Overview

Because music engages hearts, bodies, and minds, it has been a powerful force to foster feelings of solidarity throughout history.  

Project Initiation

Students will explore examples of protest music in American history and its relationship to the societal and cultural movements which were present at a given time. In Science, they will investigate the physics concepts behind the creation of sound and the reasons that different sound waves produce music which has unique qualities.  In music, students will compose a piece of protest music with lyrics that relates to a personal, current or past struggle of a marginalized group of people.

Project Exploration and Development

Throughout US history, the disenfranchised have used music as a vehicle to promote their point of view.  In this project, there will be three angles of inquiry from the viewpoints of history, science, and music.  In their U.S. History course, students will explore examples of protest music in American history and its relationship to the societal and cultural movements which were present at a given time.  Community advocate organizations, like the Anti-Defamation League and Alliance San Diego (maybe) have teamed up with us provide an authentic connection to the real world.  They will talk to the students about their experience in activism and working to end injustice.  In their 8th grade science course, students will investigate the physics concepts behind the creation of sound and the reasons that different sound waves produce music which has unique qualities.  Finally, in their music course, students will compose a piece of protest music with lyrics that relates to a personal, current or past struggle of a marginalized group of people. They will also create either a video or an image to serve as the album cover for their piece of music. 

This project encourages students to engage in activism by imagining themselves as artists addressing injustice and inequality in the hopes that their work will draw more attention to an issue or inspire change in a peaceful manner.  Similarly, professional musicians who compose protest music would accomplish this goal by undertaking the same process; they would compose, record, and promote their own original protest music after identifying an issue in society that demonstrated injustice.  A professional musician would also include imagery in the form of an album cover or a video which could be posted to social media or marketed. 

Project Revision and Exhibition

This was a tough year because of Covid, but also because the students were not in one cohort.  Many of my students were not in the science class and other teachers in the departments did not take up the project.  Also, our music teacher was pulled from teaching 8th grade literally weeks before the semester began.  So it was difficult for the students to reflect on their learning and accomplishment and the unit was just too choppy.  

Teachers and Subjects

Adrienne Vinnard - Science
Nathan Elias-Kocivar - Music
Hans Mosler - Individuals and Societies