Becky Tuttle/Hagen

Grade: 9 – 12

Class: Geography

You can tell a lot about a person by the music that they listen to. In this lesson students will compare the 10 ten songs in the United States (according to http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=The+Billboard+200) to the top 10 songs in Europe (according to http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=European+Top+100+Albums). This will help students see the similarities and differences in cultures between the United States and Europe. Hey, maybe were not so different.

Activity:

Go to www.billboard.com and look up the top 10 songs in the United States for that week. Have students go through the top ten songs and write do for each song if they have heard it before and a summary of what it means. After students have had time to write about each song, talk about the songs as a whole together as a class. Talk about patterns in the music (ie. Are all ten songs in the same genre? Or are they from different genres? Are the songs sexual in nature? Violent? Peaceful?). You may choose to listen to some of the songs in class.

After looking at the top ten in the United States, once again go to www.billboard.com and look up the top ten songs in Europe. Have the students once again go through the songs one by one and write down whether or not they have heard the song and a summary of what it is about. If many of the songs are different that in the US it may be a good idea for students to listen to them before talking about patterns. Once again talk about the patterns in the European top 10.

After analyzing both top ten songs. Compare the two. What do they have in common? How are they different? What do the similarities and differences tell us about the cultures of the US and Europe? End the lesson with students writing a personal reflection on what they have learned in this lesson. Were they surprised by anything?

Posted by tutt0040 at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grade: 9 – 12

Class: US History (Current Event)

Many schools do not allow students to listen to ipods/mp3 players at school (in fact teachers and staff members confiscate them when they see them). This discussion will help students see both sides to the issues and decide for themselves if listing to music in school is a good idea or not.

Activity:
Before class, arrange the desks/tables into a circular pattern (students should be able to see each other during the discussion). When class begins introduce the subject and tell them that we will be having a discussion. Tell the students that the only way this will work is if only 1 person talks at a time. Also tell students that as a teacher your job to going to be to listen, but you will make points if the conversation lulls or if both sides of the issue are not being addressed.

Tell students that before we start the discussion, you need to jot down on a ½ sheet of paper your opinion on this question “should students be allowed to listen to ipods/mp3 players in school?� (This will ensure that everyone has something to say)

Have students discuss for 30 minutes or so depending on the length of your class. Jump in only when things get out of hand or to steer the conversation in another direction.

After the discussion have students write a professional letter to the school principal or other administrator telling them their perspective on the issue as a student. The goal of the letter is to inform, maybe persuade and maybe even bring about change.

If time allows have volunteers read their letters aloud.

Posted by tutt0040 at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grades: 9 – 12

Class: US History

Activity:
Challenge the students to think of songs that they currently listen to that have lyrics about the Iraq War. Give students 5 minutes to brainstorm. After about 5 minutes have students share what they came up with. Write their ideas on the board.

Tell students that there is actually a lot of popular music that talks about the Iraq War. You probably listen to it every day but do not realize. Tell students that today we are going to listen to 4 songs about the Iraq War and analyze their lyrics. Hand out song lyrics for each song.

Songs: (These are only suggestions)
Toby Keith “American Soldier�
System of a Down “B.Y.O.B� (*Edited Version)
Linkin Park “Hands Held High� (*Edited Version)
John Mayer “Waiting for the World to Change�

Play each song one by one. While students are listening have them follow along on the lyrics page and have them underline or circle lyrics that deal with the Iraq War. After each song is done discuss as a class. For one or two songs you can also have the students discuss in small groups first and then bring the discussion to the whole class (This will allow students who are shy the opportunity to voice their opinion in a small group and feel more comfortable, in addition it gives the students a chance to form their own opinions before the teacher steps in).

After listening to and discussing all songs, have students nominate the song that they felt was the most meaningful and explain why (Students can write on the back of their lyrics page).

Extra Credit Opportunity:
Tell students to keep their ears open for more songs about the Iraq War. If you hear something, print out the lyrics and write a ½ page analysis of the song/lyrics (like we did in class).

Posted by tutt0040 at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grades: 9-12

Class: US History (Current Events)

Music has been defining generations for years. The 1950’s were defined by the soulful jazz of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby. The 19960’s were defined by “Beetle Mania� and the King himself Elvis Presley. The 1970’s was all about the “hippie rock� of bands like The Who, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin. The 1980’s were defined by the music stylings of Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson.

Activity:
In groups of 3-4 have students discuss what genre of music and individual artists/bands defines the 2000’s decade. Tell the groups that they must come to a consensus when it comes to their decision. When groups are finished they need to write down what they have come up with and a ½ page explanation of why they chose the genre/artists they did.

