Music Time Periods

Which time period should be featured in "The Museum of Music History"?

Introduction Task Process Resources Evaluation Conclusion

Introduction:

The Society of Western Music has established "The Museum of Music History".  They are looking for a time period to be featured as the opening exhibit.  Each of the historic time periods offers much for the museum, but a committee of specialists in each time period is trying to get theirs featured.  These specialists will use facts about composers in their time and the significance of the changes in music to prove that their time period is the most important of all. 

Task:

Students will be grouped into committees of 3 members.   Each of the 3 members will have a specific aspect to research pertaining to your time period.  After researching your given time period you will organize your ideas into a presentation so that you can persuade the museum curator to choose your time period for the opening exhibit.  The final presentation may be in the form of a skit, a puppet show, a TimeLiner presentation, or a PowerPoint presentation.  Remember, you must have a legitimate argument by showing the importance of music in your time period, and how it affects modern life as we know it.

Process:

1.  Students will be divided into committee groups of 3.   Each student then will be assigned to a specific aspect of your time period to study.  Those aspects are:  composers, instruments, and non-musical significant items.

2.  Each person will gather information on their subject:

· composer researcher - You will research under composers of your time period.  Try to find information about significant composers who may have changed the style of music from the previous time period.  Also, you may find that a composer wrote a large number of compositions that are still heard today.  Those would be significant works.

· instrument researcher - You will research under instruments of your time period.  Try to find instruments that were invented in your time period.  You could use this as an argument why your time period is best.  Some of the instrument links have sounds examples that you could use in your presentation.

· non-musical items researcher - You will research other significant happenings in your time period that may make yours special.  Think of cultural, technological, and governmental happenings that may have influenced music in your time period. 

Each student will research as many resources as possible to find as much material that they can.

3.  All students in your committee will take the information that they gathered and organize it into their final presentation.  All students must decide on which of the four presentations they want to use to persuade the curator to choose their time period for the opening exhibit.   (skit, puppet show, TimeLiner, or PowerPoint)

4.  Each student will write a letter to the museum curator explaining why his/her time period would be best for the exhibit.

5.  As the projects near completion, we will begin class presentations. 

Resources:

Middle Ages   http://historymedren.about.com/cs/gettingstarted/a/welcome.htm http://www.carolinaclassical.com/medieval.html	Renaissance http://www.carolinaclassical.com/rena.html http://www.sbgmusic.com/html/teacher/reference/historical/renaiss.html	Baroque http://trumpet.sdsu.edu/M345/Baroque_Music1.html http://www.carolinaclassical.com/baroque.html
Classical httphttp://yahooligans.yahoo.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Music/Classical/Classical_Sounds/ http://www.carolinaclassical.com/classical.html	Romantic http://www.carolinaclassical.com/romantic.html http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/romantic.html	20th Century http://www.carolinaclassical.com/twentieth.html http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/decsg.html

Group Evaluation:

For an Excellent Grade:

· Members consistently and actively work toward group goals. 

· Members are sensitive to the feelings and learning needs of all group members.

· Members are willing to accept and fulfill individual roles within      the group.

· Members consistently and actively contribute knowledge,              opinions, and skills.

· Members value the knowledge, opinion and skill of all group members and encourage their contributions.

· Members help identify necessary changes and encourages group action for change.

For a Good Grade:

· Members work toward group goals without prompting.

· Members accept and fulfill individual roles within the group.

· Members contribute knowledge, opinions, and skills without prompting.

· Members show sensitivity to the feeling of others.

· Members show a willingness to participate in needed changes.

For a Fair Grade:

· Members work toward group goals with occasional prompting.

· Members contribute to the group with occasional prompting.

· Members show sensitivity to the feelings of others.

· Members participate in needed changes, with occasional prompting.

For a Poor Grade:

· Members work toward group goals only when prompted.

· Members contribute to the group only when prompted.

· Members need occasional reminders to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

· Members participate in needed changes when prompted and encouraged.

Individual Evaluation:

Each student will receive a grade on his/her individual letter to the museum curator.  The grade will be based on the following:

· content

· information on all three roles

· persuasion

· neatness and organization

Conclusion:

After this assignment is complete, you should have a good understanding of your music time period and how it is a part of our history.  You have looked at composers, instruments, and non-musical happenings that contributed to modern society as we know it.  What you have seen is the history and evolution of modern music and how it affects our lives.  Hopefully, in one way or another, this has helped you better understand the history of music!

webquest designed by Amanda Dowell,
Waverly Elementary School music teacher

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Last updated April 2, 2005 by Trisha Armstrong