Title of Lesson: Hard Out Here

Teachers Name: McKenzie Sterner

Grade Level: High School Intermediate Composition
[Disclosure: Students parent will need to sign a waver to listen to songs with explicit content]
Focusing Question:
In what ways does pop music have an impact on our views of gender equality?
What Learners will
Be able to do (behavioral):
By the end of the unit, the students in high school intermediate composition will be able
to perform an original song using GarageBand tools pertaining to gender roles in society, with a
success rate of 80%.
Understand (cognitive):
Students in intermediate composition will interpret Hard Out Here by Lily Allen,
demonstrating an understanding of the implications of popular music on gender equality.
Encounter (experiential):
Students will compose an original piece that uses music and text to comment on gender
roles.
Construct Meaning (constructivist):
Students will realize how popular music has a positive or negative effect on their
perception of gender norms.
Materials:
Computer lab equipped with keyboards and GarageBand, Access to YouTube and a projector, a
decent audio system for listening, waivers for explicit content from guardians

Assessment
Formative: Teacher will circle through groups during small discussions and composing periods.
During this time the teacher will assess and assist students in being effective and appropriate
with the choices made while composing.
Summative: Teacher will use checklist to review compositions use of musical styles and text for
effectiveness. Teacher will also take student reflection into consideration.

Integrative: After the students present their compositions, the teacher reflect on how the
students were provided the information to answer the focusing question. The teacher reflects on
how their perception of how the students interpreted the information and answered the focusing
question may have changed. These reflections are recorded in a personal journal for future
lessons.
Process
Partner:
Students bring in a piece of popular music that they think emphasizes or combats a gender
norm. Each piece is played online for the students and discussed in an informal setting.
Students will be asked how the song exemplifies or breaks down gender roles. Students will
discuss lyrics, orchestration, melodic contour, text painting, and other relevant musical qualities.
Present:
Hard Out Here by Lily Allen is played for the students. The teacher draws the students
attention to some musical and lyrical influences that might impact the listener. This includes, but
is not limited to: text, explicit language, style, orchestration, tempo, harmonic rhythm, and
historical setting, Students may split up into small groups or work individually. They will write
down musical and textual factors that influence conscious or subconscious conclusions a
listener might draw from the song. Then they will conclude how this positively or negatively
impacts our views on gender roles and equality. These statements will be shared with the rest of
class.
Personalize:
Each student will compose a piece of music in any style using the GarageBand skills that were
learned previously in the semester. They may use live audio or computer generated sounds to
compose a piece that uses musical and textual effects to impact the listeners view of gender
equality.
Perform:
After students have been given the opportunity to create their composition in the computing lab,
students will send the final version to the teacher. They will then be present by the composer
played for the class. Each student will have the opportunity to follow through with a written self
assessment of their composition. Both the performance and the reflection will be taken into
consideration the summative assessment.