[Note to Teachers: Some of the scenes and topics in
the videotaped program that these lessons accompany address social change,
the sexual revolution, AIDS (auto immune deficiency syndrome), and drug
culture. If your curriculum is subject to restrictions on any of these
topics, you should review the videotape before using it in the classroom.]
The popular music of the 1980s both reflected and influenced everyday
lives, says Shannon Daugherty, the host of "VH1 Presents the 1980s." The
popular music in the 1960s responded to the Vietnam War with anthems of
peace and protest, and the music of the 1970s mirrored the cultural transition
to a time when the once vibrant youth movement was feeling bitter and
betrayed. During the 1970's some popular musicians were laying aside political
messages, some turning inward for themes, others rejecting any message
at all. The music of the 1980s also reflected the culture of its decade.
The popular music of the 80's reflected both a culture focused on conspicuous
consumption and wealth as well as a generation addressing social change
with the emergence of concerts and albums to raise money for famines in
Africa and the economic plight of America's farmers.
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VH1
Presents the 1980s
VH1 Music Studio
Cable in the Classroom
Lessons for High School Music Classes
Lesson 4 |
Objectives
- Students will discuss development of music videos
- Students will identify elements that make a successful music video
National Standard 8, 9— Understanding relationships between music,
the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts; Understanding music
in relation to history and culture.
Materials
- VHS VCR player
- Television
- VH1 Cable in the Classroom program VH1 Presents the 1980s
- Web-based lesson materials
- Teacher-provided music video (Michael Jackson’s 1983 Thriller
was one of the most influential)
Prior
Experience
Students have viewed the program VH1 Presents the 1980s
Procedures
- As students enter the classroom, have a music video playing on
the television.
- When students have settled into their seats, tell students what
you like and don’t like about the video that is playing.
- Invite students to tell what they like and don’t like about
the music video. Rephrase to them what they’ve talked about--are
they noticing the visual or the sound elements of the video?
- Have students describe the video in musical terms (melody, harmony,
rhythm, and form, style, etc... ). What is the quality of the musical
performance?
- Have students describe the theatrical and visual elements of the
video. Is there choreography? How many performers are involved? What
is the lighting like? What about the staging and blocking? How do
the costumes or clothes contribute to the overall effect? What do
you notice about camera shots including angles, close-ups, editing,
etc...
Does the staging tell a story? Is the staging created to tell a story?
- Now have students discuss if their impression of the music would
be the same with out the video. Have students imagine what they might
notice with just the sound remaining.
- If possible, turn the television away from the students. Tell students
to observe what they notice about the music as you replay the music
video--this time without the students being able to see the visuals.
- Lead students in a discussion of any observations they have about
listening to the music video without seeing it.
- Have students form groups of three or four. Each group is assigned
to do a research project on the development of music videos. Have
them conduct research in the school music library and on the Internet
to find out when music videos became popular in the United States,
to look at the role of television and cable television’s MTV
in the development of music videos, and to list some landmark music
videos and the artists in them. Each group is to be prepared to discuss
their findings with the other students at a class period assigned
to this.
Extension:
Have students perform a piece of music with and without visual images.
Students can explore performing a piece of music with no costumes,
movement, or expression and then create a video or stage performance
to correspond.
VH1, in partnership with Cable in
the Classroom, collaborated with
MENC: The National Association for Music Education to develop this
series of lessons.
National
Standards for Music Education
- Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
- Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire
of music
- Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments
- Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines
- Reading and notating music
- Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
- Evaluating music and music performances
- Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines
outside the arts
- Understanding music in relation to history and culture
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