Musical Gifts of the World
Laura Marie Thompson

PART ONE
I. INTRODUCTION
We will explore the world through music and religions in this course. We will investigate how different parts of the world express their spirit and culture.
We will gain a sense of the world's geography. We will focus on several countries including India, Brazil and South Africa. We will listen to voices - our own and others - as a way of understanding, challenging, celebrating and healing.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS :
Positive attitude and participation, respect, curiosity, homework - assigned on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays/ Collected on Tuesdays and Thursdays, group work, an organized notebook with notes and collection of work, outside studying for quizzes and exams, regular, prompt attendance, and a willingness to enjoy and experiment with the unknown.

II. MAJOR TOPICS
This course offers opportunities to create and refine assignments for the Global Portfolio in the following areas:
Part I - Music/Art/Culture, and Religion.
Part II - Knowing another country well
Part III - Concepts - All the concepts in this portfolio will be dealt with in sentences and vocabulary quizzes.
These include: colonialism, religion, culture, imperialism, social systems, ideologies, global economy, human rights, environmental issues, global health issues, democracy, totalitarianism, communism, socialism, monarchy, feudalism, fascism, dictatorship, and economy.
Part IV - Geography - Students will create a visual representation of the world and a map of the world which demonstrates colonization.

III. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS -
*How do people in different parts of the world express themselves, struggle to create and define themselves through music?
*How is music connected to people’s emotional, spiritual and political lives?

GOALS and OBJECTIVES
To give students an opportunity to learn about different parts of the world, both geographically and culturally. To use music as the focus, connecting theme in our explorations. To affirm that the students will comprehend and be able to navigate basic world geography

V. SKILLS
Effective group work - The students will have opportunities to work on short term projects : What is culture/Develop your own, and longer term "Country Travel Brochure Project".

Viewing - Students will take notes off of and ask questions of videos. These notes will allow for successful summary writing, observation and reflection. Questions will include opportunities to analyze image, word and sound.

Research - The students will learn how and where to find information, specifically about music and different countries. They will investigate a chosen country through reading, viewing, interviewing, and observing. Students will learn how to identify relevant information and creatively piece it together in their "Country Travel Brochure" project.

VI. FORMS OF ASSESSMENT :
Active participation, demonstration of map skills, portfolio of work including research and development of a travel brochure for a specific country (completion and presentation

VII. ALIGNMENT TO STANDARDS
Learning Standards for Social Studies at Three Levels :
Standard 2: World History: Sections 1 and 3 and Standard 3: Geography: Section 1
----2.1 The study of world history requires an understanding or world cultures and civilizations.
----2.3 Study of major social, political, cultural and religious developments in world history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.î
----3.1 Geography can be divided into six essential elements.

Learning Standards for English Language Arts at Three Levels: Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding: Section 1
----1.1 Listening and reading

VIII. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Listening to a variety of World Music, capturing sound and mood with visual representation, brainstorming before we actually learn about a topic or idea, active learning through a variety of guest speakers/ musicians from the countries/religions we are exploring, Trips to musical shows and the Music Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Reading a variety of texts (from travel brochures to standard travel guides to conventional history texts to) learning with others through group work.

IX. RESOURCES and MATERIALS
TEXTS:
Excerpts from
The Rough Guide to World Music Volumes one and two.
Global Studies Globe Feron Text
When The Drummers Were Women Layne Redmond
The Worlds Music - An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples Jeff Todd Titon, General Editor
Music - Its Role and Importance in our Lives Charles Fowler
The World is Sound: Nada Brahma Joachim-Ernst Berendt
The Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron (Chapter on Sound)
The Mozart Effect Don Cambell

VIDEOS:
Monsoon Wedding Mira Nair
Siddhartha
Quilombo
Black Orpheus
Earth (About the Pakistan/Indian Partition)
Selections from Sarafina, and Biko

TRIPS:
The Museum of Natural History
“Little India” on 6th Street
The Museum of modern Art
The metropolitan Museum of Art (Musical instruments section) or the Music Library at Lincoln Center.
Various houses of worship including a Mosque, St John the Divine, a temple, Central Park,

MUSICAL SELECTIONS: (Including, but not limited to)
Trance Planet one and three,
Worlds of Music (accompanies the text)
Sound Track of Monsoon Wedding
Indian Music including Kirtan singing, Ravi Shankar and Sheila Chandra
Brazilian Music including Gilberto Gil, Cassia Eller, Maria Bretania, Cal Gosta,
South African Music including Miraim Makeba, Brenda Fasse and other Kwaito artists.

