Say It Loud!:
A Celebration Of Black Music In America 
  
Lessons for High School Music and Social Studies Classes
Episode 2: Pursuing The Dream
  
Lesson 2 of 5 
The Music Industry Part II 

Objectives 
  
  € Students will identify general business terms such as entrepreneur, corporation, 
  marketing, demographic, promotion, distribution etc.
  € Students will identify many careers within the music industry such as 
  producer, A&R representative, recording studio engineer, etc.
  € Students will connect achievements of noted artists with their roles 
  in the music industry
  € Students will identify many Black music industry leaders and their contributions

National Standards for Music Education
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture


  
  Materials
  € VHS VCR player
  € Television
  € Videotape of Say It Loud! A Celebration Of Black Music In America, Episode 
  2: Pursuing The Dream
  € CD player
  € A recent copy of The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Black Enterprise 
  or similar business periodical
  € Paper and pencil
  € Suggested 1950s CD song example for teacher to supply:

  1950: Top 5, Top 40.
    1. GOODNIGHT IRENE - Gordon Jenkins & the Weavers (Decca)
    2. MONA LISA - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
    3. THIRD MAN THEME - Anton Karas (London)
    4. SAM'S SONG - Gary & Bing Crosby (Decca)
    5. SIMPLE MELODY - Gary & Bing Crosby (Decca) 
  1951: Top 5, Top 40.
    1. TOO YOUNG - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
    2. BECAUSE OF YOU - Tony Bennett (Columbia)
    3. HOW HIGH THE MOON - Les Paul & Mary Ford (Capitol)
    4. COME ON-A MY HOUSE - Rosemary Clooney (Columbia)
    5. BE MY LOVE - Mario Lanza (RCA Victor) 
  1952: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. YOU BELONG TO ME - Jo Stafford (Columbia)
    2. WHEEL OF FORTUNE - Kay Starr (Capitol)
    3. I WENT TO YOUR WEDDING - Patti Page (Mercury)
    4. AUF WIEDERSEH'N SWEETHEART - Vera Lynn & Chorus (London) 
    5. KISS OF FIRE - Georgia Gibbs (Mercury) 
  1953: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. SONG FROM MOULIN ROUGE - Percy Faith (Columbia)
    2. VAYA CON DIOS - Les Paul & Mary Ford (Capitol)
    3. DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW - Patti Page (Mercury)
    4. I'M WALKING BEHIND YOU - Eddie Fisher (RCA Victor)
    5. YOU, YOU, YOU - Ames Brothers (RCA Victor)
  1954: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT - Kitty Kallen (Decca)
    2. WANTED - Perry Como (RCA Victor)
    3. HEY THERE - Rosemary Clooney (Columbia)
    4. SH-BOOM - Crew Cuts (Mercury)
    5. MAKE LOVE TO ME - Jo Stafford (Columbia)
  1955: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM WHITE - Perez Prado (RCA Victor)
    2. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK - Bill Haley & The Comets (Decca)
    3. THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS - Mitch Miller (Columbia)
    4. AUTUMN LEAVES - Roger Williams (Kapp)
    5. UNCHAINED MELODY - Les Baxter (Capitol) 
  1956: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. DON'T BE CRUEL - Elvis Presley (RCA Victor)
    2. SINGIN' THE BLUES - Guy Mitchell (Columbia)
    3. THE WAYWARD WIND - Gogi Grant (Era)
    4. HEARTBREAK HOTEL - Elvis Presley (RCA Victor)
    5. ROCK AND ROLL WALTZ - Kay Starr (RCA Victor)
  1957: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. ALL SHOOK UP - Elvis Presley (RCA Victor)
    2. LOVE LETTERS IN THE SAND - Pat Boone (Dot)
    3. LITTLE DARLIN' - Diamonds (Mercury)
    4. YOUNG LOVE - Tab Hunter (Dot)
    5. SO RARE - Jimmy Dorsey (Fraternity)
  1958: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. VOLARE (NEL BLU DIPINTO DI BLU) - Domenico Modugno (Decca) 
    2. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM/CLAUDETTE - Everly Brothers (Cadence)
    3. DONT/I BEG OF YOU - Elvis Presley (RCA Victor)
    4. WITCH DOCTOR - David Seville (Liberty)
    5. PATRICIA - Perez Prado (RCA Victor)
  1959: Top 5, Top 40. 
    1. THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS - Johnny Horton (Columbia)
    2. MACK THE KNIFE - Bobby Darin (Atco)
    3. PERSONALITY - Lloyd Price (ABC-Paramount)
    4. VENUS - Frankie Avalon (Chancellor)
    5. LONELY BOY - Paul Anka (ABC-Paramount)
  € If possible, visit by a community-based record label representative 
  
