MUSIC
8-12
ARTS TOOLKIT
GRADES
• lesson plans
The U.S. Civil War in Images, Music,
and Words
Length: 4-6 sessions
Concept/Objectives
Students will research and demonstrate connections between music, visual art, and language as applied to a
common theme or topic.
Activity
Students use interdisciplinary skills and interrelationships among the arts to combine literary/dramatic passages, images, and music from the Civil War era in a PowerPoint presentation.
Music Toolkit Resources
“Washington Grays” in the Music of the United States section of the Toolkit World Music Tour on the World of
Music CD-ROM
Kentucky Virtual Art Museum CD-ROM (Visual Arts Toolkit)
Drama Toolkit DVDs
Cross-Curricular Connections
Reading: Identify or explain an author’s position based on evidence in a passage (RD-08-3.0.7); make inferences, draw conclusions or make generalizations based on evidence from a passage (RD-09/10/11/12-2.0.7).
Drama, Visual Arts: This is an interdisciplinary unit; depending upon what students choose to do for their
presentation, they may address AH-08-2.3.1 (Drama/Civil War/Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and/or AH-08-2.4.1 (Visual
Arts/Civil War/Photography).
Kentucky Academic Content
Big Idea:
Humanity in the Arts
Academic Expectations
2.25
2.26
Big Idea:
Purposes for Creating
the Arts
Big Idea:
Interrelationships
Among the Arts
Academic Expectations
2.26
Academic Expectations
2.25
2.26
Program of Studies
Understandings
AH-8/HS-HA-U-1
Program of Studies
Understandings
AH-8/HS-PCA-U-1
Skills and Concepts
AH-8/HS-HA-S-Mu4
Skills and Concepts
AH-8/HS-PCA-S-Mu1
Related Core Content
AH-08/HS-2.1.1
Related Core Content
AH-08/HS-3.1.1
Related Core Content
AH-HS-5.5.1
Program of Studies
Understandings
AH-8/HS-IAA-U-1
AH-8/HS-IAA-U-2
AH-8/HS-IAA-U-3
Skills and Concepts
AH-8/HS-IAA-S-2
AH-8/HS-IAA-S-3
AH-8/HS-IAA-S-4
Arts Toolkit Music • Lesson Plans •
287
Instructional Strategies and Activities
Introduction
The bloodiest conflict in United States history occurred in the 19th
century when segments of the nation went to war against each other
between April 1861 and April 1865. Was the U.S. Civil War about
slavery? Tariffs? Westward expansion? Divergent world views? It was
about all of these and more. But more important than how it started is
the question of how the conflict affected America’s families and the
soldiers, nurses, political leaders, and many others who were directly
involved. How did issues become so politically charged that they sometimes split families apart? And how did war affect daily life in America?
During the time of the Civil War, the nation was developing a new
identity and unique artistic styles, but European influences were still
very much present in that process. For example, by mid-century
Romanticism and Realism in the visual, dramatic, literary, and musical
arts were engaged in a struggle to “sell” two quite different interpretations of the same physical world. Romanticists promoted in their work an
idealized view of life as they wished it to be, emphasizing the emotional,
the imagined, and the mystical. Realists, on the other hand, claimed to
show life as it really is, even parts that are ugly or difficult to face.
Realist artists pulled no punches, believing the documentary quality of
their work was important in the recording of history. Interestingly, these
two divergent views often got mixed together, and sometimes ideas from
both emerged in a single artwork.
Within music of the era a combination of Realism and Romanticism was
often evident. People enjoyed parlor songs (often of the verse-chorus
variety), and these were not necessarily focused on the theme of war.
Some sacred or secular songs were sung by soldiers as they marched or
when they reminisced about home. Some ballads or folk songs did not
shy away from telling the tale of a grisly murder, while simultaneously
framing the story in a gauzy haze of almost melodramatic plot and
characterization. (Melodrama was a drama style heavily influenced by
the Romantics. The most popular melodrama was Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
based on the 1852 abolitionist novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is said
that, upon meeting the author, Abraham Lincoln remarked, “So, this is
the little lady who wrote the big book that started this great war.”)
The increasing development of a fairly new medium for that era—
photography—is another good example. Matthew Brady, most famous for
his Civil War-era photographs, used the realistic eye of the camera to
capture vivid images from the surrounding war, yet more of his images
focus on personalities (single or group portraits) or on the landscapes in
which war was soon to take place or had just occurred, rather than
depicting actual battle scenes. Consequently, Brady’s scientific medium
captured Realism, but his artistic eye preferred to frame that reality in a
more Romantic sensibility.
