How to Study Rock and Roll: Developing Music Appreciation Skills
How can learning to listen more deeply change the way we understand and appreciate music?
How to Use This Lesson
This is a Harmony Student Wellness lesson, a week-long, music-centered social-emotional learning lesson designed to be taught across multiple sessions, culminating in an arts-based project. This lesson can be taught in isolation or as part of the larger Harmony Student Wellness program. For more support on implementation, see the Implementation Guide on the program page.
Essential Question
How can learning to listen more deeply change the way we understand and appreciate music?
Objectives
Mastery Objective:
- Students will be able to build music appreciation skills through close listening, contextualizing, and analyzing music.
Day 1 - Students will:
- Listen to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”
- Consider how to appreciate music they may not like and why it’s beneficial
- Practice close listening as a method for analyzing and understanding music
Day 2 - Students will:
- Listen to “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons
- Consider how the history or context surrounding a song can help build appreciation for it
- Explore how music appreciation skills can benefit other parts of their lives
Day 3 - Students will:
- Listen to “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix
- Consider how songs can be studied similarly to books or other written works
- Identify literary techniques, such as imagery, in song lyrics
Day 4 - Students will:
- Watch Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin perform “I Like it Like That” at the American Music Awards
- Notice elements of a live musical performance and their impact on the song’s reception
Arts-Based Activity - Students will:
- Reflect on the music appreciation skills they learned this week through discussion
- Demonstrate music appreciation skills by crafting a music review for a song that they did not initially have a positive opinion of
Background
In this lesson, students will explore strategies to build music appreciation skills. Students begin by practicing close listening, noticing elements of a song, including mood, tempo, and instrumentation. Students then consider how the historical context of a song might impact their understanding of it. Students also explore lyrics as a form of literature and analyze components of live performance. The lesson will culminate in a final exercise of using these skills to write a one-line music review in which they express appreciation for music that they initially did not enjoy. This lesson lays a foundation for students to have productive and respectful conversations about music this year.
Materials
Required for all lessons:
- Student Journals
- Art Supplies
Day 3:
Arts-Based Activity:
- Device to listen to music or do research
- Handout - Music Appreciation Challenge