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Google Earth American Music Tour Teacher Guide

Prepared by Labanya Mookerjee, undergraduate researcher, Penn State Brandywine, with assistance from Teri Yerger, doctoral candidate, music education, Penn State – University Park

Purpose: To explore the fundamental genres of music in the United States, while developing a

deeper understanding of American geography and culture. Connection to Curriculum: Music appreciation, technology, geography Materials: -Connection from computer to projection screen at the front of the room -Student Worksheets (provided) Time Needed: 1- 1.5 class periods (60+ minutes) National Geography Standards for Grades K-4: 4) Places and Regions, The Physical and Human Characteristics of Places 6) Places and Regions, How Culture and Experience Influence People's Perceptions of Places and Regions 10) Human Systems, The Characteristics, Distribution, and Complexity of Earth's Cultural Mosaics 17) The Uses of Geography, How to Apply Geography to Interpret the Past Source: National Geography Standards, Geography Education Standards Project. 1994. Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society Committee on Research and Exploration. National Educational Technology Standards: 2) Communication and Collaboration

-Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

c) Students develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures

Source: International Society for Technology and Education. 2007. National educational technology standards (NETS-S) and performance indicators for students. National Music Standards for Grades K-4: 6) Listening to, analyzing, and describing music -Students identify simple music forms when presented aurally

-Students demonstrate perceptual skills by moving, by answering questions about, and by describing aural examples of music of various styles representing diverse cultures

7) Evaluating music and music performances

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-Students devise criteria for evaluating performances and compositions; students explain, using appropriate music terminology, their personal preferences for specific musical works and styles

8) Understanding music in relation to history and culture -Students identify by genre or style aural examples of music from various historical periods and cultures -Students identify various uses of music in their daily experiences and describe characteristics that make certain music suitable for each use

Source: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teach/standards/standards_k4.cfm#02

Instructions on how to use the American Music Tour on Google Earth 1. Go to <http://www.personal.psu.edu/uxg3/blogs/googleearthmusic/blog/> -Click on the Google Earth file for the American Music Tour 2. Expand “American Music Tour.kmz” on left panel on Google Earth 3. Check the box next to “Exploration #1 – The Blues” Note: Make certain that all other Explorations are left unchecked (shown below) 4. Click on the link, “Exploration #1 – The Blues”, on the left side 5. Read out question to the class 6. Let students think about the question and consider the music. Once a consensus has been reached, reveal answer to students (answer key provided below) 7. Uncheck “Exploration #1 – The Blues” and check “Exploration #2 – Cajun”; repeat cycle. 9. After going through the entire tour, engage the students in a brief discussion, applying the knowledge they have gained from the tour (possible questions provided on page 6) 10. Engage the class in a collaborative or individual follow-up activity (provided on page 6)

STEPS 2 & 3 STEPS 4 & 5 STEP 7

NOTE: Check "Borders and Labels" under "Layers" tab (as shown) à

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Answers/Information The songs and their background information (provided below) are taken from the Smithsonian Folkways website (http://www.folkways.si.edu/index.aspx). 1) Exploration #1

a) Song Information: -Artist: Arbee Stidham -Title: “My Baby Left Me” -Album: Arbee’s Blues -Other Group Members:

Memphis Slim- Piano & Organ Jump Jackson- Drums

c) Background information: “Arbee wails in traditional style to Jump Jackson’s blues beat. Slim plays almost gospel-style piano at times but early in the performance his piano and Arbee’s guitar provide pungent harmony—reminding us that any ideas Slim got—…he brought back to the blues. (Which is to say, he has considerable pianistic knowledge, which he expresses in blues terms.) He shares the instrumental solo spot with Slim’s guitar.” For more information, visit the albums’ liner notes: <http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW03824.pdf> c) b) Answer: Mississippi

2) Exploration #2: Chère Mom

a) Song Information: -Artist: Cyprien Landreneau

-Title: “Chère Mom” -Album: Cajun Home Music

c) Background Information: (on the significance of the accordion) “Accordion was greatly responsible for this change, as accordion players became more and more numerous against fiddle players. From the first days, the accordion seems to have restricted itself to easier dances such as the waltz and the two-step, although good playes tried their best to adapt the old steps to the reduced possibilities of the squeeze-box. …The German immigrants coming into Louisiana in mid and late 1800’s probably introduced the accordion. This was a new instrument that could at last withstand Louisiana dampness and harsh treatment. The fact that it had a bass section to accompany the melody, thus producing a fuller and louder tone was the major factor of its mushrooming popularity. As the demand for accordions grew they became available everywhere around: local hardware store and even peddlers carried them.” For more information, visit the album’s liner notes:

