Grade 9 - Context (Historical and Cultural)

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

• compare and contrast music from a range of historical and cultural contexts, including their interrelationships
• compare and contrast music created for a variety of purposes
• demonstrate respect for music of various historical and cultural contexts

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

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Students are introduced to a range of historical periods of music (e.g., traditional European: medieval, Renaissance, baroque, classical, Romantic, 20th-century). This introduction could involve written descriptions, recorded examples, and discussions. In groups, students create word webs for each era.
• Students listen to music from a variety of cultural and historical perspectives (e.g., Inuit throat singing, Peking opera, zydeco), and identify typical elements, forms, and images evident in that type of music.
• In groups, students perform pieces from different time periods. Present as a chamber music concert with student-selected pieces (e.g., a "walk through history") or costumes to represent one historical era.
• Research and present reports (e.g., oral, written, multimedia) on popular music in various social classes across time periods.
• Prepare a radio show (e.g., "love songs through the ages") or other representation of a variety of music for a common purpose (e.g., dance music, religious music, court music). Include an explanation of the context of that type of music in each era.
• In groups, students "invent" a culture, select or compose music, and create instruments for that culture. Groups present their cultures for the rest of the class, using costumes, posters, maps, and so on, as desired.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• Students research and gather popular dance music from various cultures. In small groups, they develop a description and samples of music from a given culture. Then, groups present their music and descriptions to the class. Ask students to discuss similarities and differences in music developed for dance among cultures. Observe the discussion and note evidence that students understand interrelationships among cultures (e.g., the influence of ____________ immigrants on____________; the similarities in themes among songs from ____________ and____________) and demonstrate respect for various cultural contexts.
• Have students research a specific musical era and plan a thematic dinner (e.g., a wedding meal for nobles in 1700). Have students work in groups to research various aspects such as costume, food, and music. Lead students in a discussion that draws connections between various aspects of the celebration. For example,
  • Did the celebration involve different types of music?
  • Would the social status determine the kind or size of ensemble that would perform for this dinner?
  Record evidence that students can make connections between music and various historical or cultural situations.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• The Choral Conductor's Art
• Eyewitness Music Kit
• Jazz: My Music, My People
• Music For All: Teaching Music to People With Special Needs
• Music Through The Ages

• In the Key of Oscar
• Joy Of Singing
• Latin Nights
• Mariposa: Under A Stormy Sky
• Music Maestro Series
• Mwe Bana Bandi - Children's Music from Zambia
• Orchestra!
• Something Within Me
• Take a Bow

• Exploring the Music of the World
• First Assignments
• Investigating Musical Styles
• Susan Hammond's Classical Kids: The Classroom Collection

Table of Contents

Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Standards Department

© 1995 Copyright

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator - Music

Revised: March 15, 1996

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