Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Background/Context: This course is intended for upperclassman students in the music program
of this high school. A pre-requisite to this course is Introduction to Music Theory, offered to
underclassman students in the music program and for students outside the music program. Those
students not already allowed in the class may take a placement test to attempt and pass over the
Introduction class. This course generally has 20-30 students in it, and meets every school day for
one period. The only hours required outside the classroom will be for homework assignments.
Transfer Goals: (After they leave this course, what will students be able to do independently?)
1. Students will be able to describe distinguishing features of musical styles and forms from
cultures around the world.
2. Students will be able to recognize ways in which technology and culture impact the
growth and development of music over time.
3. Students will be able to explore and describe music’s role in society through comparison
and contrast on the development of music around the world.
4. Students will be able to perform basic aspects of music from various cultures of the
world.
5. Students will be able to analyze and describe different styles of music from various
cultures through active listening.
6. Students will be able to arrange or compose music, with specific guidelines, that reflects
aspects of music from a particular culture.
Enduring Understandings: (What will students understand at a deep level after this course?)
1. Music is a form of communication, with many different dialects used around the globe.
2. Through experiencing music, we gain a more authentic understanding of it.
3. Personal reactions to music are different for everyone.
4. Music is not the product of rapid development, but rather the result of thousands of years
of innovation and experimentation.
Essential Questions: (What questions will students ponder both during and after the course to
help them reach the understandings?)
1. How did our system of musical communication we use today become so popular?
2. What causes people to form opinions about music?
3. How do different art forms draw from each other for inspiration?
4. Why did music originate?
5. Why is it necessary to understand the importance of music outside of our own culture?
6. Music is its own language; however, is it a universal language?
Acquisition List: (What specific pieces of knowledge and skills will need to be taught in this
course for students to reach the understandings? May be divided into Skill and Knowledge lists,
or may be divided differently, as here.)
Music History and Cultural Context
o Chapter I: Introduction to World Music
What is “world music”?
Introduction to cultures being studied in course
o Different areas of Africa
Sub-Saharan/West Africa
Middle East/East Africa
Why should we study “world music”?
o Importance of understanding roots of our own music
Basic Elements of World Music
o Who
o What
o When
o Where
o Why
o How
Lesson I: Anthropological definition of the word “culture”
How is culture formed?
o Beginnings of social interaction
o Culture: “the full range of learned human behavior patterns
Incorporation of music into culture
o Formal events, informal events
o Education
o Actual written systems
Babylonian manuscripts
Greek lute music
Gregorian chant
Notre Dame/Aquitainian
Mensuration signs
Development of European written music
Lesson II: The relationship between music and language
How they function as systems of meaning
o Different global systems of music notation
o History of notation itself
See previous lesson
Sound versus silence
o How silence is used to communicate ideas
Creating emotion and feeling with sound
Is it a universal language?
o Discussion on how music is communicated
o Musical language barriers
Difference in notation
Ability level of performers
Inconsistency in teaching
Oral vs. written tradition
Lesson III: Music Culture
o How different genres of music generate
Reviewing general culture
Different aspects of culture that may use music
Religion
Celebration
Entertainment
o Today’s music culture: where did it come from?
Changing developments in pop music
Technology
Pandering to demographics
o The effect of technology and social media on music culture
Lesson IV: Sociopolitical Factors
Guiding Factors for researching and understanding music
o Nationalism
o Ethnicity
o Religion
o Regionalism
o Immigration
Music Vocabulary
o Specific Vocabulary in each chapter
Africa and the Middle East
Instruments
Music notation/terminology
Other vocabulary
India/Indonesia
Instruments
Music notation/terminology
Other vocabulary
Migration and Spread
Instruments
Music notation/terminology
Other vocabulary
Latin and North America
Instruments
Music notation/terminology
Other vocabulary
Music Listening
o Aural identification
Instrumentation: what kind of ensemble is performing the music
Form
Harmonic structure: how the piece fits in musically (is it polyphony or
polyphony? Is it tonal or atonal? Is it chromatic or diatonic?)
