Cfamu757_FinalProject_Wk6_AmyBlock
Includes *Power Point for student presentation
*The Rationale
*The Unit Scope and Sequence
Power Point to present to students during 9 week Unit on the Blues.
Includes 7 lessons on 46 slides.
(The Rationale and Scope and Sequence are in separate files.)
ICON KEY FOR THE FOLLOWING UNIT:
Source: http://schools.iclipart.com/ iclipart for schools
=The start of a new lesson
=Musical Aspects
=Songs in textbook
= We will sing
=We will Discuss
=We will Journal
=We will listen
=Literature source
=Reminder
=Time allotted
=Business competition
=We will watch a clip
=We will watch a DVD
=Assessment
The Blues
Unit Introduction
Lesson 1 (Day 1)
What do you think of when you think of the blues?
3 min. (In at least 3 sentences, write what you think the blues are)
(2 min.) Discuss with a partner in your group what you wrote down.
( Teacher Compiles the collective list of ideas on white board)
Introduction
The Blues
 As histories began with the passing of oral traditions,
(stories), music history is no exception.
 The history of music includes many influences (people,
places and events), as do all histories.
 For the purpose of study, we will focus on a certain part
of music history and explore the evolution of a certain
musical style-The Blues.
 This unit is meant for 5th grade and will last 1 quarter.
Rationale
Why study the blues?
 The Blues as music connects emotions through a multicultural study. Its
musical structure is a foundation of much of the music we listen to today
and supports global connections to our curriculum.
 The blues as culture fuses connections to the past and present and
reflects the influences of America that developed our country.
 The blues as multi-disciplinary study encompasses history, geography,
social studies, math, language, business, art, and science.
 The blues as requirement aligns with the Iowa Core and meets the
National and MISIC standards of music which support the school’s
learning initiatives through AIW. (Authentic Intellectual Work).
 For the full rationale, and unit scope and sequence please visit our
School’s website under Mrs. Block to elementary music-5th grade.
In This Unit
We will explore:
 Music as American History, Geography, and Social Studies
 Music as Science and Language
 Music as Business and Art
Musical Elements
will include:
 Timbre: Technique and lyric, a simple yet complex mix.
 Form: A recognizable three chord, twelve bar structure,
and three phrase verse that gives it identity.
 Rhythm: A study of beat and syncopation.
 Melody and Harmony: A study of “blue notes”.
 Creation: of instruments, poem, song & movement
B.B. King and One Shoe Blues
By Sandra Boynton
Source: http://www.amazon.com/One-Shoe-Blues-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0761151389
*As you listen and watch, you may move (without sound) to the beat.
Book DVD: 4:40 (show on TV)
What did you hear?
5 minutes
Turn to a partner and discuss what you just watched.
Think about the following as you converse:
1. The lyrics
2. The voice
3. The instruments
4. Anything else you want to add
about what you just watched and listened to.
Write down your thoughts about
Your discussion and points you want to remember.
=approximately 3 minutes
Let’s Sing!
 With time remaining we will practice singing!
 “One Shoe Blues” by B.B. King and Sandra Boynton.
 Musical aspects of Melody, form, timbre, and rhythm will be
briefly addressed within the context of practicing.
=Approximately 15 minutes
The Blues
As American History, Language & Social Studies
Lesson 2 (days 2 & 3)
From Africa To America
A Listening example from the early 1900s
A medley of plantation songs from the Library of Congress
*Click on title above to link
Field Hollers were an oral tradition that later became known as
Call and Response Songs
We will find examples of Call and Response Songs
In your text books.
In the following songs, we will listen to the examples and briefly sing along.
1. Page 214-217: “Ezekiel Saw De Wheel”, African American Spiritual
2. Page 246-247: “Good Mornin’, Blues”, by Huddie Leadbetter
3. Page 331: “Free At Last”, African American Spiritual
=Approximately 20 minutes each of the 2 days
Arr. by William Dawson
Call and Response form was poetic.
Poetry is a language filled with metaphors.
=3 min.
Discuss with a partner what metaphors are.
On Day 3, Write emotions you feel with the poems we have discussed.
Source: http://www.amazon.com/Roots-Blues-Celebration-Arnold-Adoff/dp/0547235542
*As we take turns reading, think about what the
words and stories mean while you listen.
=Approximately 15 minutes each day
The Blues
As Science and sound
Lesson 3
(day 4)
Early Blues in the Rural Delta
*Instruments
Listening Connection
 Think back to lesson 1 when you heard B.B. King.
 Check your journal to see what you wrote
 What kind of instruments did you hear?
 Discuss with your group the sounds you remember
 Think about the songs we heard in lesson 2
 The Call & Response songs we practiced
 What kind of instruments did you hear?
=Approximately 10 minutes to check and discuss.
Sounds of The Mississippi Delta
 Today we will listen to songs from an early blues artist.
 Robert Johnson CD
(Slide technique)
 As you listen, pay close attention to the instrument.
Source: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/storeFront
 “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson
 “Come On In My Kitchen” by Robert Johnson
Describe the sounds in your journal.
Think about sound: pitch, rhythm,& tone color
=15 minutes to listen and write
Home-made Instruments
From your listening, what kind of instrument did you hear most?
Discuss in your group how you would make that instrument?
What materials would you need?
In this short You Tube video, Hawkeye Herman shows what you
Might need and how you might create your own instruments.
=3:40
You Tube video of Hawkeye Herman
Click on title above to play
For the remainder of class, make a list of materials
You will need to create your instrument.
The materials have to be something you can find at home.
*Remember to bring them to class next time.
Lesson 3
continued (day 5)
 You have this class period to create your home-made
instruments.
 *For expectations, please follow the
Instrument Creation Rubric
on the following slide.
Rubric for Instrument creation
The Blues
As Social Studies and Geography
Lesson 4
(day 6)
Popular Music of the 20th Century,
How it came to be.
The Great Migration
A Journey to the North
By Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Migration-Journey-North/dp/0061259217
=10 minutes to take turns reading
Your Thoughts
=Allow 10 minutes
(Substantive conversations)
Discuss 4 things with your group about migration