  
  Procedures 


1. Students will view the videotape Say It Loud!: A Celebration of Black Music 
  In America, Episode 2, Pursuing The Dream.
2. Distribute copies of The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, or similar 
  business sections of newspapers or periodicals for student perusal.
3. Ask students to find articles that relate to the recording industry. (Accept 
  articles about celebrities, popular culture, sales charts.)
4. Discuss the articles with students. Ask the question, "What changes 
  have occurred in the last ten years?" (Accept responses about technology 
  and the movement from cassettes to CDs and VHS videos to DVDs). Discuss any 
  recent "cutting-edge" developments such as internet access, MP3s and 
  downloading. 
5. Play an excerpt from a 1950s recording (See Materials List) . 
6. Discuss changes in musical styles and instruments over the decades. Note 
  the actual sound quality of the recordings as the process improved over the 
  decades. Point out the use of acoustic instruments such as strings, woodwinds 
  and brass in the earlier recordings. Note the change to electronic instruments 
  in current music.

Optional: 
1. Invite a community-based record label representative or manager from a recording 
  studio to address the students. 
2. The teacher or guest artist will write the following terms on the chalkboard: 
  producer, performing artist, composer, lyricist, manager, agent, promoter, record 
  company executive, tour manager, image consultant, recording engineer. Define 
  terms and lead students in a discussion of the duties of these jobs (See "Pursuing 
  The Dream" Lesson 1, Procedure 9.)
3. Assign students, or small groups of students to various roles listed on 
  the chalkboard. Explain that the class is now a record company. Students are 
  to launch a new record label and investigate and simulate the appropriate steps 
  to do so. Ask students to invent a name for the company.
4. Students can investigate process and determine how to set up the company. 
  (Accept the idea that someone must invest an amount of imaginary money.) Investigate 
  other references to help high school students research business plans such as 
  a business class or junior achievement program based at the school. ( Students 
  may reference "Grammy In the Schools Career handbook" [Copyright 1999], 
  available through the NARAS Foundation, narasfoundation@grammy.com)
5. Students will prepare a plan as if they were organizing a Talent Showcase 
  to identify emerging artists (including venue, equipment, talent, promotional, 
  prize, budget, and staff needs etc.) Organize a committee to select a date for 
  the event. Another committee should handle all publicity, including flyers, 
  and other announcements. 

Optional: Have students prepare plan for and carry through the organization 
of a Talent Showcase. 


  Extension

  € If appropriate resources are available, students may produce and market 
  a CD recording. Various business roles, such as marketing director, promoter, 
  performing artist, manager, agent, recording engineer, and producer will be 
  assumed by groups as assigned by instructor. ( Optional: Ask a local recording 
  studio to donate eight hours or time to facilitate this.)
€ Students may take a field trip to a local recording studio. Interviews 
  of employees will be assigned to several small groups. 

6. See VH1 Music Studio VH1 Legends: Aretha Franklin Lesson 3, which explores 
  roles/careers in the music industry.

This lesson was developed by Dee Spencer, professor of music at San Francisco 
  State University and Willie Hill, president-elect of MENC: The National Association 
  for Music Education and director of the University Fine Arts Center at University 
  of Massachusetts-Amherst in collaboration with VH1 and
  MENC: The National Association for Music Education