Understanding Society Through Contemporary Music Making

High School General Music

Ashley Starkston
Course Description:
The goal of this course is for students to learn about their past, connect with their
present, and empower their future through music. Music in the education world can
sometimes be stripped of its cultural significance. Through this course, students would
be allowed a space to think about music in a cultural sense. Music has been used to
advocate for change, address social issues, and make a difference throughout history.
Students taking this course would not only have the opportunity to learn about how
music was used for all that in the past, they would also have the opportunity to dive into
how it is used today and to obtain skills and knowledges that allow them to shape their
futures through music.
This course would provide a space for ​everyone ​to be involved in music. There is no
need to be proficient wind or string players to be involved in this class. Students would
be allowed to use any instruments they could get access to, from the oboe to a midi
keyboard. Student autonomy in the way they interact with and create music is the focus,
that way students are creating products that are meaningful to them.
A large focus of this course would be collaboration. There are projects planned where
the music students will work with numerous other classes such as a research and
re-creation project with a history class, a songwriting project with an english class, and a
multimedia presentation project with art and dance classes.

Rationale:
Throughout music education at the high school level, the main theme seems to be large
ensemble, performance-oriented classes (i.e. band, choir, orchestra). Even the classes
that are not "ensembles" can quickly turn into performance-based classes, like a guitar
class or a piano class. When that occurs, it typically follows that the repertoire becomes
what is "standard" in those ensembles. The class focuses on the teacher's musical
ideals that they then impart on the whole without too much individual effort from the
students or any thought towards the music that they engage with regularly. However,
research shows that children and adolescents are listening to ​songs--​not wind
ensemble pieces or oratorios (Kratus 2016). While there are students who want to
engage with that type of music, that group​ is not the majority of students whom we are
trying to include in our music programs. Music education is not dying off because
people aren't interested in the arts, it is dying off because it does not include everyone
who wants to have meaningful musical experiences. Music educators have to create a
space for these meaningful experiences in order to involve those students (Kratus,
2007).
The goal of this proposed course, Understanding Society through Contemporary Music
Making, is to serve the population that is interested in ​songs​ and those who want to
engage with music in a way that is not offered in the large ensemble classroom. In this
class, students would be able to make music with keyboards, guitars, electronic
instruments and DAWs, or potentially anything they are interested in using. The course
would have a large focus on songwriting and collaboration. These skills are important
for multiple reasons​. Collaboration​ in the classroom for instance allows students to
develop social skills, individual accountability, interdependence, promotive interaction,
and group processing which allows for deeper learning and meaning making (Reed,
2014). Aside from collaboration within the classroom, the course would also involve
interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments. Collaboration with classes like art
and dance as well as English and history would be implemented in projects. Music
would not be simply used as a connector or a correlator to other subject areas, but
rather all parties involved would be immersed in integrated lessons and projects that
deepen understanding and heighten meaning making (Snuder, 2001).

The course would be outlined with these collaborative projects at the core. The idea of
using projects as the core part of this course helps create a more concrete, real-world
application to the class (Tobias, Campbell, & Greco 2015). The focus of these projects
is to allow a space for students to express themselves and the world around them in a
musical way that is individualized and meaningful to them. Students will research and
learn about issues in society and use music to understand, advocate, fight, become an
ally, and demand change. Musicians have historically been huge parts of social change.
President Barack Obama once called the Civil Rights Movement "a movement
sustained by music," because of the deep impact music has on social movements and
issues (Potts 2011). Allowing students a space to explore these ideas and to be
involved in the world around them is an important part of including students in music
outside of ensembles, because those are typically the students who have a voice that
they want to be heard. We, as music educators, can provide them with an avenue to let
their voice be heard.