After all groups are finished, have each group share what they came up with (they should give the genre/artists that they nominated and their explanation). As students are sharing write their nominations on the board. After all groups have shared challenge the class to look at what everyone has come up with and come to another consensus as a class as to what is the final music that defines the 2000’s generation.

If there is time left in the period, give each student a ½ sheet of paper and have them write a personal refection about the music that was chosen by the class to define their generation. How did the final decision differ from the one their small group cam up with?

Posted by tutt0040 at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music reviews help people know whether or not a CD is worth buying, explain the meaning behind the songs and gives a professional’s opinion of the music itself. That being said there are many different ways that music critics go about reviewing music, some do not hold anything back, while others take a more neutral stance. This raises the question what makes a good music review? To answer this question, I looked at a few music review sources online. The first was http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews, this is an online version of the Rolling Stone magazine available in print at stores. The second site I visited was http://www.blender.com/guide/rArchive.aspx?itype=1&sb=new. This is also the online version of a popular magazine. The third site I visited was http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/cl-powers-sg,1,3671619.storygallery. These reviews were authored by Ann Powers a female lead pop music critics.

What makes a good music review?

In my opinion a good music review does exactly that, reviews the music. They don’t “rip the artist a new one� they evaluate the music. A good music review needs to come from a neutral stand point. Looking at the music for what it is (not for what its not) and comparing that to other things so that the reader will understand what the album is all about. Music critics also need to be neutral when it comes to genre. This is difficult to do because naturally people are drawn to what they like and repelled from what they don’t like musically speaking. However a music critic needs to understand that even if they personally do not like the genre, there are people out there who do like it and they deserve to have a review that gives them information about whatever music they may buy. Going along with “not ripping the artist a new one,� I think that a good music review values the artist for who they are as people and the efforts they have put into their music. The music industry is a very difficult one to get into and even more difficult one to stay in, knowing that I think that artists deserve respect when critics are reviewing their music. As a consumer it is very difficult to read reviews that really lay into the artist, because I think of artists as people and people do not deserve to be put down. Looking at a few of the reviews at http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews, I really liked that the critiques uses the artists own lyrics to make their points about themes and styles of the album. It made me feel like the critic new what they were doing and they weren’t just making things up. In my opinion Rolling Stone did a better job with their music reviews than did Blender. I really got the feeling the Rolling Stone was reviewing the music (not just the artist) and they came from a neutral view point. I felt like the reviews on the Rolling Stone site were actually helpful, they gave positives as well as the not so positives. The Blender site http://www.blender.com/guide/rArchive.aspx?itype=1&sb=new on the other hand felt more negative. I read a review on the artist 3 Doors Down (their self titled CD) and it really made the CD sound awful. They did not give any examples of lyrics or content that made the CD so bad, which made me question the professionalism of the review. Personally I have listened to the CD and liked it, so I guess my taste is just bad. These two sites really made me see that there are differences in the ways in which music critics go about reviewing music. While it was hard to compare Ann Powers’ reviews to the highly commercial Rolling Stone and Blender sites because they did not review the same music (or the amount of music), I liked Ann’s reviews because they were also from the more neutral stand point. She gave a lot of background information, which helped me understand the artist and the music.

My Music Review

Linkin Park’s third album “Minutes to Midnight� with new producers Rick Rubin and Mike Shinoda takes what you know about Linkin Park and cranks it to the max. The band spent a lot of time searching for the perfect sound for this album and they have reached it. Their sound is a mix of alternative rock, pop and techno. This sound will make just about everyone happy. The musical tracks on the songs are hardcore, yet catchy. Even better than the music are the lyrics. The songs are not just a bunch of music they relay a message. “Hands Held High� and “The Little Things Give You Away� express the bands feelings on the Iraq War, the reaction to hurricane Katrina and President George W. Bush. Lyrics from the song “Hands Held High:� “the rich wage war, but it’s the poor who die� challenge people to think about what is really happening in the Iraq War and to look for patterns such as this. Lyrics from “The Little Things Give You Away:� “all you ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you and six feet underwater, I do� voice the opinions of many in New Orleans and challenge people to think about how the disaster was handled. “What I’ve done� is a soldier’s refection of what he/she has done in the name of war. The main chorus of the songs says “what I’ve done, I’ll face myself to cross out what I’ve become, erase myself and let go of what I’ve done.� The music video that accompanies the songs really does a good job of relaying the message of the lyrics. These songs would be perfect to use in the classroom for lyric analysis. The best thing is that students are probably already familiar with the band and the songs, but they probably never taken the time to actually listen to the words and connect to the meaning. Connecting the songs from this album to US History/current events will help students feel more connected to the songs as well as the lesson. Every time a student hears one of these songs on the radio, they will think of the lyrical analysis they did in class. Who knows they may even share what they’ve learned with a friend! One thing to watch out for however, when using this album in the classroom is the explicit language. Linkin Park feels the need to sprinkle a few “F-Bombs� in their lyrics, so be sure to use the edited version. If you like music that not only sounds good, but also has meaning to it’s lyrics, you will like this album. A teacher who uses this album in the classroom will validate popular music as a source of information to the students and more over create a bond with the students. However, it is also important to realize that Linkin Park's take on current events is only 1 opinion. It is a more liberal view on the issues and this should be made known to the students. I good idea would to balance this more liberal point of view with a more conservative persective.

