Learning Page Chat, December 15, 2005:

Music in America

Room: LOC_Grp

LeniD joined the room.

BjB: |** ANNOUNCEMENT: the Library of Congress Learning Page Chat on Music in America is starting in the LOC group room. To participate click on the ONLINE tab to the left of this chat window, click one time on LeniD and then click on the door icon at the bottom **|

LeniD: Tonight, I’ll be sharing resources about learning history through a music focus.

DavidWe nods AND listens to Leni

LeniD: I’ve got music playing softly in the background... it helps me concentrate, focus (depending upon what I listen to!) and relax. When I’m working at the Library on a research or writing task, I use music to help me focus, too. When I’m working on topic to share through the Learning Page, I always look for music from an era or about an issue to help me understand the time.
When I was in the classroom, I often used a piece of contemporary music to use to introduce, deepen, or expand my teaching.

DavidWe imagines Leni working in the Library of Congress listening to Madonna
LeniD: LOL!
LeniD: I also used baroque and other classical music as background, especially during silent activities.
DavidWe smiles
LeniD: It helped me AND the kids, I think!
MichaelH . o O ( "if it ain't baroque, don't fix it..." )
DavidWe: ouch!
LeniD: David... I have a number of CDs to play at my desk, but confess - none of them are by Madonna:-)
LeniD: Good one, Michael.
DavidWe: I can share some of mine, Leni
LeniD: Thanks :-)

LeniD: What about you? What role does music play in your teaching or your work?
DavidWe: We just saw the closing performance of "Movin' Out" the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp collaboration. Billy Joel played two songs himself at the end of the performance. Pretty cool
LeniD: Sounds very cool, David.

LeniD: Do your students use music in their projects and products?
BjB: I would like to have my students use music when they finally are able to work on digital storytelling
LeniD: Ahhh... they will definitely WANT to use it for that, too.

MichaelH: I've done some lessons involving period music, Leni, but haven't had much of a chance to let me kids use music lately.
LeniD: Sorry to hear that :-(
MichaelH: well, it's because my lessons are all US History, and I haven't been teaching that.
LeniD: Hmmm...
MichaelH . o O ( next semester will be a different story! )
DavidWe: My 5th grade teacher would always play us music - music appreciation, I guess - he would actually show us how some themes in classical music showed up in the Beatles and other modern music
DavidWe . o O ( He publishes a monthly review of recorded music titled, "Fanfare" )
LeniD: Very good, David! I like his style.
DavidWe nods

LeniD: My colleagues and I think music makes an excellent focus for learning about the past. Music uses evocative tunes and lyrics to pull an emotional response from listeners - it can create an “emotion-shaded” window to the past.

DavidWe also grew up going to Pete Seeger concerts - Pete Seeger knew Woody Guthrie
LeniD: Ahhh, yes. Good old Pete Seeger...and I was just doing research about Guthrie and his work.
LeniD: The topic of NEXT month's chat, I suspect? :-)
DavidWe: I had a feeling. Michael showed me a cool web site yesterday
MichaelH: we looked that one over, Leni :)

LeniD: The Library is home to a huge collection of musical sound recordings, as well as to collections of sheet music and song sheets (which also provide wonderful clues about the period in which they were created).

LeniD: Here is a “front door” to some wonderful musical resources:
I Hear America Singing
http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/ihas/ihashome.html
LeniD: Get in there and poke around. :-)
BjB pokes
LeniD: Good job, BJ :-)

MichaelH: I'm not a country music fan, Leni, but the Dolly Parton site looked interesting
LeniD: It is, Michael!
MichaelH: I've been to "Dollywood" :)
LeniD: Can't say I have :-)

LeniD: If you are teaching about the Great Depression, particularly the Dust Bowl period, you must take some time to explore:
Voices from the Dust Bowl
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html
MichaelH: Leni, speaking of Woody Guthrie, does the Library have any sound recordings of him singing?
BjB: oh, cool...perfect for the upcoming January LOC discussion on the dust bowl
LeniD: I agree, BJ :-)
LeniD: Michael, we don't have too much in the way of sound recordings online...because of copyright issues...
LeniD: However, the Library sells a collection of his works on CD.
MichaelH: that's what I thought...although I wondered if because of the age of some of the recordings, if they would be public domain or not
LeniD: Age is irrelevant if the family or another entity holds rights, Michael.

LeniD: Here’s an interesting idea for using the material from the Learning Page’s The Source
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/am_newsletter/index.php
Scoring with Voices from the Dust Bowl
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/community/am_newsletter/article.php?id=26&catname=teaching%20ideas
MichaelH: the "Scoring With Voices" looks great, Leni,... I might give that one a try when I teach Great Depression
MichaelH: I think we've got the soundtrack to "O Brother" somewhere around here

LeniD: The Library’s Performing Arts division does a fantastic job of creating projects that provide both context and primary sources. This piece from the Song of America collection is a wonderful example of this:
Star Spangled Banner
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000017/default.html

LeniD: You could almost do an Early American History survey course around that chronological sheet music and song sheets

LeniD: Here’s one I love for learning about another earlier (and perhaps more elegant) age than ours. Scroll down and sample the video clips...
Western Social Dance: An Overview of the Collection
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/diessay0.html
LeniD: And here’s the Video Directory for the Dance Instruction Manuals collection: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/divideos.html

MichaelH: Leni, speaking of period music and folk music, does the Library have any Dylan?
LeniD: I think not, but I'll check…
LeniD: Michael, as suspected, I didn’t find any music files, but I found several images by searching on Dylan in the
Prints and Photographs catalog:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html

LeniD: Susan and James, I've been sharing music related resources from the Library...
moving right along...
BjB . o O ( WONDERFUL resources! )
LeniD: You are such a great audience, BJ :-)))
DavidWe: Bj wants to be invited back to DC next summer
LeniD: We are planning four summer institutes... come join us, BJ!
BjB . o O ( only if it's not quite so hot )
LeniD: One is in June :-)

LeniD: Here’s another collection that’s not only a good learning resource... it’s a lot of FUN, too! Take a look at Inventing Entertainment...
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/
I suggest you click on the Alphabetical Title List and have fun exploring:
SusanR: wonderful. Leni
LeniD: That's one of my favorite collections, Sue. I return to it every time I can.

