Changing the World Through Choral Music

Unit for Advanced High School Choir

My high school choir and I dove deeply into the works and lives of a diverse body of artists and addressed the essential question:

How do artists use choral music for social change?

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Overview

We dove deeply into the works and lives of a diverse body of artists and address the essential question: How do artists use choral music for social change?

This inquiry was built upon weeks of school-wide learning about race and identity.

Big end goals included:

making connections between music and purpose
interpreting and performing art in a way that is culturally appropriate
reflecting global citizenship in our approach to artistry

Essential Questions

How is the artist's identity reflected in their work?
How is choral music used for social change?

Way-in

Students brainstormed ways in which choral music can change the world. They supplemented their thinking with ideas from TED talks by Ysaye M. Barnwell and Arreon Harley.

Knowledge-building

Students referred to a school-wide dictionary of terms about race and identity, engaged in self-study to deepen their understanding, and reflected.

Research and Presentation

Students presented an artist and addressed the following questions:
- How did/does the artist identify? What was/is significant about their background?
- What significant things did they do/are they doing in their lifetime?
- How did/does the artist's identity influence their music?
- What was/is the ultimate impact of their work?
Students had the option to present an artist of their choice or pick one from a given list of diverse choral musicians.
Students also chose a piece of music by the artist that addressed social change to present to the class.

Culminating Performance

We will choose one artist's work to perform in our spring concert!

Instructions

Artists to Tune Into and Inspire

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Arreon Harley

American choral director who gave a TED Talk on "How Choirs Have the Capacity to Change Lives"

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Hyo-won Woo

Korean choral composer whose works incorporate traditional and modern styles

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Ysaye M. Barnwell

American singer and composer whose TED Talk on "The Power in Vocal Communities" we explore

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1/5

Siena

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1/7

Rin

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1/4

Annette

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1/6

Lumin

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1/3

Seungjun

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1/2

Charissa

Student Research

After discussing the presented artists as a class, the students decided to perform "Wanting Memories," by Ysaye M. Barnwell, at our spring concert. The message was relevant to the emotional needs of our school community during the pandemic and the level of music was well matched with our abilities.

Culminating Performance

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