Musical Cultures

This is conceived as a social studies unit, which addresses post WWII culture, and the effect of reconstruction on musical education. The musical cultures of Germany and Japan will be discussed and examined. The students will be exposed to changes in American education during the same period focusing on the inclusion of Jazz in the curriculum. The students will have read and explored events directly following WWII.

Activity one:

Jazz during the late nineteen forties.

Standards:

Social Science 18.A.2 Explain ways in which language, stories, folk tales, music, media, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture.

Social Science 16.A.2.C Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images, and othe literary and non-literary sources.

Process:

1. Ask the students what they know about Jazz.

2. Ask the students what they want to know about Jazz.

3. Play the intro Ward and Burns' "Jazz a History of America's Music"

4. Ask students to describe what Burns Feels Jazz is, and its place in post WWII America.

5. Play "Take the A Train".

6. Respond to musical piece through creative drawing or abstract written definition.

7. Discuss student responses.

Materials:

Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward's PBS documentary "Jazz a History of America's Music"

Count Basie "Take the A Train" mp3

Activity two:

Orff’s approach to teaching German folk music .

Standards:

Social Science 18.A.2 Explain ways in which language, stories, folk tales, music, media, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture.

Social Science 18.B.2.B Describe the ways in which institutions meet the needs of society.

Social Science 16.A.2.C Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images, and othe literary and non-literary sources.

Social Science 15.A.2.B Describe how incomes reflect choices made about education and careers.

Process:

1. Introduce the students to the basic tenets of Orff Schulwerk.
2. Ask the students why Orff educated students in this manner. Exploring financial, political, and cultural reasons.
3. Allow students to explore Orff instruments.
4. Walk students through an Orff based lesson.
5. Ask students if this differs from how they were taught music, and discuss difference.
6. Allow students to compose their own works.

Materials:

Orff-Schulwerk

Studio 49 Orff instruments

Recorders

Activity three:

Suzuki’s approach to teaching Japanese musicians .

Standards:

Social Science 18.A.2 Explain ways in which language, stories, folk tales, music, media, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture.

Social Science 15.A.2.B Describe how incomes reflect choices made about education and careers.

Process:

1. Introduce the students to the basic tenets of Suzuki.

2. Ask the students why Suzuki educated students in this manner. Exploring financial, political, and cultural reasons.

3. Play portion of Circle Round.

4. Discuss differences and similarities of all three musical cultures.

5. Students will respond to the Suzuki method by writing what they like or dislike.

Materials:

Video “Circle Round”

Object Box: The Constitution

Object Box 1: The Constitution

NCSS Thematic Strand: Power, authority, and governance
IL Social Science Standard:
State Goal 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States
State Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations
16.A.3b: Make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other historical sources.
Activity: Students will view a copy and poster of the Preamble to the Constitution and the Constitution. After students have viewed the documents, they will view the short clip from School House Rock about the Preamble. Students will then write one paragraph describing why they think the founding fathers decided to join together in order to complete the document we now call the Constitution of the United States.
Content of box: Photo copy and poster of Preamble, Photo copy and poster of Constitution, Video clip of School House Rock: The Preamble
Resources: http://www.usconstitution.net/constpix.html#const
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNb9AoY5XXE

Morris Call Number: IMC Poster Collection Gov#2 31911008794688

IMC Poster Collection Gov #1 31911008795032


Object Box 2: Father of the Constitution
NCSS Thematic Strand: People, places, and environments
IL Social Science Standard:
State Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations
16.A.1b: Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources ( e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other visual or electronic sources).
Activity: Students will view a portrait of James Madison. Students will complete a KWL chart on the founding father and list facts that they know about the founding father and his contributions to the Constitution, facts that they want to know about the founding father, and after reading the book, I Know America: Our Constitution, will complete the what we learned portion of the chart.

Content of box: Portrait of James Madison, the book, I know America: Our constitution

Resources: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/P/jm4/about/madison.htmabout/madison.htm

Johnson, L. C. (1992). I know America: Our constitution. Connecticut: Millbook Press.

Morris Call Number: IMC 342.73 31911001346858

Object Box 3: The Constitutional Convention
NCSS Thematic Strand: Individuals, groups, and institutions
IL Social Science Standard:
State Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.
16.A.2c: Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images, and other literary, and non-literary sources.
Activity: Before viewing the portraits of the Constitutional Convention, students will answer questions about what they think the founding fathers looked like and did during the convention. Students will then open an envelope that contains the portraits of the convention and compare their predictions to what they viewed in the portraits. Students will work in groups to discuss why the founding fathers were presented in this way and why their predictions were correct or incorrect.
Content of box: Photo copies of portraits of Constitutional Convention

Resources: http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/paintings.html

Object Box 4: The Bill of Rights
NCSS Thematic Strand: Civic ideals and practices
IL Social Science Standard:
State Goal 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States
14.C.2: Describe and evaluate why rights and responsibilities are important to the individual, family, community, workplace, state, and nation (e.g., voting, protection under the law).
Activity: Before discussing the Bill of Rights and describing what each amendment ensures, students will make an educated guess about what the first ten amendments are and how they protect Americans. After the students have listed what they believe are the first ten amendments, they will view a photo and poster of the actual document. As a class, the students and teacher will discuss the Bill of Rights and determine if the students' guesses were correct. The class will review the book, The Bill of Rights and will then create their own Bill of Rights for the classroom setting after reflecting on the Constitutional Bill of Rights.
Content of box: Photo copy of Bill of Rights, the book, The Bill of Rights

Resources: http://www.usconstitution.net/constpix.html#const

Stein, R. C. (1992). Cornerstone of freedom: The bill of rights. Chicago: Children's Press.
Morris Call Number: IMC Poster Collection Gov #7 31911008795032

IMC 342.73

Object Box 5: The Thirteen States
NCSS Thematic Strand: People, places, and environments
IL Social Science Standard:
State Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations
16.A.3b: Make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other historical sources.
Activity: Students will view a map of the original thirteen states that existed during the writing of the Constitution. Using the map and a list of delegates from the Convention of 1787, students will then identity and locate the different states and identify one delegate from each state that was present during the Constitutional Convention in May of 1787.
Content of box: Map of the original thirteen states (colonies)

Resources:

Morris Call Number: IMC Poster Collection History #86 31911008798127