Scope and Sequence: (Representation of how the content in your Acquisition list will be divided
up throughout the year. May be organized in any way that makes sense to you; this is one
possible organization. Many people prefer visual organizations like charts.)
First Quarter
o Chapter I: Introduction to World Music
What is “world music”?
Introduction to cultures being studied in course
o Different areas of Africa
Sub-Saharan/West Africa
Middle East/East Africa
Why should we study “world music”?
o Importance of understanding roots of our own music
Basic Elements of World Music
o Who
o What
o When
o Where
o Why
o How
Lesson I: Anthropological definition of the word “culture”
How is culture formed?
o Beginnings of social interaction
o Culture: “the full range of learned human behavior patterns
Incorporation of music into culture
o Formal events, informal events
o Education
o Actual written systems
Babylonian manuscripts
Greek lute music
Gregorian chant
Notre Dame/Aquitainian
Mensuration signs
Development of European written music
Lesson II: The relationship between music and language
How they function as systems of meaning
o Different global systems of music notation
o History of notation itself
See previous lesson
Sound versus silence
o How silence is used to communicate ideas
Creating emotion and feeling with sound
Is it a universal language?
o Discussion on how music is communicated
o Musical language barriers
Difference in notation
Ability level of performers
Inconsistency in teaching
Oral vs. written tradition
Lesson III: Music Culture
o How different genres of music generate
Reviewing general culture
Different aspects of culture that may use music
Religion
Celebration
Entertainment
o Today’s music culture: where did it come from?
Changing developments in pop music
Technology
Pandering to demographics
o The effect of technology and social media on music culture
Lesson IV: Sociopolitical Factors
Guiding Factors for researching and understanding music
o Nationalism
o Ethnicity
o Religion
o Regionalism
o Immigration
Second Quarter
Chapter II: Africa and the Middle East
o Module I: Music as a Vehicle of Worship and Culture: Sub-Saharan/West Africa
Lesson I: Distinct cultural characteristics of African music
Why: calls for war, prayer, work songs
Who: Tribes of Sub-Saharan/West Africa
What: Meter and rhythm construction
When: ca 8000-3000 BC
Where: Sub-Saharan/West Africa
How: climate change drawing tribes closer together
o Combining and creating new cultures
o Cause for use of music
Lesson II: African music characteristics in American folk music
calls for war, prayer, work songs
ca 8000-3000 BC
Additive rhythmic patterns
Improvisation
More compounding topics on Lesson I
o Module II: Music as a Vehicle of Worship and Culture: The Middle East/North
Africa
Lesson I: Arab society and culture
Why: calls for war, prayer, work songs
Who: Tribes and people of the Middle East/North Africa
What: Difference between the practices of Islam and music
performance
o Introduction to mode and structure
o Incorporating melodic modes and rhythm into music
o Distinction of Middle Eastern harmony and scales from
typical western music
When: ca 8000-3000 BC
Where: Middle East/North Africa
How: climate change drawing tribes closer together
o Combining and creating new cultures
o Cause for use of music
Third Quarter
Chapter III: India
Module I: India
Lesson I: Hindustani: North India, Karnatak: South India
o General characteristics of each kind of music
o Scales and modes, rhythm organization
Raga and tala respectively
How do these differ from Western systems?
Lesson II: Classical Indian Performance Technique
o Specifics of Indian performance organization
o Roles of each instrument
Voice is considered an instrument, but how?
Speaking versus singing
Intricacies of actually using the voice to sing
o Role of improvisation
Context
Type of music
Religious
Entertainment
Lesson III: Musical Connections
o How this music is taught and passed on
Importance of aural skill/improvisation
Use of actual notation for this genre
o Connections
How music, dance, and spiritual practice work together as
one
Bhangra
o Context in which Bhangra is learned and
performed
Stage 2
Music Anthropology: A Global Perspective
Transfer Goals: (After they leave this course, what will students be able to do independently?)
1. Students will be able to describe distinguishing features of musical styles and forms from
cultures around the world.