When all is said and done, this is a great album. Everyone should be allowed to vioce his/her opinion on the World and this is Linkin Park's version. Whether or not you agree with the lyrics is up to you (and hoepfully your students).

Posted by tutt0040 at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It seems as if people either love the television show American Idol or they hate it. There are people who can’t get enough of “idol,� they watch every week, vote, blog about the results, go out and buy the contestant’s CD’s and more. There are others who claim to hate the show, blog about how much the show “sucks� and intentionally try to get people to vote for the worst people just to mess up the show. Either way you look at it tens of thousands of people audition for the show, even more watch it and it is all the buzz at offices. To get more information about American Idol I read the article http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/15/most-american-idol-viewers-over-age-35-ans-other-idol-data/3787. This article shatters the idea that only teens and pre-teens watch American Idol. There is just something about a show that gives the “Average Joe� the opportunity to make it big that has caught the world by storm.

The website http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/15/most-american-idol-viewers-over-age-35-and-other-idol-data-data/3787 says that most people who watch American Idol are age 35 and older. To some degree this is surprising, because it would make more sense that teens would be the primary audience because the contestants are usually younger and teens are big consumers of popular music. The technology used to vote the quickest is also geared toward teens (I know very few people over the age of 35 that know how to send a text message). In addition, the audiences shown on the shows are typically teens. They seem to swarm the stage as the contestants sing and they hold signs of their love and/or support for their favorite contestants. On the other hand, it makes sense that the older generations are watching American Idol because they probably have kids who are also watching Idol. Now that I think of it, quite a bit of the music that the contestants sing when they get down to the top 20 or so are classic artists like the Beatles and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The website tvbynumbers.com also says that 50% of people who watch American Idol are between the ages of 18-49. That is a huge range and shows that Idol has done a good job of making the show attractive to just about everyone.

So what is it about American Idol that makes it so popular? Is it the embarrassing auditions that happen in the beginning of the show? Do people like getting their entertainment from seeing people who can’t sing? Is it that people like to judge the contestants performances? Is it that people like hearing what the expert judges (Randy, Paula and Simon) have to say about the contestants? Is it that by the end of the show there will be a “winner� and someone will have the chance to become famous? Or is it that people are afraid of being out of the loop, so they watch just to stay connected and to have something to talk about at work? There is just something about it that keeps people watching. Even those who claim to hate the show watch it so that they can talk about how much it “sucks.� www.VotefortheWorst.com is a website for people to construe the outcome of the show, so that the worst contestants stay on the show instead of the best. This can only be the work of people who do not like the show because it “screws� deserving people out of the opportunity to succeed. Nobody can forget Sanjaya Malakar from Idol season 6. He was obviously a very weak and not to mention inexperienced singer who advanced farther on the show than many who actually had talent. This raises questions as to the fairness of the voting and the accuracy of who is named the “best singer.� Despite all of the drama that ensues the show, it is a great opportunity for those on the show and great entertainment for those of us who watch at home.

As for me, I am one of the people in the “can’t get enough� category when it comes to American Idol. I am not one of those obsessed fans who votes multiple times a week, blogs about the show, goes to the concerts, and auditions for the glory of being on the show. I just enjoy watching the show. It is hard to say exactly what I like best about the show, but it would have to be the mix of the horrible first auditions and the awesome final performances. I also like that ordinary people get the opportunity to make it big on the show, it is not about celebrities that get everything they want handed to them on a silver platter, it is about regular people. My husband and I usually watch the show together and make bets on who we think will go home each week (the loser usually has to make dinner or buy Dairy Queen).

Posted by tutt0040 at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)