<http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW02620.pdf>

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c) Answer: Louisiana

3) Exploration #3: “Carolina in the Pines”

a) Song Information:

-Artist: Harley Allen -Title: “Carolina in the Pines” -Album: Across the Blueridge Mountains

b) Background information: Unavailable c) Answer: Kentucky

4) Exploration #4: “Waiting for a Train”

a) Song Information: -Artist: Bud Reed

-Title: “Waiting for a Train (All Around the Water Tank)” -Album: Way Out on the Mountain; Jimmie Roger’s Songs by Bud Reed

b) Background information: Unavailable c) Answer: Texas

5) Exploration #5:

a) Song Information: -Artist: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra

-Title: “Moten's Swing” -Album: Jazz, Vol. 8: Big Bands Before 1935

b) Background information: “In a sense, the development of big band jazz parallels the development chronicled for individual jazzmen in Jazz, Volume 7, New York (1922-1934); a waste land where jazz was concerned in the early twenties, New York began to blossom, in the late twenties and middle thirties, with the arrival of talent from all over the country. To take one example only, the Henderson aggregation, adequate for playing dance music…before 1924, leapt into prominence as a musical organization when men like Louis Armstrong, Buster Bailey, Don Redman, and Coleman Hawkins joined its ranks. But still another kind of stream, aside from the one of individual talent, began to feed New York in the late twenties and thirties. That was of the regional orchestra, represented in this collection by bands such as Bennie Moten…and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers.” For more information, visit the album’s liner notes: <http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW02808.pdf>

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c) Answer: Illinois 6) Exploration #6:

a) Song Information: -Artist: Lionel Hampton

-Title: “C Minor Blues” -Album: Lionel Hampton: Jazz Man for All Seasons

b) Background information: “Listening to the rhythm instruments on C Minor reminds one of how much these count in Hampton performances, and how much they do—adaptations of blues technique (guitar), bass phrasing behind piano, the relaxed drums. Toward the end vibes alternate clustered and straight phrases, with guitar responsive.” For more information, visit the album’s liner notes: <http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW02871.pdf> c) Answer: Illinois

7) Exploration #7:

a) Song Information:

-Artist: Carlos Puebla -Title: “Hombre de Norteamerica” -Album: Cuba: Songs for Our America

b) Background information:

For more information, visit the album’s liner notes: <http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/paredon/PAR01018.pdf>

c) Answer: Florida 8) Exploration #8:

a) Song Information: -Artist: Memphis Slim

-Title: “The Bells”

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-Album: Memphis Slim and the Honky-Tonk Sound

b) Background information: The Bells is Slim’s contribution to the art, and his right hand is in fine fettle. He doesn’t always hit the notes quite cleanly—instead, he puts a little blue on them, making them sound as though he hits them on the edges; he puts a little English on them! Although Slim’s left hand doesn’t have to take a back seat in any company—it’s one of the best in the business—his right hand is something special. “I really think the right hand is my hand,” he said. “I’d call it an ‘educated’ right hand. To which we’d say, “Summa cum Memphis!” For more information, visit the album’s liner notes: < http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW03535.pdf> c) Answer: Tennessee

Brief Discussion Questions 1) Have you ever heard any of these styles of music before? Where? When? 2) How is the music you listen to similar/different from these clips? 3) Which music clip is your favorite? Why? 4) Can you sing or play any songs similar to what you heard for California, Mississippi, etc.? Follow-Up Activities Collaborative:

A) Get into groups of two or three. Pick a song that was covered in the tour. Write a short description or draw a picture of the setting in which you would hear this song. Keep in mind the following questions: which genre is this song a part of? In which area of the country is this genre most commonly heard? Describe the people who listen to this music: What do they wear? Where do live? What is the weather like in the place that they live? Who do they live with? What are their jobs? What are their dreams/goals? Present your ideas to class. Be sure to explain how the music reflects the setting.

Individual:

B) Pick a song from outside of this American tour that you believe fits into one of the genres mentioned and explain why you believe that song fits. Where have you experienced this song? Does this song have any significance for you, and if so, why?