Amy Swietlik
Educator, Ethnomusicologist, Musician
Resources for Teaching General Music
Hip Hop History & Composition
Note: Please preview all videos and materials before showing in your classroom. Some videos need to be cut short before explicit content.
Hip Hop History
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Teach Rock Lesson - The Historical Roots of Hip Hop
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PBS Learning Media - Sampling: The Foundation of Hip Hop
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NAFME - Hip Hop Education Workshop
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Academia.edu - Decoteau J Irby's "Do the Knowledge: Standards-based hip-hop teaching and learning guide"
DJing
Breakdance
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Old Skool Breakin' (Show up to 2:00)
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NYC Breakers on TV Show
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2012 Breakdance competition (Stop at 2:00, middle finger at 2:12)
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Best of B-Girls (Show up to 3:00)
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Top Rock Basics Tutorial - 2 Step
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Footwork Tutorial - 6 Step
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Footwork Tutorial - CC
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Floorwork Tutorial - Coffee Grinder
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Freeze Tutorial - Pilot Freeze
Graffiti
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TED Ed - Is Graffiti art? Or vandalism? (animated, prep students for exposed chest area at 1:45 or don't show if concerned)
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Graffiti Diplomacy - Coloring pages, tag letters, bubble letter tutorials
MCing
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Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (play until about 2:00, first "recorded" hip hop song)
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Run DMC - It's Tricky (inform students first line is "this speech is my recital," sometimes they want to hear the B-word, bad word on shirt in last 10 seconds, this song is when Hip Hop went mainstream)
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Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - The Message (play only first verse to 1:35, this song represents the turn in hip hop from positivity to reality)
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MC Lyte - Cha Cha Cha (play until about 1:20, demonstrates female MCs)
Songwriting & Music Video
Sample Songwriting Packet PDF
Full Hip Hop Unit Presentations
(Note: This unit will be updated frequently in 2019, please check back often!)
Smartboard & PPT Updated 4/3/19
African Drumming
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Introduce unit with cultural and historical discussions about instruments from various parts of Africa
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Emphasis on equality within a circle shape, respecting and listening to everyone’s “voice” (be it spoken or instrumental)
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Encourage student leadership almost immediately for echoes, question & answer, and then complements
Tips
Ukulele
PVC Uke Rack Plans
on TPT
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Structure class for some whole group learning and lots of small group independent practice. Set up song or chord centers to keep students focused!
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Use popular songs (Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, etc)
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Use cultural songs (Norteno, Banda, etc)
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YouTube Slow Down option so students can play along with tutorials
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Change pitch in GarageBand or other program so students have backing tracks
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Let students request songs!
Tips
Native American (Arizona Tribes)
Apache
Navajo
Hopi
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Talk with your students or your district Native American specialist about how to teach traditions without being disrespectful to privacy concerns
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Prepare students to discuss Native American traditions as an “observer” and non-judgmentally
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Bring in authentic items (kachina dolls, drums, flutes) or ask students to bring in items
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Use the Hornbostel-Sachs identification system to classify Native American instruments (idiophones, aerophones, chordophones, membranophones)
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Discuss materials used for making and why tribes prefer natural materials
Tips
Hand Clapping Arrangements
Try black lights and white gloves for concerts!
Tips
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As a class, develop a definition of Composition and Arrangement
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Compare and contrast the two definitions
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Choose a classic hand clapping pattern “composition” to learn first
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Once students learn the “composition,” model ways to create an arrangement
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Change tempo
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Alter parts of pattern
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Add introduction, interlude, or coda
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Choose a different song to perform
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Change group size
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Great way to get students to work collaboratively at the beginning of the year, builds relationships
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Lots of choice included - group size, group members, clapping pattern, song choice, etc.
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Model ways to rehearse to help students use positive and constructive feedback
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As an extension, try using hand clapping games from different countries represented in your schools!
Choice-Based, Student-Led Concerts
Weekly Self-Assessment
Sentence Stems
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Students choose one of three performance options
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Students help decide which song they want to perform (recording, etc)
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Students lead rehearsals with sentence stems and finish each class with a self-assessment form
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One dress rehearsal to combine all groups for final performance
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Mini-performances during transition time