The way images (literary, musical, dramatic, or visual) were controlled
depended, as usual, upon one age-old factor: who was doing the telling.
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MATERIALS
• research materials as
needed
• PowerPoint (or similar
presentation software)
VOCABULARY
artistic purpose
ballad
ceremonial purpose
concert
folk songs
instrument families
march
recreational purpose
sacred music
secular music
spirituals
theme
verse-chorus
Activity
In this lesson, students will use interdisciplinary skills and interrelationships among the arts to combine literary/dramatic passages, images,
and music from the U.S. Civil War era in a PowerPoint presentation.
The purpose of this activity is to research and demonstrate connections
between music, visual art, and language as applied to a common theme
or topic.
CAUTION: Some students may feel the urge to devote too much time
“taking sides” with regard to the motives or outcomes of the U.S. Civil
War, but this should be discouraged, for it distracts from the point. If
anything, it is more important that students understand the destructive
nature of war on the people who were involved, either as fighters or as
those living in or near the fighting. Similarly, the destructive nature of
slavery may also be a focus, so it would certainly be appropriate for some
students to choose as their theme or focus a series of images (either
paintings or photographs), music (including spirituals), and words created by or about slaves during the era. In either case, students will
address the era’s impact on people.
Words
One of the opening points for this activity can be a discussion of the oxymoronic phrase “civil” + “war.” Can war be civil (as in civilized)? What
does the phrase mean, then? (Offer that the word civil can mean one
country’s citizens, as in “civil rights.”) Ask students about other countries
in which they have heard of civil wars occurring. Are they aware of particular differences that cause such political breaks?
What types of thoughts were being expressed in poetry, fiction, drama,
editorials, and other forms of language during the U.S. Civil War era of
the mid-19th century? Letters, articles, and speeches can also be good
sources of ideas expressed in language. Students should conduct
research to uncover examples that can later be used in their presentations.
Images
Examples and discussions of Matthew Brady’s photography are easily
found on the Internet. The Smithsonian Institute has an excellent site:
www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/bradcont.html. On this site are photographic portraits of U.S. Civil War leaders, as well as portraits Brady
created of 19th century actors and other artists (including painters John
James Audubon and Thomas Cole). However, if using Brady images for
this activity, students should probably focus on those pertaining directly
to the Civil War.
Music
Allow students to view Saxton’s Cornet Band performing “Washington’s
Grays,” a military march composed by Claudio S. Grafulla in 1861 for
the 8th Regiment New York State Militia. (NOTE: This selection is found
in the United States section of the Toolkit World Music Tour on the World
of Music CD-ROM.) “Washington’s Grays” was composed as the U.S.
Civil War was in its earliest stages. This composition has become known
as the prototype of the concert march because it broke from older march
forms and traditions. Ask students to comment on what they observe as
they listen to this piece. How can march music generally be described;
why does this selection fit that description? What instrument
Arts Toolkit Music • Lesson Plans •
289
families are represented; why are these instruments particularly suited
for marches? Why is it ironic that the term “gray” would have been part
of the title of a piece of music composed for a Union regiment? In what
wartime circumstances might a march be played? Why is it common to
have lively music played for soldiers who are heading into battle? In
what military or civilian situation during wartime would a march be
inappropriate? What other types of ceremonial music might be used during wartime?
Lyrics and sound files of folk songs and parlor music from this era are
plentiful on the Internet (and from various other sources). See Resources
for suggestions
The Project
PowerPoint presentations created for this activity should focus on music
that fulfills one or more of the three purposes of music (ceremonial,
recreational, and artistic expression). Students must understand these
purposes and keep them in mind as they search for examples of images,
words, and music to use in the presentation. This presentation will be
based on multimedia artifacts.
Musical possibilities:
Ceremonial compositions (military or marching music)
Recreational songs (songs for enjoyment; songs of home; love songs
from the era)
Music used for artistic expression (concert or theatrical music from
the era)
Visual possibilities:
Matthew Brady photography, as previously referenced
Reproductions of historical documents, including letters and official or
governmental papers
Related images from the Kentucky Virtual Art Museum CD-ROM
(from Visual Arts Toolkit):
• Portrait of Zachary Taylor (predecessor to Lincoln whose policies led
eventually to war)
• Dennis and Diademia Doram portraits (and artist)
• The Spirit of Freedom (African-American Civil War Memorial)
• Theater Poster–Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Portrait of Henry Clay
• Henry Clay Portrait Quilt
• Tumbling Blocks Quilt
• Bust of Abraham Lincoln
(NOTE: Be sure to click on “Artwork Info” for more information about
each work, including historical context and artist. Teachers can also make
use of additional links and teaching ideas provided.)
