Say It Loud!:
A Celebration Of Black Music In America 
  
Lessons for High School Music and Social Studies Classes
Episode 4: Express Yourself
  
Lesson 1 of 5 
Part 1: Image and Meaning
Part 2: Different Experiences, Different Views
Written in conjunction with Quincy Jones

Part 1
  (This lesson can take place over one or more class sessions and can be conducted 
  in conjunction with social studies, health education, and music curricula.) 



  
  
Objectives 
  
  
  € Students will demonstrate an understanding of the various influences 
  on their personal style.
  € Students will explain how image can convey personality.
  € Students will analyze manifestations of stereotypes throughout the history 
  of Black music.
  € Students will identify ways to discourage negative stereotypes.
  Curriculum Standards for Social Studies from the National Council for Social 
  Studies
  (http://www.socialstudies.org).
IV. Individual Development & Identity: 
  a. articulate personal connections to time, place, and social/cultural systems
  f. analyze the role of perceptions, attitudes, values, and beliefs in the development 
  of personal identity
  g. compare and evaluate the impact of stereotyping, conformity, acts of altruism, 
  and other behaviors on individuals and groups
V. Individuals, Groups, & Institutions:
  d. identify and analyze examples of tensions between expressions of individuality 
  and efforts used to promote social conformity by groups and institutions
  
 


Part 2

  
Objectives 
€ Students will demonstrate an understanding of the role music has 
  played throughout African American history, from the days of slavery to the 
  present.
€ Students will identify and describe the major issues and events 
  surrounding the civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s.
€ Students will describe the influences of the civil rights movement 
  on black culture, and the influences of black culture on the civil rights movement.Curriculum 
  Standards for Social Studies from the National

Council for Social Studies
  II. Time, Continuity & Change:
    b. apply key concepts such as time, chronology, causality, change, conflict, 
    and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of 
    historical change and continuity
  II. Time, Continuity & Change:
    e. investigate, interpret, and analyze multiple historical and contemporary 
    viewpoints within and across cultures related to important events, recurring 
    dilemmas, and persistent issues, while employing empathy, skepticism, and 
    critical judgment
  V. Individuals, Groups, & Institutions:
    b. analyze group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements 
    of culture in both historical and contemporary settings


  
Materials
  
 
  € Videotape of Say It Loud! A Celebration Of Black Music In America, 
  Episode 4: Express Yourself 
  € Television
  € VCR
  € Internet access (optional)


  
Procedures 
  

  Part 1: Image and Meaning
1. Tell students that they are going to watch a program about the role 
  of "image" or style in relation to the history of black music and 
  the experience of black citizens in the United States. Before they watch the 
  video, ask them to share any ideas they may already have about the significance 
  of image in the world of music and entertainment and give examples of artists 
  who portray particular images. Then have students discuss the following questions:
 
 
 
  € What is your favorite kind of music? Who are your favorite musical 
    artists? 
    € Which artists have styles, "looks," or images that you admire? 
    Do you identify with them? If not, who do you identify with?
    € Do they influence your personal style? If so, how? If not, why not? 
    

2. Have students either write a journal entry in which they describe 
  their personal style, or create a collage that reflects their personal style. 
  They can share their writing or collages with the class if they wish, or keep 
  them private, if they prefer.
 3. Next, have students discuss how people's appearances can convey messages, 
  values, or agendas. Give an example (or have students suggest one). For example, 
  what does a tuxedo suggest? What does purple hair represent? How does context 
  (where, when and with whom these "looks" appear) affect the meaning? 
  For example, how is wearing purple hair on Halloween different from wearing 
  it on another day of the year? Have them brainstorm for more "looks", 
  styles, or images that they observe in the world of contemporary music and entertainment, 
  and in their own community or school. Have them suggest possible interpretations 
  for these "looks" in various contexts. List their suggestions on the 
  board in a chart like the following. Foster respect for differing opinions by 
  listing all the students' views.

Look       Context      Meaning

Encourage a discussion about how a person's looks may affect how they 
  view someone (e.g., some may view a rapper wearing hip hop clothes in a certain 
  way; a hippie from the '60s may have been mistaken as not patriotic, etc.) Help 
  students to identify examples of times in their lives when relying on the outer 
  "image" did not prove valid. Teacher might provide a personal example 
  to begin discussion.
4. Have students (orally or in writing) analyze and then debate the pros 
  and/or cons of dress codes of schools in your area. Encourage students to talk 
  with students at schools that have dress codes to gather the information needed 
  to form their opinions. Have them consider the following questions:
  
    € Why do dress codes exist? 
    € Do they suppress or enhance individuality? 
    € Do they help or hinder students' self-expression? 
    € Do they help or hinder students' self-images? That is, do they help 
    them feel good about themselves?
    € How do they affect the way students are viewed by others? 
    € Do they help people to focus on inner qualities rather than the external?
    € What else can help people focus on inner qualities rather than outward 
    appearance?


