People on the Move

Students will learn about the movement of people from the old world to the new, from east to west, south to north, country to city, oppression to freedom, through exploration of uniquely American musical genres, such as folk, blues, jazz and rock. Students will be engaged in singing, clapping out rhythms, writing new words to old songs as well as writing an opera backed by ROAM musicians. Students will play simple instruments. They will come to understand the oral tradition, the mixing of cultures to create new genres, the influence of social conditions and technology on the transmission and experience of music. They will also learn about pitch, tempo, dynamics, melody, harmony, verse and chorus, rhythm and rhyme. (Students will record the songs they have written with professional musicians, and each student will receive a copy of their recording.)