Literary possibilities:
To enhance the presentation, literature from the era should also be
integrated. Any published voices authentic to the era can be used.
Quotations from Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, John C. Calhoun,
Cassius M. Clay, or other leaders would be appropriate. Sojourner Truth,
Clara Barton, and Harriet Beecher Stowe are women’s voices of the era,
all of which can be found on the web and in print.
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BACKGROUND ON
SOME AMERICAN
“CHARACTERS”
Offer background on some
American “characters” whose
words may be used in presentations (some are
Kentuckians): Lincoln was
president of the United States.
Davis was president of the
Confederacy. Calhoun was a
states’ rights advocate. Clay
was an advocate for the abolition of slavery. Barton was a
Civil War nurse and founder of
the Red Cross. Truth spoke
out for emancipation and
women’s rights. Stowe wrote
the abolitionist novel Uncle
Tom’s Cabin. Whitman was a
poet who visited injured and
dying soldiers in hospitals in
and around Washington during
the war, often writing letters
home for them.
Quotes from Walt Whitman’s published collection of poems about the
Civil War entitled Drum Taps can be used as a means of tying the presentation together with text that could complement the images and music
selected. The Internet’s Project Gutenberg offers a complete text of Drum
Taps: www.gutenberg.org/etext/8801.
From the Drama Arts Toolkit:
• Words Like Freedom (first excerpt: Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a
Woman?”) from the Performance Excerpts of the Drama Toolkit
DVD
• Melodrama: Readers Theatre: Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the Aspects
of Drama DVD
Note: Except for their live or recorded commentary/narrative spoken as
part of the class presentation, it is important that students include only
images, music, and words that were created by people who lived during
the 19th century. (Recording technology, of course, came much later, but
the songs themselves were written and sung/played in the 19th century.)
In fact, composers, painters, etc., may be the focus, rather than the
subjects on which their art was focused.
Students can begin with music, or with images, or with text … and then
go on to research the other components that will best help them tell the
story they want to tell or effectively present the images with which they
began.
Each student should understand that the focus of her/his presentation is
a personal choice, but the focus should be clearly stated as a theme. The
theme/focus can be of a visual, literary, musical, technical, artistic, sociological, or historical nature. It should be stated clearly in one phrase or
sentence on an introductory slide, in order to prepare the audience for
the rest of the presentation (in much the same way an introductory
paragraph or thematic statement sets up the premise for a piece of
writing).
If time is a consideration, the teacher can limit the number of slides to
be used in each presentation. The minimum for any presentation should
include the following:
Title Slide
including name of student who created the presentation
Introduction Slide
explaining the theme/focus of the presentation
Purpose Slide(s)
connects one or more of the purposes of music to the theme/focus of
material included in the presentation
Supporting Slides
the bulk of the presentation, which can include as many slides as are
needed to adequately explain the images, music, and text
Conclusion Slide(s)
one or more slides that concludes or summarizes the presentation
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291
Allow time for all presentations to be viewed by the class. Each student
should introduce her/his individual presentation; most will also need to
provide commentary to explain the slides as the presentation is shown
(unless commentary/narration is previously recorded). The scoring guide
provided can be used (or modified) to assess each presentation. At the
teacher’s discretion, class members may also be given copies of the scoring guide for peer evaluation.
ADAPTATIONS FOR
DIVERSE LEARNERS
Support/Connections/Resources
PowerPoint or similar
presentation software is
required. Projection, TV
connection, or lab is useful for
sharing presentations with
class.
Assessment
Many songs from the era are recorded on CD, including the soundtrack
to Ken Burns’ well-known PBS series The Civil War (also available on
DVD). A web search will reveal many other options. Some good web sites
to start looking (and listening) are:
• Major General George H. Thomas web site: home.att.net/~dmerca
do/music.htm
• Music of the American Civil War web site:
pdmusic.org/civilwar.html
• Poetry and Music of the War Between the States web site:
www.civilwarpoetry.org/
• The Library of Congress web site about Band Music from the Civil
War Era: memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwmhtml/cwmhome.html
Smithsonian Institution web site about Matthew Brady:
www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/bradcont.html
Drum Taps by Walt Whitman at Project Gutenberg:
www.gutenberg.org/etext/8801
Information about the composer Claudio S. Grafulla from Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_S._Grafulla
Check KET EncycloMedia www.ket.org/education/encyclomedia.htm
for resources, particularly images and archival materials
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
Reading, research, drama—project could be a collaboration with the language arts teacher.
Social Studies
History, sociology, cultures, geography—project could be a collaboration
with the American history teacher.
