Teaching the ‘Making a Difference’ unit through music / the arts

Ideas for you to RUN with!

• Learn 2+ protest songs and perform to backing tracks
• Sing protest songs in assembly
• Explore the lyrics and musical features of protest songs - compare and contrast
• Teach ‘Parihaka’ by Tim Finn, then learn to play it on instruments (keyboard, uke, guitar, drums, xylophone, orchestral instruments etc.). Work towards a whole-class performance
• Groups create an arrangement of ‘Parihaka’ by Tim Finn
• Create your own protest song (email Kate Revell at CSIS for songwriting resources)
• Create an annotated playlist of protest music that matters to you (from any time / place)
• Could tie in well to the ‘Understanding Music in Context’ strand:
  • Level 4: Identify and describe the characteristics of music associated with a range of sound environments, in relation to historical, social and cultural contexts; explore ideas about how music serves a variety of purposes and functions in their lives and in their communities
• Upload performances to a YouTube channel (can the comments be approved / policed?)
• The Parihaka CD contains quite a few poems, including one that explores the fact that Parihaka wasn’t taught until recently (“Parihaka” by Apirana Taylor). There is also an instrumental piece that teachers/students could create a dance to “An Offering For Parihaka”, which contains traditional Maori instruments.
• What is more powerful: A dance, speech, song, a drama …(so much choice!) You could organise workshops on how to write lyrics, choreograph a dance to a protest song etc and then students choose what they want to do. Following the performance, students provide feedback on which was the most powerful performance and why.