Cross-Curricular Music
Project
The Blues and Composition
(from Dark Blue to Light Hearted)
by Peter Stone
at St Gregory’s School, Kent
Project Outline
The project looks at one genre of music and the diversity
within it. The development and changes within a genre
of music are inseparable from the technological, social
and political influences that have shaped it. These rich
cross-curricular themes will be explored during the
course of the project. The core outcome is to compose
and make digital multi-track recordings of students’
compositions in a variety of styles within the genre.
These are to be put on to a CD for which students will
design and create the cover art and sleeve notes.
Students will then consider how to market their product.
Genres of Music
Activities
Listen to a variety of blues
music arranged in
chronological order to show the
development of the genre and
to demonstrate the diversity.
(For each piece students note
how the music makes them feel,
what they think it was about,
what instrumentation was
used.)
•
To develop a vocabulary
including words that convey
emotion, some specialist
vocabulary is used for music
according to custom and
convention.
•
To create mind map for the
above or create a glossary
•
Define the term ‘genre’ in
relation to musical style
•
•
Discuss what characterises the
genre of blues music
To appreciate that a musical
genre can be a broad church in
which there can be much
diversity, however always with a
common thread.
•
To identify the themes and style
that create the common thread
within blues music.
Literacy
•
Objectives
The Birth of the Blues
Objectives
Activities
Develop theme of the experience of
slaves taken to the USA, discussing
the trials and tribulations and the
attitude of the slaver nations.
•
Discuss discrimination and positive
discrimination, citing examples from
history and present day.
•
Develop a list of words that describe
all facets of the slaves’ experience.
These will be used to generate song
lyrics.
Links
Slavery
Africans in America
Declaration human rights
Citizenship
•
•
To understand where slaves were taken
from, their journeys and living
conditions and understand how this
gave birth to blues music as an
expression of melancholy and
hopelessness.
•
To understand the success of many of
today’s powerful nations was based on
the exploitation of less-developed
nations and consider the moral
implications. Consider whether
positive discrimination is fair as part of
reparations or conscience easing?
•
To understand that blues music is an
expression of the slaves’ experience.
Key tasks to be undertaken by individuals or small groups of
students – findings to be presented to whole group at next session
Research the
history of slavery
Define discrimination
and positive
discrimination
KEY
TASKS
Look at the lyrics to
Brown Sugar by the
Rolling Stones; compare
and contrast to current
‘gangsta’ rap’s
misogynist lyrics
Find out about the use
of blue in art, colour
therapy and research
into the environmental
effects of colour.
Key Task Review
Students present key task
findings to whole group and
discuss before undertaking the
following activities:
Activities
•Add to the list of vocabulary
describing the slaves
experience in the light of the
task review and use this to
generate song lyrics
•Examine the impact of
Christianity on the slaves’
experience and its impact on
the lyrical content and style of
blues music.
English / Literacy
•
Objectives
•To write a poem about the
slaves’ experience as a basis
for the students’ first song
•To define gospel music
Rhythm
Activities
•
Show students how to use a
programmable drum machine to
generate a variety of rhythms
•
Give examples to students of
differing kinds of music, for
example:
military
rock
funky
tribal
latin
Objectives
•
Students learn to programme a
drum machine and learn to
engender emotions using
rhythm
The 12-Bar Blues
• The most common format for blues music is made up of the
I – IV – V notes of a scale
• These are most commonly arranged over 12 bars. For
example, in the key of A: A/A/A/A/D/D/A/A/E/D/A/A
Twelve bar blues chord progressions
I
IV
V
C
F
G
D
G
A
E
A
B
F
Bb
C
G
C
D
A
D
E
B
E
F#
Try experimenting by using major, minor, 7ths and other chord voicings to give
different effects; also try varying the number of bars to give different song
structures for example 16 or 18 bars.
Melody and Improvisation
Minor pentatonic scale
This is the starting point for playing the blues. The scale uses five notes that are
minor or perfect intervals.
Extra notes can be added to give more of a ‘blues flavour’.
Flattened fifth, this creates the classic ‘blue note’ sound.
Alternative Variations
Major third.
Major second / sixth.
Using Accompaniment Software
Activities
Objectives
•Use Band in a Box or other
accompaniment programme to play a 12bar sequence in a variety of styles, tempos
and exploring major and minor keys.
•
To familiarise with software
•
To identify different music styles, both
contemporary and traditional
•Try to replicate the ‘feel’ of the different
styles of blues music heard earlier in the
project or even invent new ones.