Practical Living
Social skills
Visual Arts and Drama
Project could be a collaboration with the arts and drama departments.
Performance Assessment
Prompt: The era that led up to and included the Civil War was one of
the most significant in U.S. history. As with all people in all times and
places, the arts were important contributors to life in the era.
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Presentation requirements may
be modified to allow for peer
pair work.
TECHNOLOGY
Directions: Create a PowerPoint presentation that demonstrates your
research related to the types of literature or drama, music, and visual
art commonly used from 1850 until 1865, the era that led to and included the U.S. Civil War. Develop these types of slides: Title, Introduction,
Purpose, Supporting (as many of these slides as needed), and
Conclusion. Be sure to narrow your theme and clearly state it in your
Introduction slide. In your Purpose slide, explain how one or more of the
purposes of music will be illustrated in your presentation. Make your
presentation as clear and informative as possible.
PERFORMANCE SCORING GUIDE
The student
effectively
combines
images, music,
and words
from the Civil
War era to create a wellorganized,
attractive, and
very informative presentation with a high
degree of
research and
artistic quality.
The student
combines
images, music,
and words
from the Civil
War era to create an adequately organized, attractive, and
somewhat
informative
presentation
with a good
degree of
research and
artistic quality.
The student
uses some
combination of
images, music,
and/or words
from the Civil
War era to create a presentation with a
moderate to
low level of
research and
artistic quality.
The student
uses some
combination of
images, music,
and/or words
from the Civil
War era to create a presentation with a low
level of
research and
artistic quality.
At least one
purpose of
music is present in the project.
One purpose
of music may
or may not be
present in the
project.
Nonparticipation
43332
32221
21110
100
44443
55
66
77
88
99
5556
667
778
889
9910
1
11
12
13
11
12
13
14
11
12
13
14
11
11
12
13
14
11
12
13
14
17
18
19
2
17
18
19
20
17
18
19
20
17
18
19
20
17
18
19
20
The theme or
focus is clearly
and succinctly
stated and
well unified
with the entire
presentation.
The presentation focuses on
two or more of
the purposes of
music.
All of the following slides
are included in
the presentation: Title,
Introduction,
Purpose,
Supporting,
Conclusion
(with a number
of supporting
slides making
for a wellrounded,
excellent presentation).
The student’s
commentary
or narration
excellently
explains the
slides and the
theme.
The theme or
focus is clearly
stated and
generally unified with the
entire presentation.
The presentation focuses on
at least two of
the purposes
of music.
Most of the following slides
are included in
the presentation: Title,
Introduction,
Purpose,
Supporting,
Conclusion
(with a few
supporting
slides making
for a complete
presentation).
The student’s
commentary
or narration
generally
explains the
slides and the
theme.
The theme or
focus is stated
but is unclear
and/or not unified with the
entire presentation.
Some of the
following slides
are included in
the presentation: Title,
Introduction,
Purpose,
Supporting,
Conclusion
(with a few
supporting
slides for an
adequate
presentation).
The student’s
commentary or
narration may
or may not
explain the
slides and the
theme.
The theme or
focus is absent
or appears only
weakly connected to the
organization of
the presentation.
Few or none of
the following
slides are
included in the
presentation:
Title,
Introduction,
Purpose,
Supporting,
Conclusion.
The student’s
commentary or
narration is
lacking or
poorly explains
the slides and
the theme.
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293
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following statements is true of the president of the
United States and the President of the Confederacy during the U.S.
Civil War?
A. Both were over age 70.
B. Both were graduates of West Point Military Academy.
C. Both were born in Kentucky.
D. Both had lived in Illinois.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
ANSWERS
1. C
2. D
3. A
4. D
2. Abraham Lincoln reportedly referred to Harriet Beecher Stowe as
A. “the little lady who was a great compromiser.”
B. “one of the most important ladies in Washington society.”
C. “a true lady who knew how to restrain her ideas.”
D. “the little lady who wrote the big book that started this great war.”
3. The kinds of music commonly heard during the Civil War era were
A. parlor music, folk songs, spirituals, and marching music.
B. country music by The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
C. Dixieland jazz and big band swing.
D. Woody Guthrie’s songs for the American working class.
4. Which of these art forms contributed to American culture during the
Civil War era?
A. music
B. visual images
C. literature
D. all of the above
Author: Kate Larken
Copyright 2007 KET
Reviewed by the Kentucky
Department of Education
This lesson plan is part of the
Music Arts Toolkit. To order the
entire toolkit or for more
information about the Arts
Toolkit project, visit
www.ket.org/artstoolkit or
call (859) 258-7294.
294 • Lesson Plans • Arts Toolkit Music