​As stated earlier, the goal is to involve ​more​ people in high school music education. The
best way to do this is let the student's interests and culture be the driving source (Hess
2017). A course in which students are introducing music to the teacher, rather than the
ensemble paradigm that goes the other way around, forces the focus to be on the
students ideas and values (Kratus 2016). If we let the students have a space to create,
perform, and respond to music (as the National Core Standards address) in a way that
is driven by their ideas, their issues, and their values, we've created a space that is
more accessible to every student at every musical level.
 Understanding Society through Contemporary Music Making
Need:
Social/Societal concern(s):
Individuals concern(s):
Essential Questions:
Broad impact:
Standards addressed
Need and Focus
Many people have a lot to say about the world around them, but they may not know
how to say it. This class would provide ways for students to express those feelings in
multiple different ways as well as look at ways that other people do and gain
appreciation for the feelings of others.
The current world around us is swamped in political beliefs and arguments and differing
ideals. Society is in a constant state of arguing what side is better. A lot of people may
feel as though they are isolated or aren’t empowered enough to speak up. This course
should serve as a way to encourage students to speak their minds and form ideas and
opinions to become better members of their society.
Students don’t always feel comfortable expressing themselves and their concerns
without fear of judgement from their peers and teachers. While this is not true about
every student, it is true for many. This class would encourage students to speak their
minds and express their ideas in a safe space, no matter what those ideas may be. No
single idea or agenda will be pushed, but rather any ideas from students will be
thoughtfully discussed and fleshed out.
How can music be a voice for the voiceless who want to see change? How have
people used music throughout history to address issues and speak out? How can we
use those models and continue that in the future? How can we become comfortable
with discomfort?
Student Impact
This course will allow a place for students to deal with societal issues through music
such as equal rights for all parties, immigration laws, educational issues, and many
other topics as chosen by the students to ensure personal interest and passion. It will
both allow them to explore how people of the past have used music as an advocate for
social issues and provide a place for them to compose and express their own advocacy
for current issues that they want to address. This course will also have an emphasis on
collaboration with creative writing classes, art classes, history classes, and possibly
dance classes. Students will be able to collaborate with history classes to discuss ways
in which music has dealt with issues in history. Collaboration with creative writing
classes will allow students to be able to tell stories through music. Lastly, collaboration
with art and dance classes will allow students to advocate for these issues through
multimedia projects and performances.These collaborative projects will help all of the
involved students to develop critical thinking, problem solving, and
collaborative/communication skills as well as heighten their awareness of the
importance of each respective subject in making change and publicizing social issues.
MU:Cr2.1.8 MU:Cr3.1.8
MU:Cr3.2.8 MU:Pr4.2.8 c.
MU:Re7.1.8 MU:Re7.2.8 b.
MU:Cr1.1.C.IIa MU:Cr3.2.C.IIa
MU:Pr5.1.C.IIb MU:Pr6.1.C.IIb
MU:Cn10.0.C.IIa MU:Cn11.0.C.IIa
 Skills: Knowledges​:
● Songwriting ● Ways in which music is used as
● Lyric writing advocacy
● Discussing societal issues ● Importance of discussing societal issues
● Being comfortable with discomfort

Community Impacts

Impact of the community: This course would draw specifically on the issues in the community as well as global
issues. The community would constantly be informing what we would discuss as well
as what the students are choosing to write about and what is important to them.

Impact on the community: The goal of this course would be to not only allow another class where students can
make music, but also to allow a class where students are learning to speak up and
speak out about issues surrounding them. My hope is that this would shape students to
become better citizens of their community and that they would feel empowered to go
out and use music to make their community a better place.
 Project Sketch:

Songwriting: Music as Communication

Stage 1 Desired Results

Standards: Goals:

MU:Cr2.1.C.Ia​ Assemble and organize sounds or
short musical ideas to create initial expressions of
selected experiences, moods, images, or
storylines.
MU:Cr3.2.C.Ia​ Share music through the use of
notation, performance, or technology, and
demonstrate how the elements of music have
been employed to realize expressive intent.
Music​ students can demonstrate and explain the ways in
which they use music to convey expressive intent
English ​students can evoke expressive intent through word
choice, tone, and organizational tools
Music and English ​students can develop a project through
collaboration that tells a story, addresses an issue, or sheds
light on an idea

MU:Pr6.1.C.Ib​ Identify how compositions are
appropriate for an audience or context, and how
this will shape future compositions.
MU:Cn10.0.C.Ia​ Demonstrate how interests,
knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices
and intent when creating, performing, and
responding to music.
MU:Cn11.0.C.Ia​ Demonstrate understanding of
relationships between music and the other arts,
other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life
Music ​students can share their work with others through a
performance, notation, or presentation
Music and English ​students can identify the importance of
their topic/story and discuss how it may impact future
musicians and writers
Music ​students can discuss the power and influence of writing
and lyrics on music and its impact on the surrounding culture
English ​students can discuss the importance of setting their
words to music and the impact that music may have

VA English SOL 10.1
h) Choose vocabulary, language, and tone
appropriate to the topic, audience, and purpose.
j) Use reflection to evaluate one’s own role and the
group process in small-group activities.
Music and English ​students recognize their roles as
collaborative artists and support/build upon each other’s ideas
as the “experts” in their respective fields

VA English SOL 10.6

a) Engage in writing as a recursive process.
b) Plan and organize writing to address a specific
audience and purpose.
k) Elaborate ideas clearly through word choice.
m) Revise writing for clarity of content, accuracy,
and depth of information.