Part 2: Different Experiences, Different Views

1. Have students work in groups or individually to make a timeline depicting 
  historic or sociopolitical events in African American history. Ask students 
  to think about the rights of African Americans from the earliest times in American 
  history to the present. How have these rights changed? What is the situation 
  today?
2. Have students conduct research on the civil rights movement and report 
  their findings to the class. Teacher might assign students a specific topic 
  or time period of the Civil Rights Movement or provide students with a photograph 
  and ask students to research the specific part of the civil rights movement 
  that occurred when the photo was taken? Ask them to find books or magazines 
  at the library or magazine archives on the Web (See "Resources" below 
  for websites and publications.) Have them photocopy or download photos and annotate 
  them. (Examples might include such things as Jim Crow signs in South, images 
  of school desegregation in Alabama, the March on Washington, etc., from archived 
  issues of Life or Newsweek.) Have students bring their findings to class and 
  explain what the images depict.
 
 
 
  Ask students to show these photos to older relatives or friends—ideally, 
    from among a variety of backgrounds, races, and cultures—and ask them 
    to relate them to their own lives. Have students ask their family members 
    or friends what they were doing in the 1950s and 1960s and how the civil rights 
    movement affected them. Suggest that students ask about their other memories 
    of that era regarding dress, music, and entertainment. 
  Explain to the students that some of the reactions and views they may 
    receive may differ from their own. Work with the students to identify reasons 
    why others may have different viewpoints (background, upbringing etc.).
  Have them prepare and present oral reports on their findings.
  During or before the presentations, lead students in a discussion about 
    stereotypes. Have students define the term and give examples. (As defined 
    by Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, a stereotype is a standardized 
    mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents 
    an oversimplified opinion.) Have them discuss stereotypes throughout history 
    of various groups in American society (ethnic groups, teens, etc.). How did 
    irrational stereotypes foster the existence of Jim Crow laws, segregation, 
    etc? Have students discuss how people who are stereotyped feel about it.

3. Have students watch Episode 5: Express Yourself of Say It Loud in 
  part or in full. Tell students to pay special attention to the evolution of 
  "looks" or styles that Black musicians have portrayed over the years, 
  and to the reasons for or meanings of these looks. Highlight the portion of 
  the program that states, "While Black artists today are trendsetters, this 
  century started off with most Black entertainers having to assimilate to white 
  culture to gain acceptance." 
4. Tell students that they should view the program keeping in mind that 
  they will work in small groups to create an evolutionary timeline of "looks" 
  in Black music from Duke Ellington to today's hip hop artists. Students will 
  align the artists with the decade in which they were popular and the "look" 
  or image for which they were known. Then for each artist, students will explain 
  the function of his or her chosen "look," especially in regard to 
  stereotypes of Blacks at the time. 
Points to stop video and make particular reference: 
  € John Clayton and Bradford Marsalis talking about Louis Armstrong 
  as portraying an "image" that white audiences expected.
  € Abiodun Oyewole and Bradford Marsalis talking about Miles Davis wanting 
  the "music" to be the most prominent aspect of his performance. 
  € References to the "clean, polished" look of the '50's 
  and '60's.
As students list and describe each artist, have them discuss the rationale 
  behind the adopted image. What was happening in society at the time that the 
  artist was popular? What values, messages, or agendas was the artist trying 
  to project? What values, messages, or agendas was the artist trying to rebel 
  against? Students can use a chart like the following:

Artist       Decade       Image or Look       Reson for Image

Sample answers may include: Duke Ellington wore a tuxedo in the 40s to 
  convey elegance as a rejection of white American stereotypes about blacks; Marvin 
  Gaye wore suits in the '60s to conform to white expectations, as did Stevie 
  Wonder. Then, in the '70s, Gaye wore casual clothes and a natural while Stevie 
  Wonder wore dashikis and cornrows. Seventies styles such as afros and dashikis 
  reflected Afrocentrism and black pride; the platform shoes that some artists 
  wore also conveyed a sense of pride and "standing tall."


Extensions

1. Have students discuss where they think we will go from here, in terms 
  of images in African American music. What might future "looks" be? 
  What might they be in response to? What will they say about the role of African 
  Americans in American society?
2. Choose one of the following and discuss: 
 
 
 
    € Patti La Belle says that performers must dress a certain way 
    so people will look at them so that they will listen to them. Agree or disagree.
    € Gladys Knight says that real talent doesn't depend on looks. Agree 
    or disagree.
    € M.C. Hammer says, "You've got to market yourself." Are most 
    black performers simply marketing themselves with their "looks"? 
    Or are there other reasons to dress a certain way when you're in the public 
    eye?

3. Have students listen to a song without visual images. Then have students 
  listen to and view the corresponding video of the same song. Lead students in 
  a discussion about whether the visual image changed their perception of the 
  music? 
4. 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. 



