CIPLC

The CIPLC US History class just completed a set of presentations on American music. The nine students in the class were introduced to a wide variety of American musical genres from the past to the modern day, all of which either originated or are strongly associated with the United States. After that, each student made a selection of a particular American musical form they were to research as the basis for their presentations. They had to characterize the musical elements that make each genre unique, identify important composers and pivotal artists, discuss the historical and sociological context of the music's origins and development, mention any controversies or fun facts about the music, and provide at least three audio or audiovisual samples from different artists. The genres chosen, several of which are subgenres of broader categories, included country and western, jazz, blues, disco, ragtime, gospel, bebop, rap, and alternative metal. The presentations were interesting to view and the kids had fun learning about American music at the academic level. Plus, all the songs were great.