Generative (Essential) Questions:

How do artists use music to convey expressive intent and address issues?
Why does music have such a high impact on society’s values?
How can your musical creations have an impact on your community?
 Stage 2 - Evidence

Students will have:

- A brief blog post with examples of 2 songs and 2 poems that address a social issue, historical event, or tells
a story accompanied by short explanations of how the artist conveyed these ideas (day one)
- A blog post containing a rough draft of lyrics written by the English student and an outline of
style/form/instrumentation to potentially be used in their song compiled by the music student (day two)
- A blog post containing a “check-in” to show progress on the songwriting along with an overview of
discussions between the English student and music student explaining the choices they have made and the
way in which they are choosing to convey their text through music (day three)
- A final product in the form of a video, audio file, or notated piece of music accompanied by an explanation
of their artistic choices and how those choices reflect the intent of the song (day four)
- A reflection on the importance of music, form, instrumentation, lyrics, and texture on addressing issues and
telling stories (day five)

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Week 1 - ​Looking at examples, meeting group members, brainstorming

● In class, we will look at songs and poems that were important to different social movements or issues and
songs with deep historical roots
○ Followed by a discussion of the importance of music in social contexts
● Students will be assigned a partner(s) from the English class (Junior writing class) with whom they will be
collaborating to write a piece of music
● Students will be allowed time to brainstorm with their group member(s) to come up with a topic to address
○ If the students don’t come up with an idea yet, they will have time before the next class to think
about it and then decide
Week 2 - ​Sharing ideas and beginning drafts
● Students will meet in their groups and begin sharing ideas with each other
● English students should have a poem or lyrics of sorts worked out into a rough draft for music students to
start developing ideas for
● Students will discuss musical sounds and textures and ways in which they will convey their ideas through
music
Week 3 - ​Work day
● This day will be allotted for students to meet in their group and work on their projects
● Teachers will go around and ask students questions to facilitate conversation about their expressive intents,
word choices, plans for presentation, etc
Week 4 - ​Work day with peer feedback
● Students will continue work on their projects moving further towards a final project
● After some work time, students will be invited to walk around the room in shifts and listen to/view other’s
projects
○ This will provide time for peer feedback where students will be encouraged to ask questions,
provide constructive criticisms, and offer suggestions
Week 5 - ​Presentations
● Student groups will present their final projects either through a sound file, a video recording, or a live
performance
● Following each performance, there will be a Q&A type discussion for peers to discuss each other’s works
and teachers to facilitate deeper discussions about the potential impacts of their products
 Proposed Budget 

Item Name   Use   Cost  Quantity Overall Cost

(linked to provider)  (How will this be used by students/teacher?)  (per unit) 

Acoustic Guitars Used for students to accompany their compositions $120 4 $480

Keyboards Can be used as pianos or midi controllers for students $80 7 $560
to write music

Drum set Students to accompany their compositions $300 1 $300

Drum set mic set Recording student’s music $100 1 $100

Electric bass Students to accompany their compositions $100 1 $100

Bass amp Accompanies the electric bass $80 1 $80

Electric guitars Students to accompany their compositions $80 2 $160

Electric guitar Accompanies electric guitar $50 2 $100

amp

Recording Students to record their compositions $200 3 $600

bundle

Total Cost $2480

Resources:

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doi:10.1177/0027432117714737

Kratus, J. (2007). Centennial series: Music education at the tipping point.​Music

Educators Journal​, ​94​(2), 42-48.

Kratus, J. (2016). Songwriting. Music Educators Journal,102(3), 60-65.

doi:10.1177/0027432115620660
​
Potts, E. (2011). A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change: Musicians as
Allies in Social Change [Scholarly project]. In Animating Democracy | Americans
for the Arts. Retrieved April 04, 2018, from
https://animatingdemocracy.org/sites/default/files/Potts Trend Paper.pdf

Reed, Z. A. (2014). Collaborative Learning in the Classroom [Scholarly project]. In

United States Military Academy - West Point. Retrieved April 03, 2018, from
https://www.usma.edu/SitePages/Home.aspx

Snuder, S. (2001). Connection, Correlation, and Integration. Music Educators

Journal,87(5), 32-70. doi:10.2307/3399706

Tobias, E. S., Campbell, M. R., & Greco, P. (2015). Bringing curriculum to life: Enacting
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39-47.