Using TimeRime and Google Maps for Interdisciplinary Lessons

By Dr. Brandon L. Haskett SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY Blhaskett@gmail.com

Why interdisciplinary?
These types of lessons are not intended to turn music classes into math, reading, history, or visual arts classes. They are intended to make connections that are natural and help provide context to the musical knowledge they are learning.

EXAMPLE #1
Students commonly learn major events in U.S. and world history in school. National music Standard #9 charges us with teaching the relationship between music and history/culture.

EXAMPLE #1 (cont.)
Many of us learned that the American Revolutionary War occurred from 1775-1783. Many of us also learned that Mozart and Beethoven lived during this same time period. Did you make that connection when you learned these facts? I didnt.

EXAMPLE #2
Many of us learn basic geographic facts while in school (continents, countries, and their relationships) along with information like historical trade routes.

EXAMPLE #2 (cont.)
When teaching music of other cultures (whether in general music or in an ensemble) students frequently have a hard time making connections between the area the music is from and its musical characteristics.

PREMISE
Students synthesize information better with more contextual information to inform their new knowledge if the new concept is related to previous knowledge (known to unknown)

Timerime
Allows you to create timelines with multiple threads, Pictures, and embedded youtubes. In other words, you can show chronology with examples and the relationship between multiple timelines.

TIMERIME SCREENSHOT

TIMERIME SHARING
Each timerime can be linked to and can be embedded in a webpage, therefore, your students could access these items from your webpage instead of having to learn another site.

TIMERIME IDEA #1
Using timelines to understand rapid changes in music (EX. Making connections between non-western musical influences and the history of technology and/or the history of travel.

TIMERIME IDEA #2
Using timeline to understand cultural influences in music (Ex. Making connections between colonial history in africa and cultural influences in african music)

Google Maps
Allows you to show geographic relationships. Can associate each pin on the map with text, a picture, or embeddable video.

GM SCREENSHOT
Music from Around the world GM/YOUTUBE MASHUP

GM SHARING
GoogleMaps allows for collaboration on maps (group projects). GMs can be embedded in a website or linked to.

GM IDEA #1
Using a map to show geographic influences on musical characteristics (EX. Map that show that african music in northeast africa exhibits arab musical influences)

GM IDEA #2
Using a map to illustrate a musical diaspora (EX. Map that shows the spread of a musical tradition With supporting video, such as the spread of steelpan from the Caribbean to the U.S.)

Sounds Great, BUT . . .

Interdisciplinary lessons take time to construct. Consider a divide and conquer approach. Have each teacher construct one or two of these lessons a year with a promise to create unique examples each year.

Then . . .
Save them in a mutually accessible webpage. I suggest using a posterous website where multiple contributors can post. Consider asking your administrators to allow you to spend a professional development day with all district music teachers working in a lab on this Process.

Contact Info and Links

Blhaskett@gmail.com (Subject MMC) http://www.timerime.com http://maps.google.com http://www.posterous.com http://blhaskett.posterous.com ; Click MMC tab for screencasts and these slides.

Questions?
??? Thank you for attending! Enjoy the conference!