•
To be able to replicate music they have
heard
•
To examine the different emotional effect
of major and minor keys
•
To use software as a tool for rehearsal
and improvisation
•Try playing melodies on top of these
accompaniments.
Band in a Box demo link
Writing the Songs
Objectives
•
•
•
Discuss and give examples of meter
in prose and how, when combining
this with music, syllables and bar
values must combine to produce a
comfortable and melodic
combination.
Rhyme – examine alternative
rhyming conventions, for example
couplets, alternate lines, no rhyme,
etc.
Students use the slavery poems as a
basis for lyrics over a 12-bar
structure, taking into account meter
and rhyme
Using the backing software, devise a
melody for the lyrics
English
•
English
Activities
•
To understand the importance of meter
and rhyming patterns when writing lyrics
•
To appreciate the range of possible
rhyming schemes – present as a mind
map
•
To explore alternative words, phrases
and metaphors to convey ideas,
emotions and to help with meter and
rhyme
•
To complete a composition on the theme
of slavery in a style consistent with that
of early blues music, adapting their
poems on slavery to form the lyrics.
•
To understand that the job of a composer
is to write the music and lyrics. They may
wish to perform the music themselves.
However, if they write only what they can
play, this may limit the creative
possibilities. Using more experienced
musicians may result in a better overall
performance.
Multi-Track Recording
Activities
•
Students are shown a simple
demonstration of multi-track
recording. This can be done using a
computer-based system or a standalone digital recorder.
•
Students discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of being able to
record in real time versus by
building up a song track by track.
•
Students experiment by quickly
recording a number of tracks
themselves.
Free multi-track recording
software
Objectives
•
•
•
To appreciate advantages of multi
track such as being able to record
at varying times or places with any
number of musicians, and that
mistakes can be corrected after the
event.
To appreciate that an ensemble
playing together may achieve a
good ‘vibe’ that cannot be achieved
by building up piece by piece.
To gain hands-on experience of
multi-track before the recording of
their songs.
Key tasks to be undertaken by individuals or small groups of
students – findings to be presented to whole group at next session
To research the
effect of
Christianity on
the slaves’
experience and
the change from
hopelessness to
hope in gospel
music.
To research the
influence of Martin
Luther King on
black civil rights.
Key Tasks
To research the
historical
process of
emancipation of
slaves in the
USA
To research the
impact of
Abraham Lincoln
on the abolition of
slavery
Links
Martin Luther King
Abraham Lincoln – abolition of
slavery
Feedback of Findings
Students assigned the four tasks on the previous page
should present their findings to the rest of the group so
members of all groups understand the full range of
issues.
This process of sharing information and mutual
moderation should continue throughout the project at key
points.
Examples of work can be accessed from slide 19 included
here.
60s Art – Design CD Cover
Alongside the recording of the music, students will design cover artwork for their finished
CD. In the 1960’s, after the blues had become popular with both black and white Americans,
European musicians also started to play blues music. For this reason, the students will
research and use 1960s pop and op art for the CD cover artwork.
Writing and Recording 4 more tracks
The students should compose a further four tracks.
The nature of these recordings should reflect the
changes both society and technology have made to
blues music.
For example, Gospel – Rhythm and Blues – Rock
and Roll – Rock – Funk – Soul – Hip Hop – R & B.
Intellectual Property and Royalties
ICT
Maths
Discuss with students the principle of ownership of intellectual
property, how the originator may benefit from and defend their
rights to income from their ideas. Give some examples of both
literary and musical plagiarism (e.g. My Sweet Lord by George
Harrison and The Ghost Busters theme tune by Elmer
Bernstein).
Students can create a spreadsheet to show who had
contributed to each composition. It also allowed them to
calculate and allot for each student a percentage of the
intellectual property of each composition according to input.
Costs of production could also be recorded and balanced
against sales to calculate profit to be distributed according to
percentages.
