Topic: Contemporary Music
lesson:
The Spanish-American War’s Impact on Cuba and Puerto Rico Featuring Bad Bunny
What was the impact of the Spanish-American War on Cuba and Puerto Rico and how is that impact still present in the 21st Century?
lesson:
Emo: A Short History
How did Emo music emerge from Punk to become its own unique genre, and how has Emo influenced a newer generation of artists and audiences?
Student Edition:
Brazilian Music and Culture in the United States
Student Edition:
Contemporary Latin Artists and Activism
Unit Plan:
Latin Music and Culture in U.S. History
Through ten lessons, students will explore different people, music, events, and places that helped shape Latin music and culture in the United States. Students will discover how Latin Music like Salsa, Latin Rock, Tejano, Bossa Nova, Swing, and Chicana Punk reflect the experiences of Latin people living in the...
lesson:
Brazilian Music and Culture in the United States
What is the influence of Brazilian music and culture in the United States?
Trace It Back:
Miguel
Trace It Back:
Bad Bunny
lesson:
Lydia Mendoza: Tejano Life and Music on the Mexico/Texas Border
How does Lydia Mendoza’s Tejano music connect to the history of Texas and the influence Mexico has had on that state?
lesson:
Contemporary Latin Artists and Activism
How are contemporary Latin artists pursuing activism and promoting positive change in their communities?
lesson:
Westward Expansion and Country Music’s Hispanic Influence
What was Westward Expansion, and what effect did it have on American Popular music?
Student Edition:
What Makes a Great Front Person in Music?
Trace It Back:
ChocQuibTown
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LADAMA
Unit Plan:
LADAMA: Movement, Music, and Community in South America
LADAMA: Movement, Music, and Community in South America introduces students to the music, dance, and culture of South America in an interactive way. Through four lessons, students learn to sing, dance, and perform the traditional rhythms of selected musical styles in Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. In addition, they play games...
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Alice Bag
lesson:
Toby Keith & The Chicks: Songs and Words During the War on Terror
What were the different reactions to songs and comments by Country musicians about the September 11th terrorist attacks versus the Iraq War?
Trace It Back:
Janelle Monáe
Student Edition:
Golden Age of Radio in the U.S.
lesson:
Swing Down: Afrofuturism & Flight in the Black Imagination
What is Afrofuturism and what are some of the cultural traditions and historical events that inspired and reinforced it?
Trace It Back:
Drake
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Mitski
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Thundercat
lesson:
The Reclamation of the American Cowboy
How has the image and history of the American cowboy been reclaimed in the 21st Century?
Student Edition:
The Roots of Hip Hop
Trace It Back:
Chance the Rapper
Trace It Back:
Gary Clark Jr.
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H.E.R.
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Rosalía
Trace It Back:
Tyler, The Creator
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Selena Gomez
lesson:
Greta Thunberg, Music, and the Climate Crisis
How have musicians helped spread climate activist Greta Thunberg’s message?
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Nicki Minaj
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Dua Lipa
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Camila Cabello
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Beyoncé
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Billie Eilish
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Ariana Grande
lesson:
DAMN.: The Art and Importance of Storytelling
How do Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. and the work of photojournalist Gordon Parks tell stories that bring attention to social issues?
Trace It Back:
Tame Impala
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Gorillaz
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P!nk (aka Pink)
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Lizzo
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Kesha (aka Ke$ha)
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St. Vincent
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Lana Del Rey
lesson:
The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States
How did same-sex marriage become legal in the United States?
lesson:
#BlackLivesMatter: Music in a Movement
How have musicians responded to the Black Lives Matter movement?
lesson:
Kanye and Katrina: Environmental Racism in New Orleans
What was Hurricane Katrina, and how did Black Americans articulate the frustrations they felt in its aftermath?
lesson:
“Alright” and the History of Black Protest Songs
How have Black artists throughout the 20th century used music to speak about racial injustice in America?
lesson:
Celebrating Community with Art and Poetry (High School Version)
What different types of communities exist, and how do the people in our communities impact us?
lesson:
Celebrating Community with Art and Poetry (Elementary School Version)
What different types of communities exist, and how do the people in our communities impact us?
lesson:
“Glory” and the Continuing Civil Rights Movement
How does Common and John Legend's “Glory” signal Civil Rights movements of the past and the present?
lesson:
New Perspectives on The Great Gatsby’s Daisy Buchanan
Does Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” help humanize Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby?
lesson:
Learning Rhythm through Gospel
How can Gospel music help students identify the musical concepts of beat, meter, backbeat, subdivision, and syncopation?
lesson:
Singing Democracy During the Second Great Awakening
What was the Second Great Awakening, how did it change American society, and how does Sacred Harp singing exemplify its ideals?
lesson:
The Latin Rhythms of “Despacito”
What Latin American genres inspired Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s hit song “Despacito”?
lesson:
Who is “Us” in P!nk’s “What About Us”?
Who is the ‘us’ in P!nk’s song “What About Us?”
lesson:
Negotiating Native Identity through Art, Poetry and Music
How have Native American musicians, poets, and visual artists negotiated their identity, and what role does physical space play in these negotiations?
lesson:
Debating Cultural Appropriation
What is cultural appropriation, how does it affect Native American communities, and should it be regulated by law?
lesson:
“See You Again”: How We Mourn with Music
How does music help us remember people we are close to, or those we have lost?
lesson:
Heroes and Mortals in “Something Just Like This”
Who are the gods and superheroes referenced in “Something Just Like This,” and what are the connections between them?
lesson:
“Here”: Managing Peer Pressure and Anxiety
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:
Rhythm as a Representation of People and Place
How does “the beat” of popular music reflect the histories of multiethnic populations and places?