffle the the cards in Handout 1 – “Leader or Boss?” Activity. Print enough so that all students can get a card.
- Pass out one card to each student and then display Image 3, Instructions to “Leader or Boss?” Activity. Invite students to walk around the room searching for the classmate who has the opposite card they have. For instance, a student with a card displaying “places blame” should partner with the student with a card reading “takes responsibility.” While students are looking for their matching card, create a T-chart on the board, with one side reading “Leader” and the other reading “Boss.”
- Have each student pair to come to the board and explain why they think their two cards were opposites. Then place tape on the back of their cards, and ask the student pair to whether their respective cards belong in the “boss” or “leader” side of the chart.
Summary Activity:
- As a class, examine the chart students created with their cards. Ask the class:
- What kind of qualities listed here do you think successful music producers display? Are they more “bosses” or “leaders?”
- How might the the skills listed in the “leader” side of the chart be more helpful in your life than those in the “boss” side?
- How might people respond to you if you often act like a boss? How about if you often act like a leader?
- Can you think of a situation in your life where it is better to be a leader than a boss?
- What are some situations where you feel like it would be easier to act like a boss than act like a leader?
- How can you develop leadership skills?
Extension Activity:
- Role Play Activity: Break students up into pairs. Tell each pair to come up with a scenario between two people where positive leadership skills are needed. Possible scenarios could be between a music producer and an artist, a coach and an athlete, or a boss and an employee. Tell students that they will be performing their scenario in two skits. For the first skit, the student in the “leader” roll will show positive leadership skills. In the second skit, the student will show poor leadership skills. The student in the “non-leadership” role should react realistically in both skits to the leader’s actions. After each group performs, ask the class:
- In which skit did the leader show good leadership qualities? What were those qualities, and what effect did they have upon the other person?
- In which skit did the leader show poor leadership qualities? What were those qualities, and what effect did they have upon the other person?
Standards
Common Core State Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading (K-12)
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 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing (K-12)
Writing 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening (K-12)
Speaking and Listening 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language (K-12)
Language 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.
Language 6: Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Social Emotional Learning Competencies
Self-management
- Impulse control
- Stress management
- Self-discipline
- Goal-setting
- Organization skills
Social Awareness
- Perspective-taking
- Empathy
- Appreciating Diversity
- Respect for Others
Relationship Skills
- Communication
- Social engagement
- Relationship-building
- Teamwork
Responsible Decision Making
- Identifying problems
- Analyzing situations
- Solving problems
- Evaluating
- Reflecting
- Ethical responsibility
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.
A3.1 Identify and describe the role and influence of new technologies on contemporary arts industry.
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).
A4.3 Analyze the aesthetic value of a specific commercial work of art and defend that analysis from an industry perspective.
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.
A5.4 Predict how changes in technology might change the role and function of the visual arts in the workplace.
A5.7 Synthesize traditional art work and new technologies to design an artistic product to be used by a specific industry.
A8.0 Understand the key technical and technological requirements applicable to various segments of the Media and Design Arts Pathway.
A8.1 Understand the component steps and skills required to design, edit, and produce a production for audio, video, electronic, or printed presentation.
A8.3 Know the features and uses of current and emerging technology related to computing (e.g., optical character recognition, sound processing, cable TV, cellular phones).
A8.4 Analyze the way in which technical design (e.g., color theory, lighting, graphics, typography, posters, sound, costumes, makeup) contributes to an artistic product, performance, or presentation.
A8.7 Evaluate how advanced and emerging technologies (e.g., virtual environment or voice recognition software) affect or improve media and design arts products or productions.
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.
B8.4 Use complex evaluation criteria and terminology to compare and contrast a variety of genres of professional performance products.
B9.0 Explore the connection between artistic preparation and professional standards and practices.
B9.4 Understand the technical aspects of lights, sound, properties, costumes, and makeup from the perspective of the professional performer.
B9.5 Contrast differing roles in professional skill sets of creators, performers, and others involved in the production and presentation of the performing arts.
Production and Managerial Arts (C)
- C3.0 Analyze and differentiate the function of the various members of a production team.
C3.1 Identify the skills and competencies of the various members of a production team including producer, production manager, director, assistant director, stage manager, production designer(s), post production, etc.
C4.0 Demonstrate key skills and an understanding of the complexities of production planning.
C4.1 Know the main elements and functional responsibilities involved in the production and presentation of the performing, visual, and media arts.
C5.0 Apply knowledge of services, equipment capabilities, the workflow process, data acquisition, and technology to a timely completion of projects.
C5.1 Identify essential qualifications and technological competencies for each team member, including artists, designers, performers, composers, writers, and technicians.