The Essential iPOD

Heading: High School Music

Learning Objectives:
Students will formulate a list of Music Genres and gain an understanding of how to classify music according to specific definition of genres. By the end of the UNIT of these lessons, students should be able to listen to a piece of music and be able to name its genre. Learning to describe music is one of the most sound objectives to this project.

Student Prior Knowledge:
A diversity within each ones musical library.

Preparation:
Check out lists of genres on the internet and be ready to suggest titles that belong under each one.

Proceedure:
1. Come up with a rather concise list of musical genres by way of the internet. Post this list somewhere in the room.

2. Have students consider what they listen to and write some of their choices under the headings where they think their songs best belong.

3. Determine what the class is most engaged in listening to in common, and challenge them to consider the areas that they know little or nothing about.

4. Using Wikipedia, or some other source of reference, explore all of the genres and determine some of the most sound examples of each.

5. Have the students script their learning in such a way as can be recorded on video with examples of each genre.

6. Divide the group into pairs and have them each chose a genre. The goal at this point is to video their findings and MOTIVATE us to want to listen to each genre and expand our listening skills.

7. Have students interview teachers and staff and fellow students who share a passion for unusual genres, and if you can find someone who actually performs a unique genre, add this to the overall project.

8. Don’t favor or cheat any genre. Make sure that there is a reasonable explanation for each expression of music and a bit of history as to how it came to be. Use these videos to educate us all!

9. Compile all of the individual videos into a series to post on Youtube, and use them to instruct the younger grades in a general music class.


Conclusion:
Conclude the unit of lessons by purchasing an iPOD and loading it with the choices that were decided through the careful study. Use the iPOD as a fund raising event, and raffle it off as a suggested COMPLETE GUIDE to appreciating the evolution of music.

Evaluation:
Give the students an aural exam once the unit is over, and require them to support their answers as they identify each music example by category.