1. Who are the people that migrated North?
2. Why did people want/need to leave?
(Other reasons…Plantation machines)
3. What did they find when they arrived?
4. What does this have to do with music?
(think about going from the sounds of Africa to the sounds of the Delta,
where might the sounds of the Delta end up? Think about B.B. King)
In thinking about your discussion,
write your thoughts about
Music and Migration. What effect
would geography and travel have on
music?
=5 minutes to write
Song Break!
 Let’s review B.B. King’s “One Shoe Blues”
Stand, stretch, move and sing!
=Approximately 5 minutes
“One Shoe Blues” by B.B. King & Sandra Boynton
Listen and Compare
(Using The Graphic organizer hand out, choose 2 of the following artists to compare and contrast)
Jot down things to remember while you listen to each selection.
“Walkin’ Blues” by Robert Johnson”
“I Be’s Troubled” by Muddy Waters
“Respect” by Aretha Franklin
“Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
“Revolution” by The Beatles
“Tears In Heaven” by Eric Clapton
Source for All CD Jackets: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/storeFront
Lesson 4
Continued
(day 7)
 Continue listening & journaling to selections in the
previous slide.
 Use The Graphic Organizer to compare and contrast 2
choices.
 Things to consider:
 Voices (timbres, pitch, texture, rhythm,)
 Instruments (timbres, pitch, rhythm, texture)
 Musical form and style
 Lyrics (what do they tell us?)
= 35 min. Use this day as “catch up day to listen, read or finish instruments.
Lesson 4 Continued
(Day 8)
Artist Reports
 Activities today: Group reading, writing, report sharing,
short answer quiz on reports heard, and a summary of
The Mississippi Blues Migration.
The Blues Singers
Ten Who Rocked The World
by Julius Lester, Illustrated by Lisa Cohen.
=shared 10 min. each group.
Source:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Blues-Singers-Rocked-World/dp/0786804637
Each group will choose an artist from this book to read about and report.
Each group will report information about the artist they read to
The rest of the class during “group share time”.
*Jot down information as you listen to other reports to remember important points.
There will be a short quiz on your reports at the end of class.
The Musical Path of Migration
The Mississippi Blues Trail
=4:30
Click on the title to play
End of class
*Who would like to come up and
Show the migration path from
The Delta to Chicago?
*Where are we in relation to
that path?
*Can you name 3 musicians of
“Popular” music in the 20th Century?
*using classroom map.
The Blues
Musical Influences
(Form and Structure)
Lesson 5
(day 9)
(Music as math)
Today we will be using our textbooks while delving into the
musical structure of the blues.
We will be listening to & identifying blue
notes, the I, IV, V chord structure, the
AAB lyrical text, and syncopation.
Blues How Do You Do?
Unit 6, Lesson 2 of text, p. 246-247
 P. 246: “Good Mornin’, Blues” by Huddie Leadbetter, CD6:3, CD6:4
 Procedure:
1st time: Listen and follow along
2nd time: Sing along with CD
3rd time: follow the objectives in the lesson
 Objectives:
 Raise hands to indicate measures with altered pitches in a
blues song.
 Discuss the AAB lyrical form of this song.
 Sing a jazz-style round with ostinato.
 Listen to recorded lesson: Discovering the Blues Scale
CD6:5
Let’s check for understanding:
 *Use the bells to show your understanding of the blue notes
and chord structure.
 Can you find the I, IV & V notes of the scale?
 Where would the lowered third tone be?
 Where would the lowered seventh tone be?
“Free At Last” African American Spiritual
Celebrations, Martin Luther king, Jr. day, in text: p. 330-331. CD8:11
Procedure: Listen, follow along with CD, Sing along, Follow Objectives.
 Objectives:
 Culture Connection
 Analyze expressive speech.
 Use call-and-response form and discuss the song.
 Listen for and identify the change in chords by showing fingers for the I chord, the
IV chord and the V chord.
 Identify the syncopation in the first section of the song. On which word(s) does the
syncopated rhythm occur? Which main beat does the syncopation occur?
 Demonstrate an example of syncopation by claps.
 Demonstrate syncopation on a drum. (play a 4 beat measure with syncopation
occurring on count 2)
Creative Juices
 Using the remainder of class time, break into your
groups and use your homemade instruments to
improvise your own creations of rhythm.
 Choose someone in your group to play the bells
following the blue note scale.
HAVE FUN!
The Blues
As Language, Poetry and Song
Lesson 6
(days 10 & 11)
Using the next 2 class periods, we will explore
the structure of AAB verse by creating original
poems and performing them with the
accompaniment of our own instruments.
*Divide into your groups and choose a recorder to
Write your poem.
*For Expectations, use the performance project assessment rubric.
Performance Project Assessment
Rubric
Communicating Emotion
 As you brainstorm, think of a theme that will enable you to
display an emotion. (The emotion can be happy, sad,
celebratory, loss or any emotion of your choosing). Be sure to
choose appropriate words that represent those emotions.
 As you write, count syllables that will match beats in 12 bars:
4 bars for each line of verse. (AAB).
 Once you are satisfied with the text you have created, decide
which of your homemade instruments will accompany the text
and how they will be arranged. (Who will play what rhythms
when).
 Decide who will speak or sing the poem for the performance.
 PRACTICE!
Performance and Recording
 When you feel that your group has prepared
and practiced “enough”, and you are
satisfied with the quality along with
checking the rubric to make sure you’ve
met the expectations for performance,
prepare to be videotaped and enter the
performance room.
*Ticket out on day 11:
*After you have finished recording your performance, Please think of 3
questions you would ask a famous artist/group if you were to interview
them. Write your questions on a sticky note and hand it in before you
leave.
The Blues
As Business, Art & Culture
Lesson 7
(days 12, 13 & 14)
A Commercialism and Consumer Experiment with global connection
We will use the last three days of our Blues Unit to
form an understanding and appreciation of the
recording industry in America. How the industry
influences artists and audiences and visa versa.
ROLE PLAY (1)
day 12
AS ARTISTS
 Each group will represent themselves as band-artists and use the video
taped performances in lesson 6 to represent themselves as a group. They
will be trying to sell themselves to a record company.
 Things they will need to do: (Create an identity)