Examples of students’ work:
•
Extract from Martin Luther King’s
speech
CD Design
Click below to see students lyrics and
hear their compositions
•
End of International Slavery
•
End of American Slavery
'All Shades of Blue' (Traditional Blues)
•
Gospel mind map
‘Black and Blue’ (Rhythm and Blues)
•
Music and emotions
‘A Reward in the Long Run’ (Gospel Funk)
•
Colour research and therapy
•
Writing lyrics
‘Look Like Me’ (Rock)
‘Walkin’ Out the Door’ (R & B)
Lesson Plans & supporting
information
Lesson Plan 1
Lesson Plan 5
Lesson Plan 2
Lesson Plan 6
Lesson Plan 3
Lesson Plan 7
Lesson Plan 4
Lesson Plan 8
Assessment:
•
•
•
Glossary
Test to assess learning outcomes
Evaluation of whole project
Acknowledgements
Images
One of the objectives of this project was to understand the
concept of intellectual property; this concept applies to visual
images as well as music and the written word.
Images used in this guide were taken from the website of the
Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/082_slave.html,
whose website states it is unaware of any restrictions on the
use of these images for educational purposes.
Technical Information
Our recordings were made using Zoom MRS4, Cubase
and rhythms developed using Rolland DR20, Groove
Agent and Yamaha DW55.
All shades of blue
Captured and taken away from home
Nothing to do and all alone
Hunger is growing too hard to bear
What have I done to deserve this dispair
Battered and beaten all shades of blue
Can’t run or hide what can I do
Working out here the sun is so hot
If you stop they just leave you to rot
I am so dirty I feel unclean
How can these people be so mean?
Battered and beaten all shades of blue
Can’t run or hide what can I do
My eyes are weak can’t keep them open
Please help my heart is broken
I feel so hopeless so sad as well
For what I just can’t tell
Battered and beaten all shades of blue
Can’t run or hide what can I do
Black and Blue
Cramped and packed into a confined space
Hunger and despair on each mans face
Sickness and smells in the musty air
Praying and hoping for someone to care
I’m black and I’m blue
But does that really bother you
Travelling thousands of miles across the ocean
Rocking and swaying in a sickening motion
Taken to work in the USA
Hot and dirty every week every day
I’m black and I’m blue
But does that really bother you
Leaving behind our family and friends
Wishing this nightmare would come to an end
We are beaten our wives are raped
Hopeless and lonely not knowing our fate
I’m black and I’m blue
But does that really bother you
A reward in the long run
Working all day my hands are sore
Working all day my hands are sore
Now I’ve found God I’ve got something to live for
My life has changed and it feels real strange
My life will never end
On our journey we have some hope
On our journey we have some hope
With God on our side were gonna cope
Every faithful girl and boy will have a heart filled with joy
My life will never end
I’ve been working all day in the scorching sun
I’ve been working all day in the scorching sun
Been to church now our hope has begun
Our hopelessness turned to happiness
My life will never end
Jesus will be there when we arrive
Jesus will be there when we arrive
Remembering our faith will keep us alive
People don’t cry I don’t care if I die
My life will never end
God is with me that’s why I’ve prayed
God is with me that’s why I’ve prayed
I‘m goin’ to heaven when I lay down my spade
There’s a place called heaven where I can live for ever
My life will never end
God will be waiting when the day is done
God will be waiting when the day is done
Hope in my heart helps me carry on
There’s a place where I can rest a place where I feel
blessed
My life will never end
Look Like ME!
You make us wear clothes that we just don’t like
All we want to wear are shoes that say Nike
We want to wear jewellery to make us shine
Just by wearing a ring were crossing the line
Hear my plea I just wanna look like me
I’m not tryin’ to draw attention I still risk a detention
The uniform we wear is so colourless
Wearing our own clothes we can express
We desperately need to wear bling bling
And we deserve girls trousers that don’t ming
Hear my plea I just wanna look like me
Its just I’ve got a passion for fashion
There’s no comfort in our footwear
We all have blisters and we wanna swear
We have uniform dark clothes and shoes
Look at us we’ve got the blues
Hear my plea I just wanna look like me
No individuality with this style brutality
Please help us we can’t stand it no more
We’re literally begging down on the floor
What we say comes right from the heart
We hate our uniform we want a fresh start
Hear my plea I just wanna look like me
Why does school dare to question what I wear
Walkin’ out the door
Walkin’ out the door
I know that you are upset
That our house is up for let
You drove me crazy I couldn’t cope
Do you really expect to go and elope?
I couldn’t cope with you anymore
So now I’m walkin out the door
You know how much I loved the cat
Your reckless driving means now he’s flat
If only we had eyes to see we really were not meant to be
I couldn’t cope with you anymore
So now I’m walkin out the door
Now I’m engaged to another man
Try to cope as best you can
Unlike you he has some fashion sense
He spends pounds you spent pence
I couldn’t cope with you anymore
So now I’m walkin out the door