LeniD: Aren't those great? Let's look at musical instruments for just a moment...
California Folk Music Project http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/cowhome.html
- peruse the Glossary of Instruments:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/cowinst.html
LeniD: For younger students...
From America’s Library, Uncommon Instruments
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/sh/oddball

LeniD: Earlier I said that you can learn much about an era from its music...
Visit Home Sweet Home to learn about life in the Midwest in the nineteenth century
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/ihas/html/ohio/ohio.html
LeniD: What can you quickly understand about that era?
MichaelH: from the web page, a lot of social values issues
MichaelH . o O ( temperance, courtship, religion )
DavidWe . o O ( ornate? )
MichaelH: race relations (minstrel music)
LeniD: You're GOOD, Michael :-)
MichaelH blushes
DavidWe agrees with Leni

LeniD: Here are some more teaching ideas for using historic music resources in your teaching.
Sheet Music Gives Clues to Labor Conditions
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/community/am_newsletter/article.php?id=28&catname=teaching%20ideas
SusanR: fascinating
MichaelH: that's cool...
MichaelH: Leni, do the Patriotic Music sites you mentioned earlier have World War II music in them?
MichaelH . o O ( WWII era )
LeniD: Mostly pre-WW II... but I think it has one from that era. We won’t have much online for WW II because of copyright restrictions. Anything post-1923 falls into a restricted time period unless special permission was obtained from the copyright holder.
MichaelH: cool
LeniD: Using Sheet Music to Investigate the Reconstruction
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/community/am_newsletter/article.php?id=27&catname=teaching%20ideas

LeniD: And here are some resources for younger students from America’s Library:
See, Hear and Sing
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/sh
Jammin Jukebox
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/sh/game/jukebox_game.html
Children's Songs
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/sh/kidsongs

LeniD: I have two more things I want to show you... how's everyone doing out there? :-)
DavidWe: We're with you, Leni
JeffC: And here are my pix from "The Music Man"! http://www.theatreinthegrove.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=28
LeniD: OK... Can't wait to check out those pix, Jeff...
SusanR: I am lost in cyberspace, Leni
JamesAG: I'm happily exploring all the sites you are showing us.
MichaelH is good
LeniD: Thanks for the feedback.

LeniD: this month’s primary source set...
Civil War Music
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_music_kit.php
MichaelH: there are some excellent Civil War pictures/resources here, Leni
LeniD: I'm glad you think so, Michael. We had a wonderful time putting this set together.
MichaelH: I'm going to have to investigate this more later :)
LeniD: I hope you find it useful.
MichaelH knows he will

LeniD: The Library is celebrating the history of creativity in America with an 11-city tour featuring baritone, Thomas Hampson -
concerts, exhibitions, and teacher institutes are under way...
this link to the online portion of the Teacher Institute may prove particularly useful:
http://www.loc.gov/creativity/hampson/workshop/index.html
BjB perks up her ears
LeniD: Got your attention, BJ? There is a stop in PA coming up.
SusanR: lucky Bj..wished I lived in PA or close by
JeffC: Any chance you'll have your tour online... at... say... Tapped In? ;-)
BjB . o O ( Philly. )
LeniD: Where are you from, Susan?
LeniD: Good idea, Jeff... time to start populating the LOC Group Room!
SusanR: Ontario Canada
JeffC: yup... if you make me a Moderator I'll help decorate it!
LeniD: Sue, I’m afraid the tour isn't going to Canada.
LeniD -) I'll take you up on that, Jeff!
SusanR checking your tour schedule

LeniD: Next month on January 19 at 8:00 P.M., Susan Mordan from the Library of Congress’ Interpretive Programs Office will be joining Michael and me in a special session.
MichaelH is looking forward to that session :)
DavidWe: What's the topic?
LeniD: We will be talking with you about the Bound for Glory Exhibit as well as other resources for teaching about the Great Depression
DavidWe: cool
LeniD: We are excited about this chat... and hope you can join us!
DavidWe will be there
LeniD: Michael... would you like to add anything?
MichaelH: it'll be informative and a lot of fun
LeniD: Definitely!

LeniD: That's it for tonight, Folks. Thank you for coming.
MichaelH: thanks for the resources, Leni, there's a lot of stuff I want to use!
LeniD: I'm glad to hear that, Michael.
JamesAG: Thanks, Leni. I always look forward to the LOC sessions.
LeniD: Thanks, James. It was good to "see" you again :-)
MichaelH: I'll keep in touch with you on how it goes, but I want to maybe link some of the depression era music resources in a lesson
DavidWe: Happy holidays, Leni
MichaelH: yes, Happy Holidays!
LeniD: Thanks, David. Happy holidays to ALL of you :-)
SusanR: Thanks Leni - informative and enjoyable
LeniD: Sounds good, Michael.
LeniD: Thanks, Sue.
LeniD: Bye!