The Library of Congress

Stand Up And Sing: Music And Our Reform History Patricia Baron Carlson and Cathy Bonneville Hix

Throughout American history, popular music has reflected the mood and opinions of the times. By exploring sheet music, students analyze issues related to industrialization and reform to answer the essential question, "How does society respond to change?" Students will have the opportunity to create original lyrics and song covers that reflect the Progressive Era.

Procedure

1. Display a copy of the First Amendment on the chalkboard or overhead. Focus on the free speech clause and ask students to brainstorm ways that Americans demonstrate their rights of free speech. Ideas include the following: newspaper editorials, demonstrations, literature, art, boycotts, banners, poetry and music.
2. Explain that the lesson will focus on how Americans have used music and song lyrics to express opinions and inspire change throughout history.
   Warning: Some material in the American Memory collections contain bias and stereotypes indicative of different historical eras. Discuss with students before proceeding.
3. Using an example of sheet music drawn from the Song Sheet Gallery, conduct a whole group analysis using a Music Analysis Sheet.
4. Referring to their recent study of industrialization and the Progressive Era, students identify specific reform movements from those historical periods.
5. Form groups of 3-4 students. Assign or have students select a specific area of reform. Working in groups, students use the Mind Map for Searching to identify keywords and related terms associated with their reform movement. This map will be useful when students perform searches of the American Memory collections.
6. Explain to students that they will be searching the Library of Congress American Memory collections for sheet music related to their chosen reform topic. Model searching the following sheet music collections.
• African-American Sheet Music, 1859-1920
• America Singing: Nineteenth Century Song Sheets
• Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
• Music for the Nation, 1870-1885
7. Each group selects one song related to their reform topic and prints a hard copy for analysis.
8. Using Music Analysis Worksheet, each group reviews and analyzes the piece of sheet music.
9. As a class, students share results of search and analysis.
10. Students return to cooperative work groups to compose original song lyrics about this reform topic. Students may use the Guide for Writing a Reform Song as a guideline for composing their songs. Alternately, teacher directs groups to choose another topic to broaden their knowledge of reform.
11. Students search selected American Memory collections to locate a visual image related to their original song. This image will be used to create a cover design similar to those featured on nineteenth-and-twentieth century sheet music.
• Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920
• Taking the Long View, Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991
• Touring Turn of the Century America, Detroit Publishing Company
• Votes for Woman, Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920
12. Allow time for students to practice song presentations. Students should share original lyrics, song covers, and discuss the impact of songs on making change and its use as a vehicle of free speech throughout our nation's history.

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Evaluation

• Teacher observation of collaborative work.
• Teacher observation of effort in locating on-line resources.
• Evaluation of final project using a Rubric.
• Student Self-Evaluation of process and project.

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Extension

• This lesson can be used to analyze song lyrics from other historical periods.
• Students can perform original reform songs in a concert.
• Students can compile a song book of original lyrics related to any historical topic or era.