About This Lesson
Introduce students to the iconic Black Musicians of the Harlem Cultural Festival and explore the lasting influence of Black Music!
This lesson teaches students about essential elements of music with examples from genres of music created by or advanced by Black artists like spirituals, gospel, jazz, blues, soul, R&B, rock and roll, funk, hip-hop, and rap.
In Part 1 of this lesson, students explore the elements of music that help identify what makes music styles unique.
Part 2 explores the evolution of Black music. Students listen to a range of musical examples and reflect on the changes they hear in each successive genre. This section includes a game about identifying musical genres.
Part 3 is an optional extension project. Students choose a genre and research artists and songs that were fundamental to the style. They explain why the song and artist are important to the genre and then apply their knowledge of the elements of music to analyze each chosen song.
The lesson features class discussion prompts, extension activities, and a class activity/game. It also includes worksheets, handouts, and slideshows.
This is a great lesson to teach with for Black History Month (February), Music in our Schools Month (March), Jazz Appreciation Month (April) and Black Music Appreciation Month (June)!
Learn more about teaching with Summer of Soul including where to watch it from Journeys in Film.
