Music 6
Context - Historical and Cultural

It is expected that students will:

• compare music from a range of historical and cultural contexts
• identify a variety of purposes for creating music
• create music for a given purpose
• demonstrate respect for music from various historical and cultural contexts

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Context - Historical and Cultural in other grades click on an icon below.

• Ask students to identify several examples of music from TV programs. Have them work in groups to identify similarities and differences in each music example and to categorize the examples according to type of TV program (e.g., sitcom, news broadcast, movie, children's show). Groups then report their findings to the class. Ask: What generalizations can be made about the styles of music chosen for certain types of programs?
• Play recordings of various national anthems. Have students work in groups to compare characteristics of the lyrics and melodies in the examples. Bring the class together and discuss: Do the anthems reflect the culture of that country? How?
• Form groups and invite each group to investigate the arts in a selected country, focussing on what is distinctive about the country's music, dance, visual arts, drama, literature, and so on. Ask the groups to give presentations on their chosen countries.
• Have students in groups invent cultures, including music and explanations of the cultural contexts of the music. Ask them to present their invented cultures to the class. Debrief as a class by asking: Does the invented music have any relation to music found in Canada?
• Invite students to work in groups to create Spy Files of composers from given eras or cultures, including biographical details and examples of their music. Share the files as a class, focussing on any trends students see and the similarities and differences between each culture or historical period. (e.g., Are there more men than women? Were the composers writing for similar purposes?) Have students keep Spy Logs and use them to record examples of encounters with music by any of the selected composers.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• As students analyse music in TV programs, prompt them to probe their understanding of the role of purpose and context. Select a specific piece of music and ask questions such as:
  • What feelings does this music create in you? What images, memories, or ideas?
  • What is the purpose of the music in this context? What does the producer or programmer want you to think, feel, or do?
  • How effective is the choice of music? To what extent does it accomplish the producer's or programmer's purpose?
  • Is it typical of music you would find in similar programs? What similar (different) examples can you think of?
• When students listen to national anthems from various countries or participate in or view multicultural expositions, look for evidence that they are:
  • open to music that is unfamiliar to them
  • interested in and curious about a range of music experiences
  • courteous and respectful in responding to music from various cultures
  • able to make connections between music and other facets of a culture
  • willing to experiment with instruments, music, and techniques
• After students have created Spy Files and conducted other research activities involving composers from various eras and cultures, ask them to form groups and use what they have learned to create games and challenges for their classmates. Look for evidence that their information is accurate and that they enjoy discovering and sharing information about composers from these eras and cultures.

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