2. Students will be able to recognize ways in which technology and culture impact the
growth and development of music over time.
3. Students will be able to explore and describe music’s role in society through comparison
and contrast on the development of music around the world.
4. Students will be able to perform basic aspects of music from various cultures of the
world.
5. Students will be able to analyze and describe different styles of music from various
cultures through active listening.
6. Students will be able to arrange or compose music, with specific guidelines, that reflects
aspects of music from a particular culture.
Enduring Understandings: (What will students understand at a deep level after this course?)
1. Music is a form of communication, with many different dialects used around the globe.
2. Through experiencing music, we gain a more authentic understanding of it.
3. Personal reactions to music are different for everyone.
4. Music is not the product of rapid development, but rather the result of thousands of years
of innovation and experimentation.
Performance Tasks: (These should evaluate the Transfer goals and Understandings – these are
the larger “project-based” assessments that show deep knowledge. These should usually involve
some form of student decision-making, and often include reflective essays to make students’
thought processes evident. Be sure that all of your Understanding goals and all or nearly all of
your Transfer goals are reflected here.)
Students will choose an instrument from a list of provided instruments (bansuri, sitar,
zither, mizmar, gamelan, pianoforte, trumpet, violin, conga, batá). Students will find five
works, those of which must come from varying points in history, of music in which their
selected instrument is used, either as a solo instrument or an part of ensemble in some
way. These works must encompass different eras in history, including at least three
separate centuries in which a work of music includes their instrument of choice. After
experiencing this, students will research the history, development, and current use of their
selected instrument and/or any current relatives of said instrument. This research will
culminate in a 5-7 page paper including their reactions to each piece they found with their
instrument, describing the piece from the standpoint of an unbiased listener, and their
description of the history and context of the instrument and its family. The paper will also
include a discussion on the difference in use of the instrument and how that genre of
music played into the cultural atmosphere of the time, and then more broad comparison
on the role technology played in the development of that instrument and where it would
fit in on a global timeline.
o This project aligns with Transfer Goal 2, “Students will be able to recognize ways
in which technology and culture impact the growth and development of music
over time”. This is covered through the research and analysis of multiple uses of
these instruments over time, and the impact of their music on culture. It also
aligns with Transfer Goal 3, “Students will be able to explore and describe
music’s role in society through comparison and contrast on the development of
music around the world”. This is covered through the comparisons in the latter
portion of the assignment.
o This project aligns with Enduring Understandings 2, 3, and 4. EU 2 applies to the
experiencing of each work of music. EU 3 applies to the follow up reactions of
the experience, and EU 4 applies to the research portion of the project.
Students will compose a short, 8-16 bar melody to be sung over a hand-drumming
rhythm or pattern. This rhythm can come from the African, Middle Eastern, Indian,
Indonesian, or Afro-Cuban/Afro-Brazilian studies of hand-drumming. The melody must
include lyrics related to a folk story, one actually from their selected culture or one that is
made up, and must follow the harmonic and melodic structures of that culture. This
project may be performed live or recorded at home. It also may be done in groups of
students up to four. In addition to the written composition of this work, each student must
include a reflection of their research, practice, and performance of this music in order to
demonstrate their further understanding of whichever culture they chose to represent.
o This project aligns with Transfer Goal 4, “Students will be able to perform basic
aspects of music from various cultures of the world”, and Transfer Goal 6,
“Students will be able to arrange or compose music, within specific guidelines,
that reflects aspects of music from a particular culture”.
o This project aligns with Enduring Understandings 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Other Evidence: (This is where you will list more discrete tests, worksheets, and other smaller
assignments that will mostly measure the Acquisition knowledge. In a performing ensemble, this
might include things like pass-offs, scale tests, SmartMusic or Google Classroom recording
assignments, and so forth. Consider how often you are assessing students – a good target is at
least once per week.)
