APP UNIT 9 PROJECT: SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE
Music motivates us, calms us, inspires us, and at times irritates us. You might think
of it as the backdrop against which we live our lives. Songs can bring vivid memories
of people, places, and events from our own past and serve to document our
thoughts, feelings, and emotions at a given time or place. They can also inspire you
to achieve your goals for the future. This project will give you the opportunity to use
music as way to represent different stages of human social development.
Erik Erikson theorized that the stages of development can be defined by
the unique psychosocial task that we experience during that time in our lives. Erikson
divided the lifespan into eight distinct stages. (See page 202, Table 5.2)
 For this project, your assignment is to create a soundtrack of songs that relate to the events of your life so
far, and your life to come. The soundtrack will contain at least 8 songs – a minimum of one song to
represent each of the following developmental phases:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Infancy (birth to 1 year)
Toddlerhood ( 1-3 years)
Preschool (3-6 years)
Elementary school (6 years to puberty)
Adolescence (teen years into 20s)
Young adulthood (20s – early 40s)
Middle adulthood (40s – 60s)
Late adulthood (late 60s and up)
 Project Components:



Songs: For each of the developmental phases, you will choose a song that relates the developmental
milestones of that phase.
Liner Notes: For each song write brief liner notes explaining why you chose that song for that
developmental stage.
CD Cover: Create a CD cover that you feel best reflects the collection of songs you have chosen.
PLEASE NOTE: You are not required to burn a CD of songs, or to submit any audio files for this project.
It will be helpful to brainstorm significant events that have happened at various ages and stages of your life so
far -or will happen to you- that have had (or will have) an impact on your development as a person.
I know that you cannot predict the future—but you can imagine it. What will
happen? What kind of future do you want to create? This is your big chance to
imagine it!
Name ________________________________________
Step 1: BRAINSTORMING!!
Create a list of events or milestones that made a
difference in your life, or you hope will make a
difference in your future:
Now brainstorm songs that might fit these
events/milestones:
Infancy
Infancy
Toddlerhood
Toddlerhood
Pre-School
Pre-School
Elementary School
Elementary School
Adolescence
Adolescence
Young Adulthood
Young Adulthood
Middle Adulthood
Middle Adulthood
Late Adulthood
Late Adulthood
Name ________________________________________
Step 2: PRODUCE IT & EXPLAIN IT!! Song List & Liner Notes
(Submit this page with your CD cover)
For each song: List the title, artist, the event, and developmental phase it is connected to. Then, in the liner notes, explain why you chose that song
and how it connects to that developmental phase (use psychological terms and concepts whenever possible!). The goal is to show me that you
understand the various stages of development and that you can relate this understanding of developmental concepts to relevant events in your
own life.
Track 1
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 2
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 3
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 4
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 5
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 6
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 7
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Track 8
Song Title _____________________________________________________ Artist or Group: _________________________________
Event ________________________________________________________ Developmental Phase: ____________________________
Liner Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: CD COVER. Create a CD cover that you feel best reflects the collection of songs you have chosen. Attach it 
PLEASE NOTE: You are not required to burn a CD of songs, or to submit any audio files for this project.