Resources

Websites:
€ Heart and Soul: A Celebration of African American Music from World 
  Book Online provides a basic introduction to African American music from spirituals 
  to rock and roll and rap: http://www.worldbook.com/fun/aamusic/html/intro.htm.
€ The Smithsonian Institute's site on its America's jazz heritage 
  program includes information on jazz and jazz greats such as Duke Ellington 
  and Louis Armstrong, along with photos, sound files, and links: http://www.si.edu/ajazzh/.
€ The website for the Center for Black Music Research has a section 
  on Musical Styles and Genres with detailed descriptions of several African American 
  genres such as black rock, hip hop and jazz: http://www.cbmr.org/lib/genres.htm.
€ The All About Jazz website contains information on jazz and over 
  3,600 profiles and biographies of jazz artists, including articles, photos, 
  discographies, reviews, and sound files: http://wwww.allaboutjazz.com/. Check 
  out the jazz timeline at: http://wwww.allaboutjazz.com/timeline.htm.
€ Go to VH1's site for bios, photos, and sound and video files of 
  contemporary artists: http://www.vh1.com.
€ The following Web resources will help teachers who want to conduct 
  classroom activities for fostering understanding of and sensitivity to the experience 
  of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping:
€ The Horizon Magazine article, "The Eyes of Jane Elliott" 
  by Brigitta Kral, describes the now-classic 1968 experiment in which then-fourth 
  grade teacher, Jane Elliott subjected her students to arbitrary discrimination. 
  She divided her class into two groups: those students with brown eyes and those 
  with blue eyes, then gave them "data" to make them believe that one 
  group was superior to the other. Elliott is now a diversity trainer who has 
  been featured on "Oprah" and "60 Minutes": http://www.horizonmag.com/4/jane-elliott.asp.
€ "Blue-Eyed" is a training video produced by California 
  Newsreel, a San Francisco documentary production company. It shows teachers, 
  police, school administrators and social workers participating in an exercise 
  devised to create prejudice and simulate the effects of racism. They are led 
  by diversity trainer Jane Elliott, who in 1968 first devised the activity to 
  enable her fourth grade students to experience discrimination. The video is 
  offered at a special price for high schools and community groups: http://www.newsreel.org/films/blueeyed.htm.
€ "Learning to Respect Each Other" is a Discovery Channel-developed 
  lesson plan that is similar in design to the original "Blue Eye, Brown 
  Eye" simulation lesson described above. It is aimed at elementary school 
  students but can be easily adapted for use with older students: http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/respect/.
€ BaFá BaFá® is a diversity simulation game that 
  aims to challenge belief systems and provide insight into diversity issues. 
  It enables two groups of students to become members of different cultures, then 
  to experience bewilderment and hostility due to the differences between them. 
  When participants finish the game, they understand better what it feels like 
  to be the one person in a group who is different. They realize how easily stereotypes 
  can be developed and what must be done to overcome them. The game is produced 
  by Simulations Training Systems International: http://www.stsintl.com/schools/.

www.teachingtolerance.com 



Publications

€ [Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these books are intended for 
  adult readers and can provide teachers with valuable background information. 
  Therefore, please review them before referring students to them.]
€ Cats Of Any Color: Jazz, Black And White, by Gene Lees. Da Capo 
  Press, 2000. Explores racism, both black and white, in the world of jazz.
€ Jazz From The Beginning, by Gavin Bushell and Mark Tucker. Da 
  Capo Press, 1998. Reminiscences of jazz greats.
€ Black Music, by Leroi Jones (Amiri Imamu Baraka). Da Capo Press, 
  1998. Jazz criticism by poet, playwright, political activist, social critic, 
  and author of Blues People: Negro Music in White America.
€ Celebrating The Duke And Louis, Bessie, Billie, Bird, Carmen, 
  Miles, Dizzy & Other Heroes, 
€ by Ralph J. Gleason. Da Capo Press, 1995. Portraits of jazz artists 
  by the highly regarded critic and founding editor of Rolling Stone.
€ Nowhere To Run: The Story Of Soul Music, by Gerri Hirshey. Da 
  Capo Press, 1994. Portraits of soul music greats.
€ The Hip Hop Years: A History of Rap, by Alexander Hogg and Dave 
  Upshal. Fromm International, 2001. Describes the essence of rap music and hip 
  hop culture.
€ Books on teens and self-esteem:
€ Teens Can Make It Happen: Nine Steps for Success, by Steadman 
  Graham. Simon & Schuster, 2000. Successful businessman and companion of 
  Oprah Winfrey advises teens on achieving goals and finding one's identity. For 
  ages 12 and up.
€ Ready-to-Use Social Skills Lessons and Activities for Grades 7 
  - 12: A Ready-to-Use Curriculum Based On Real Life Situations to Help Build 
  Your Students' Self-Esteem, edited by Ruth Weltmann Begun. Center for Applied 
  Research in Education, 1995. Activities for building self-esteem, self-control, 
  and respect for the rights of others. 

This lesson was developed by Heuristix: The Interactive Learning Company 
in collaboration with VH1 and
MENC: The National Association for Music Education