Develop a look and a style
Think of a name for the group
Use ad campaign signs and slogans to market yourself
Think of a mysterious story about how the group came together
Represent their chosen style with their video performance
Perform Live
Answer interview questions (compiled from lesson 6) in a way that
represents identity
 The goal is to attain as many audience members as possible to be chosen
by record companies.
ROLE PLAY (2)
Day 13
AS RECORD COMPANIES
 Each Group will take turns playing the part of a record
company. They will be trying to acquire the most artists
that attract the most audience.
 Things they will need to: (Make Money to pay artists and
themselves)
 come up with a logo, slogan and a musical style that
they represent and want to “sell”.
.
 The goal is to make more money than the other record
companies by acquiring the artists with the most
audience.
ROLE PLAY (3)
As Audience/Consumers
Day 14
*We will watch our recorded video performances today.
 Groups will divide into individuals and take turns going
to different “concerts” (taped videos and live
performances). You will each get 3 coins.
 As a consumer, you are giving yourself an identity by
your choices of who you like the most.
 You will need to chose the band that connects the most
with your own emotions.
 You will pay the top 3 bands that you like the most- 1
coin each.
 Your goal is to keep the music that you like “alive”
THE COMPETITION
Day 14
 The artist will collect the coins from the audience.
 The record companies will choose the artists with the most coins, as long
as the artist WANTS to be represented by the company—It has to connect
with the company by slogan through emotion.
 The bands that do not get chosen by the record companies come up with
a creative story of how they live out the rest of their lives.  They
become extra audience members with 1 coin each to give to the
remaining band that they like the most.
 The record companies that acquire the most money from the artists they
represent pay all their money to the artist that earns them the most
coins.
 The winning artists must do another live performance to decide the
competition. The Artist with the most coins at the end of the live
competition “wins”...Their music has “survived” and will endure.
Evaluation (day 15)
=20 min.
(Substantive Conversations)
 In thinking about our mock recording industry, discuss with your
groups the meaning of “image” and “identity”. How did you feel
as an artist, as an audience, and as a record company? Who had
the power and when? What about Copyright then and now?
 How is identity important in music?
 How is music important in culture?
 How do you identify with the music that you listen to?
 What does it tell you about yourself, if anything?
 Please journal for the remainder of class about what you learned
from this Blues Unit.
=20 min.
 *Music selections from the unit will be playing in the background.
The Blues
Reflection on the Unit
 *Sharing journals
 *How does the music you listen to relate to the blues?
 *Are there any local artists in our area that perform the
blues? (Chad Elliot?)
 What have you learned by studying the blues?
 How has studying the blues affected the way you listen?
 *What was your favorite part of studying the blues?
Sources for this Power Point