Students will complete short worksheets focusing on vocabulary for the lesson being
studied at the time. These worksheets will be passed out on the first day of each lesson, as
not every lesson can be covered in one class period.
o This aligns with Transfer Goals 1, 2 and 3
Students will take a quiz at the end of every lesson, incorporating the information
covered on the worksheets. These quizzes will also be in the same format as the
worksheets for a sense of consistency.
o This aligns with Transfer Goals 1, 2 and 3
Students will complete a review guide prior to the end of each module. The review guide
will pull information from the lesson worksheets covered in the lessons of the module.
o This aligns with Transfer Goals 1, 2 and 3
Students will take a module test at the end of every module to cover the information of
the module. The module test will cover the information from the review guides.
o This aligns with Transfer Goals 1, 2 and 3
Students will complete a listening assignment at the beginning of every other class,
similar to an entry slip. As students walk in, a new piece of music will be played over the
speaker and students will be handed a slip of paper with instructions and questions about
the piece of music. Students will hold a brief, guided discussion about different elements
of music found in the excerpt.
o This aligns with Transfer Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5
Grading Scale: (Explain how your assessments will be categorized, weighted, and turned into a
letter grade)
Assessment Tools: (Develop two assessment tools for use in your class. At least one must be a
rubric. Be sure that these are clearly connected to the assessments you listed, that they are as
thorough as possible, and that they follow best practices discussed in class.)
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to perform Cuban rhythms from notation and aural repetition.
2. Students will be able to discriminate between the 2-3 rumba, 3-2 rumba, 2-3 son, and 3-2
son clave rhythms through notation recognition and performance.
3. Students will be able to identify different instruments native to Cuban music.
Assessments:
1. Students will be provided with rhythmic patterns written on the board and will have
chances both as a class and as individuals to sing, clap, and sing and clap the rhythms.
2. Students will be provided rhythms aurally and be asked as a class to repeat the rhythms
both as a class and as individuals while singing, clapping, and singing and clapping.
3. Students will provide self-feedback on a four-finger system (1-I need a lot of help, 2-I
need some help, 3-I’ve got this, 4-I can help others)
4. Students will complete a simple worksheet including images of Cuban instruments.
5. Students will perform a short, provided melody in groups of 3-4 incorporating hand-
drums, claves, and a guiro.
Procedures:
As students enter classroom, “Abre Que Voy” by Miguel Enriquez plays over speakers.
Once students have arrived, ask leading questions
o “Did you recognize any instruments?”
o “What style of music would you call this?”
o “Were there any repeating rhythms or patterns?”
Introduce the lesson on Cuba
o Overview of topics
o Instruments
o Rhythms
o Religion in Cuban music
o Cuban music as an element of culture
Pass out instrument worksheet
o Pictures of different instruments
Guiro
Claves
Congas
More recognizable instruments
Trumpet, trombone, keyboard
o Space to take notes on each instrument on the worksheet
o PowerPoint included for presentation on instruments
On same PowerPoint, introduce clave rhythms
o If the clave in the intro song wasn’t mentioned/recognized, this is the time to
introduce it
Performance practice for implementation of the rhythm in music
o Definition of the clave rhythm
3-2 versus 2-3
Rumba versus son
Implied versus actual use of the rhythm
o Songs that use this rhythm
Echo clap the 3-2 son clave
o Teacher first, then class
o Keep repeating 3-2 son clave
Hum the melody to “Lightly Row” while students continue rhythm
o Stop 3-2, begin 2-3 son clave
Half the class claps, half the class hums
Switch the two halves after one repetition of the song
Echo clap the 3-2 rumba clave
o Repeat same steps as son clave procedures
Introduce percussion instruments
o Conga, guiro, claves
Any hand drum will do
o Discuss the possible combinations and rhythms for each instrument
o Reintroduce the concept of implicit vs. explicit use of the clave rhythm
Does not have to be one particular
For this purpose, it must be explicit on one of the instruments
Each instrument must have a unique rhythm
Split into groups of 3-4 to begin the process
After 15 minutes, bring the class back together
o Each group presents their mini-arrangement
o Opportunities for peer feedback