Teacher Guide

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The Geography of Music
Teacher Guide
This activity uses sound clips and internet
articles about world and regional music to help
students recognize the similarities and
differences around the world and within the
United States.
Overview
Standards
1.1 Analyze information from primary and
secondary sources. 1.3 Interpret
information from a broad selection of
research materials. 3.1 Define characteristics
of culture and the role culture
played in development of the worlds peoples. 3.2
Compare/contrast common characteristics of
culture.
Oklahoma PASS Objectives (6th Social Studies)
Standard 1 Use maps and other technologies to
report information Standard 6 How culture
and experience influence peoples
perception of places. Standard 10
Characteristics, distributions, and
complexity of Earths cultural mosaics.
National Geography Standards
Middle/High School. Can be modified with
additional questions for higher levels.
Grade Level
Intermediate. Some GIS skills are assumed.
GIS Skill Level
A basic knowledge of world geography is expected.
Other Skills
Should be completed in two 45-minute class.
Time
This activity can be modified with additional
sources or more regions if materials are
available.
Teacher Note
The Geography of Music
Teacher Guide 1
2
The Geography of Music
Teacher Guide
Materials
This activity relies on basic ESRI shapefiles for
the base maps but relies on a number of musical
files hyperlinked to the project. Files were
used based on availability and appropriateness.
Instructors may want to use this project as a
template for the creation of a unique activity
with sources available locally. The files used
in for this project represent the following
countries/regions
World Music
United States Music
Australia
Jamaica
Bakersfield Country
Motown
Japan
Nashville Country
Cuba
Bluegrass
Old Time
Mexico
Czech Rep.
Chicago Blues
Red Dirt
Russia
Egypt
Delta Blues
Surf Rock
South Africa
India
Dixieland
Western Swing
Slovenia
Ireland
Gospel
Zydeco
Trinidad Tobago
Italy
Hawaiian
Sources

• Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org
• Various article links as appropriate

Lesson Preparation
This project contains two data frames, one for
world music and a second for American music
regions. Sound files and internet sites are
hyperlinked to the country layer in the first
frame through the Identify Tool hyperlink
manager. A digitized US music region shapefile
is used for the hyperlinks in the second
frame. This project guide assumes a project
parent directory of C\ESRI\Projects\ and
directions are given with that directory in mind
if the directory is changed locally, it is
important to remember to change the text in this
document.
Developed by Steve OConnell Brett
Chloupek geographilia_at_hotmail.com
The Geography of Music
Teacher Guide 2
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The Geography of Music
World cultures are often defined by their musical
sounds. Whether it is a type of instrument or a
particular style of singing, music can give a
place a distinct feel. In this activity you
will investigate some of the varied musical
styles from around the world. You should pay
particular attention to the distribution of
different instruments, tempos, and beats. There
will be a number of styles that may sound
remarkably similar. You will have an opportunity
to explore some of the reasons behind these
patterns. After learning about music from around
the world, you will have the opportunity to
examine some of the musical patterns within the
United States.
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PART 1
MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD
Step 1
Getting Started
Procedure

• Open ArcGIS 9.1 by double clicking its Icon.
• When ArcGIS opens you will choose An existing
  map, and then click on Browse for maps.
  Click OK.
• Now navigate to the C\ESRI\Projects\Music folder
  and open music.mxd
• You should see a map of the world in your view.