Adoff, Arnold, and R.Gregory Christie. 2011. Roots and Blues: A Celebration. New York:
Clarion Books.

Boyer-White, R., Campbelle-duGard, M., de Frece, R., Goodkin, D., Henderson, B.M.,
Jothen, M.,. . . Rawlins, I. 1995. Share the Music. New York: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School
Publishing Company.

Boynton, Sandra. 2009. One Shoe Blues. New York: Workman Publishing Company, INC.

Greenfield, Eloise, and Jan Spivey Gilchrist. 2011. The Great Migration: Journey To The
North. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Haydn Quartet. Library of Congress, (1902). Medley of plantation songs ([Pre-matrix B]1416/M-2). Retrieved from Victor 1416
website:http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/7845

Herman H. (2008, March 11 2008). You tube. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QACNBlPYKEw

Iclipart. (2012). Retrieved from http://schools.iclipart.com/

ITunes, (n.d.). Itunes storefront. Retrieved from
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/storeFront

Lester, Julius, and Lisa Cohen. 2001. The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked The World. New
York: Hyperion.

Mississippi blues trail. (05 N). Retrieved from http://www.msbluestrail.org/index.aspx
Discography

African American Spiritual, Ezekiel Saw de Wheel. (1995). Grade 5 Share the Music [CD]. 5:11. MacmillanMcGraw-Hill School Publishing Company, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Centaur Records, Inc.

African American Spiritual, Free At Last. (1995). Grade 5 Share the Music [CD]. 8:11. Macmillan-McGrawHill School Publishing Company. New York: Columbus

Clapton, Eric. (2007). Complete Clapton [CD]. Polydor Ltd. (UK). Reprise Records.

Franklin, Aretha. (1985) [1967]. 30 Greatest Hits [CD]. Atlantic Recording Corp.

Johnson, Robert. (1997) [1936]. King of the Delta Blues [CD]. New York: Columbia/Legacy.

Leadbetter, Huddie. (1995). Grade 5 Share the Music [CD]. 6:3. Macmillan-McGraw-Hill School Publishing
Company, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Centaur Records, Inc.

Presley, Elvis. (2007). The Essential Elvis Presley [CD]. Sony Music Entertainment.

The Beatles. (2010) [1973]. The Beatles 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) [CD]. EMI Records Ltd.

Waters, Muddy. (1993). The Complete Plantation Recordings [CD]. Geffen Records.
Graphic organizer hand out used:
(Rubrics and Graphic Organizer used in this PPT, Created with Microsoft Word, 2008)