PART TWO: WEEK TO WEEK OUTLINE

WEEK ONE- WELCOME.
Who I am-
Why I teach this class - love the world and I love music
I want to share sounds from different parts of the world. They may inspire, nourish, challenge, confuse, excite, not interest, or soothe you.
Strategy - 1. To encourage the students to listen and creatively respond to new music and their own with curiosity .
2. To establish the content and form base for the course.
Materials - CDS including Iso ( Ishmael Lo) ; Dicen Que Soi (La India); Belize Tropical (compilation of Brazilian music)
What is Culture? Brainstorm.
Develop and establish group expectations

WEEK TWO –
Go over the Global Portfolio. Begin Concepts.
Pull out the words we don’t know to develop first vocabulary list.
Establish Notebook structure
Present Idea of Grammar Tips

WEEK THREE -
Put some visual images to the geography / musical sound making
Begin with India…Start with brainstorming questions and sterotypes. View Monsoon Wedding

WEEK FOUR -
Indian Music and Healing – Reading
Chanting
Complete the rest of the concepts
How do you get information about a country??? Travel Brochure exercise. Role Plays with calling the consulate, embassy, write away for information on Brazil
Look at Lonely Planet Website, text book, reading from Rough Guide of World Music and personal interview
Create a CD or record cover for your imaginary band

WEEK FIVE – - To get a sense of the world’s geography
Materials - Rand McNaly World Atlas Signature edition
World Atlas Quiz
Sound game with orange
Blank map of the world
Everyone gets an orange. peel it and it looks flat
Draw map of world
Brainstorm stereotypes of East and West
Look at actual map.
Color in established map identifying 25 countries including Senegal, Brazil, India, Guinea, Cuba, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Cape Verde Islands, South Africa, and Portugal.
Trip to Little India/ Guest performance artist at WOW – Veejay
What your personal belief system? What is religion.
Brief Intorduction to Hinduism Begin Viewing Siddhartha

WEEK SIX – WRAP UP OF INDIA – Travel Brochure Group Project
Travel Brochure breakdown
Groups analyze various travel brochures. They address the question: Does this reflect /respect the culture it represents.
Students develop their own criteria for a travel brochure
Includes collage and selection of three pieces of Indian Music
Quiz on Concepts

WEEK SEVEN – BEGIN RESEARCH PAPER!!!TRIP TO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Reminder to students to take notes and concentrate on knowledge accumulation within this context.
Brainstorm topic…Essential Question – Does Music have anything to do with religion or politics or healing? Break down world religions…Pre Test

WEEK EIGHT – SOUTH AFRICA - KNOWING ANOTHER COUNTRY WELL
Start with brainstorm, use Bill Bigelow’s book, Watch parts of Sarafina, Biko. Guest – Liz our Math teacher.
Book of South African Sounds…

WEEK NINE – MID SEMESTER
PRACTICE PORTFOLIO CONCEPTS AND MAP AND TWO OF FINAL QUESTIONS.
South Africa continued. Visit from Simin’s colleague, visionary on South African Youth music.

WEEK TEN – How is music political? Start BRAZIL
Watch Quilombo (Music by Gilberto Gil)
Daily quizzes. Write a bio honoring your past and present
Exam on Quilombo

WEEK ELEVEN
Watch Forsyth Streets video on Capoeira
Guest Work Shop CAPOEIRA

WEEK TWELVE
Type and creatively adorn two of your poems or lyrics

WEEK THIRTEEN
To read and take notes on history/herstory of Brazilian groups
Each group will have a different written resource to gain their information from. Report to larger group who’ll take notes off of each report.)
To observe and analyze Black Orpheus (Daily Quizzes)
Materials - Lonely Plant Guide to Brazil, Encyclopedia, Child’s book from Brazil, Black Orpheus
Womyn Police Stations in Sao Paulo Video

WEEK FOURTEEN –
Palestine/Israel and their music. From Rap to Israeli Folk.
Jamaica – Music of resistance

WEEK FIFTEEN –
Complete research paper 1st draft. Review of all grammar tips and make sure they are included in paper.

WEEK SIXTEEN – Complete portfolio, begin rehearsing presentations. 2nd draft of research paper and third.

WEEK SEVENTEEN AND EIGHTEEN – Portfolio preparation and presentation.