Download Music and Culture K. Tellier

Understanding By Design Curriculum Unit
Music and Culture
Katherine Tellier
What enduring understandings
are desired?
Students will understand…

What are the overarching
"essential" questions?
How does music affect culture?

How is music an integral part of the

Music is essential to a culture

Music of a particular culture affects their
cultures of Latin America, Africa
traditions
and/or Middle Eastern countries ?

Music from various cultures affects the

music of other cultures
How does the music of Latin America,
Africa and/or the Middle East affect
outside cultures?
What will students understand
as a result of this unit?
Students will know…

About different Latin American, African and/or
What "essential" and "unit" questions will
focus this unit?
 How does music span cultures?
the Middle Eastern cultures

About traditions, of which music plays an integral
part, from Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle

East

How are traditions affected by music?
How the music of other cultures has been affected

How does music form cultures?
by the music of Latin America, Africa and/or the
Middle East
Students will be able to…

Talk intelligibly about the music of a particular
culture using proper language and content specific
vocabulary

Reflect on their learning through writing and
discussions
What evidence will show that students understand...?
Performance Tasks, Projects

Students will sing songs from Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle East

Students will keep a journal of the cultures they have learned about and write reflections via guided questions

Students will create a dance or beat/rhythm that was inspired by a particular culture of Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle
East
Quizzes, Tests, Academic Prompts
Students will be assessed via written questions/responses, multiple choice questions/responses, exit cards,
journals
Other Evidence
Teacher observations
Student Self-Assessment
Self-evaluations
Summary:
This unit will cover how Music relates to Social Studies units about
Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle East and India
Grade/Level:
Grade 6
Time Frame:
One term
Subject(s):
Music/Social Studies
Topic(s):
Latin American, African and/or Middle Eastern music and celebrations
and traditions
Notes:
Use aspects of lessons from Music Express Magazines, bring in
information from other resources such as CD’s, books, internet, etc.
Standards:
National Standards: 1-sing alone and with others a varied repertoire; 2play instruments; 3-create a song, rhythm inspired by another culture;
4-create a dance inspired by another culture; 5- following music; 6Listening to, analyzing, and describing music; 8-understanding
relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines and
outside the arts; 9- understanding music in relation to history and
culture
Enduring
Understandings:



Essential Questions:



Knowledge and
Skills:
Performance Task:
Students will know…
 About different Latin American, African and/or Middle Eastern cultures
 About traditions, of which music plays an integral part, from Latin
America, Africa and/or the Middle East
 How the music of other cultures has been affected by the music of
Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle East
Students will be able to…
 Talk intelligibly about the music of a particular culture using proper
language and content specific vocabulary
 Reflect on their learning through writing and discussions


Performance
Prompt:
Music is essential to a culture
Music of a particular culture affects their traditions
Music from various cultures affects the music of other cultures
How does music affect culture?
How is music an integral part of the cultures of Latin America,
Africa and/or the Middle East?
How does the music of Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle
East affect outside cultures?

Students will sing songs from Latin America, Africa and/or the
Middle East
Students will create a dance or beat/rhythm that was inspired by
a particular culture of Latin America, Africa and/or the Middle
East
Students will keep a journal of the cultures they have learned
about and write reflections via guided questions
Assessment/Rubrics: Students will be assessed via written questions/responses, multiple
choice questions/responses, exit cards, journals
Sequence of
 Students will be learning about the continents of Latin America
Activities:
and Africa in their Social Studies classes. I will be
supplementing their knowledge through mini-lessons on the
various cultures and countries of those continents. During the
introduction of each country and/or continent, the students will
read about that area. Countries of focus: Latin America
(Mexico, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobego), West Africa (Nigeria,
Ghana, Liberia), Middle East (Israel), and India. They will also
read about a celebration that takes place in that country or
region: Mexican Independence Day, Carnival, The West African
Yam Festival, Hanukkah, the Festival of Holi.

In each issue of Music Express there is a cultural aspect that
includes information on either a country or a culture and a song
either directly from that country or culture or an original song
written in the style of the music from that country or culture.
Upon learning about the different festivals celebrated in those
areas, we will learn a song associated with that festival and
about traditions surrounding those festivals.

The Latin American cultures will be covered first. The students
will learn about Brazil, then Trinidad and Tobago and finally
Mexico. With each addition, the students will build their
knowledge of these countries and be able to bring this additional
level of understanding back to their Social Studies classes. In
this portion of the unit, the students will learn about Mariachi
music of Mexico and sing a song with a Mariachi feel. They will
talk about their experiences with this style of music and or their
experiences with the Mexican culture and/or Mexican
Independence Day celebrations. We will then focus on two
countries that celebrate Carnival and learn about the similarities
and differences between the ways that each country celebrates.
We will also explore various styles of music from those
countries, i.e. samba, soca, calypso. We will learn and perform
drumming rhythms that form the basis of those styles of music
and experience firsthand the feeling that surrounds the
celebration of Carnival.

We will then travel east towards Africa. The students will learn
about Nigeria and Ghana, and then Liberia. Again, the goal is
to increase their level of understanding of these cultures and
countries and allow them to make new connections as they
study other aspects of these countries in their Social Studies
classes. As with the Latin American countries and music, we
will explore the African traditional rhythms and instruments that
are a major part of the culture of Africa. We will create rhythms
in the style of African groove rhythms and play African beat
games to help the students get into the groove. They will sing in
the language of the people they are learning about. We will
extend our learning to encompass some of the music we are
more familiar with as much of the popular music in our own
culture is largely based on those African beats and rhythms.

We will end our tour by learning about some Middle Eastern
countries and traditions. India, focusing on the festival of Holi;
and Israel, focusing on Chanukah. We will explore popular
music of this area of the world, i.e. Bollywood style music.

As new issues arrive, other countries and cultures will be added
should they fit in with the unit.
Differentiated
Instruction:
Resources: I will be
using aspects of the
Music Express
Magazines, music
recordings, African Attachments
and Latin American
percussion
instruments,
computer, articles, Student Work Samples
videos