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History Through Music

Module by: Dan Hoehler. E-mail the author

Summary: Students demonstrate how music reflects the historical era.

HISTORY THROUGH MUSIC ASSIGNMENT

Assignment: The purpose of the assignment is to illustrate how musicians use their songs as a means of expressing the thoughts and the feelings of a particular time period. Each student must select a song that represents or reflects a particular decade from the 1960s to the current time. The student will then give an oral presentation about his particular song and play the song while displaying the lyrics on the overhead.

Guidelines: Students will have an opportunity to choose a song from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, or the new millennium. Sign ups will occur on a first-come, first-serve basis. I will assign the song to the appropriate decade. Each decade will only have a certain number of spaces available.

Students will have until January 6th to sign up for a song. If you have not signed up for a song by then, I will assign you to a particular decade. At that point, you will be responsible for finding an appropriate song for you assigned decade. ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR SONG PROPOSALS BY January 13th. If you have not submitted a song by then, your overall grade for the project will be reduced.

Criteria for the Songs: Your song MAY NOT:

  • Contain profanity
  • Contain sexually suggestive lyrics
  • Glorify illegal activities
  • If in my judgment your song does any of the above, you will receive a “0” for the assignment. You may also be subjected to other disciplinary measures by the administration.
  • IF YOU ARE DON’T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOUR SONG IS ACCEPTABLE, TALK TO ME WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR A SONG. ALSO, BRING IN A COPY OF THE SONG’S LYRICS FOR ME TO SEE.
  • The majority of your song must CONTAIN LYRICS.
  • You are responsible for bringing a copy of the song to class on the day of your presentation on a CD or flash drive. DO NOT expect to use You Tube or similar websites.
  • You are responsible for emailing the teacher a copy of the lyrics 24 HOURS before your presentation.

Due Date: You will be giving your presentation when we discuss your time period in class. I will give you approximately ONE-WEEK notice before your presentation is due.

Criteria for presentation: Your oral presentation will precede your musical presentation. Your oral presentation must be between 1 ½ and 2 minutes. In your oral presentation you should:

  • Explain why you chose the song.
  • Explain how the song reflects the feelings and attitudes of the decade.
  • Explain a little about the artist and why s/he wrote the song.
  • Explain the overall message behind the song. Make reference to some of the lyrics while doing so. (Don’t spend too much time talking about obvious lyrics. Clarify confusing lyrics.)
  • Explain how the artist uses the beat, tone, rhythm, etc. to communicate his/her point of view.

During your presentation, you may use a 3x5 note card. The note card may only contain a rough outline. Do not write your entire presentation on the note card. The note card will be collected as part of your assignment. You may ONLY use a note card. No loose sheets of paper. Make sure you are organized ahead of time.

Once you are done with the oral presentation portion, you will play the song while displaying the lyrics on the overhead. Lyrics for the song must be emailed to the teacher AT LEAST 24 hours before your presentation.

Grading: The assignment is worth 35 points. Your grade will be based on the following:

  • Was the song selected on time?
  • Were the lyrics turned in on time?
  • Length of presentation.
  • Content of the presentation (Address points listed under “Criteria for presentation”.)
  • Delivery of the presentation (Eye contact, enthusiasm, rate, tempo, etc).
  • Content of the note card.
  • If you are not prepared to deliver the presentation on the due date, your grade will be reduced by 2 letter grades. This includes having an unexcused absence. If you have an unexcused late on the day of your presentation, your grade will be reduced by one letter grade.
  • If your presentation is more than one day late, you will receive a “0” for the presentation.

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