This project uses files which are hyperlinked
to countries throughout the world. A hyperlink
is a connection that GIS makes to another digital
file a website, photograph, sound clip, video,
etc that is somehow related to the selection on
the map. In this project you will be dealing
with two types of hyperlinks websites and
sound clips. To use the hyperlink option, select
the appropriate button from the toolbar
Objects with available hyperlinks will be
highlighted with a blue line on your map. When
you click on a country, a Hyperlink option menu
will appear if there is more than one hyperlink
associated with that country. Select the one you
wish to access and click Jump. The remainder
of this exercise will allow you to search the
globe for different types of music. At some
spots, the directions may ask you to listen to a
music clip from a specific country. If you are
unsure where that country is, remember that you
have some search tools available to you use
them!!
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Step 2
Exploring the Music of the World
Your first step is to explore some of the
different instruments used around the world. For
this portion of the activity, you will need to
use the website link to help answer some of the
questions associated with each country. For each
country listed, open the hyperlinked items and
answer the questions
Australia
What type of instrument is playing at the very
beginning of this clip? ________________________
_____________________________ Who were the
first people to play this instrument and when?
________________________________________________
_____ What material is this instrument
traditionally made from? What is a modern
material that is often used as a substitute?
________________________________________________
_____
Russia
What is the name of the string instrument being
played in this clip? ___________________________
__________________________ What is the
traditional shape of this instrument?
________________________________________________
_____ This instrument was notably mentioned in a
popular 1968 song by what rock band?
________________________________________________
_____
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Trinidad Tobago
What distinctive type of instrument is being
played in this clip? ___________________________
__________________________ Who were the first
people to play this instrument and when?
________________________________________________
_____ When was this instrument first created and
what is the most common object used to create
one? __________________________________________
___________ What other country and type of music
(available in this project) uses this
instrument? _____________________________________
________________
Ireland
There are a number of primary folk instruments of
Ireland being played in this clip. Name at least
three of them. _________________________________
____________________ What is the general term
used to classify Irish music? Name at least one
other country with a similar musical style.
________________________________________________
_____ Name two styles of Irish dancing tunes.
What is the difference between a tune and a song,
according to the website? _______________________
______________________________
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Step 3
Finding Similarities
Now you will try to identify at least two
different countries with similar musical styles.
You cannot use any of the examples that have been
used already in Step 2, so you may need to do
some exploring around the globe. When you locate
two similar styles from different countries,
answer the questions below.
What are the two countries? ____________________
_____ _________________________ How close
(geographically) are these two countries?
________________________________________________
_____ Give some reasons for the similarities
between these two types of music (other than
proximity if they are close-by). You may need to
read the corresponding websites for each type of
musical style to find connections.
________________________________________________
_____ ___________________________________________
__________ ______________________________________
_______________
Take some time to explore a few of the other
musical styles around the world and answer the
questions on the following page
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Country One
What countrys music are you listening to?
________________________________________________
_____ What is a traditional instrument
associated with this style of music?
________________________________________________
_____ When did this style of music begin?
________________________________________________
_____
Country Two
What countrys music are you listening
to? _____________________________________________
________ Name at least one person who is famous
for playing this type of music.
________________________________________________
_____ What is a traditional instrument
associated with this style of music? ____________
_________________________________________
General World Patterns
Are there any geographical patterns that are
evident in the clips you have played? (Think
about the location of different tempos or
instrumentation.) ______________________________
_______________________ _________________________
____________________________
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PART 2
MUSIC TO DEFINE REGIONS
Now that you have examined some of the patterns
of music from around the world, its time to look
at some of the music that defines regions of the
United States. Music can both refer to a
specific place (through lyrics) as well as give
the feel of a place (through instruments,
tempo, or style). Traditional musical regions
are defined mostly by the type and technique of
various instruments. As musical styles spread,
however, the distinct patterns often blend across
different regions. In this portion of the
activity you will examine a few of the musical
traditions of the United States. You will find
that there are some very distinct musical styles
even within one nation.
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Step 1
Switching Data Frames
Your view from the previous portion of the
activity should show the entire world, but you
may have noticed that there is a section of the
Table of Contents titled United States. In
ArcGIS 9.1, you can prepare separate views in the
same project using different Data Frames. To
switch to the United States Data Frame,
right-click on the title and select
Activate. Your map should now show the United
States with fourteen musical regions labeled in
various parts of the country. You will use the
Hyperlink tool in the same manner as the first
part of the exercise.
Step 2
American Musical Styles
Your first step is to examine a few of the
different styles of music present in the United
States. You will be given a few specific styles
to listen to, then you will have an opportunity
to explore some of the others on your own. For
each style listed, open the hyperlinked items and
answer the questions
Bluegrass
What type of instrument is the primary lead in
both clips? ____________________________________
____________________________ From what part of
the world does bluegrass get its roots? (Name at
least two countries.) __________________________
______________________________________ Name at
least two bluegrass musicians. What instruments
were these artists known for playing?
________________________________________________
________________
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Step 2
American Musical Styles (cont)
Surf Music
During what decade did surf music develop?
________________________________________________
_______________ What are the three subgenres
of surf music? _________________________________
______________________________ Listen to each of
the Surf Music sound clips. Based on the
description of each subgenre from the article,
try to place each clip Clip 1 -
__________________________________________________
_____ Clip 2 - _______________________________
________________________
Dixieland Jazz
What is the origin of the name Dixieland, in
reference to this style of music?
________________________________________________
_____ Name three different instruments which
are key components of this style of music.
________________________________________________
_____ According to the article, why is the use
of the term Dixieland sometimes a contentious
issue? __________________________________________
___________
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Step 2
American Musical Styles (cont)
Motown
Who was the founder of Motown Records, Inc? What
city is Motown associated with? _________________
______________________________________________ (
To answer the following, click on the bold link
The Motown Sound) What other American musical
style does Motown take some stylization from?
________________________________________________
_______________ Motown was one of the first
styles of music to showcase all female groups
(girl groups, according to the article). What
are the names of two of these groups? ___________
__________________________________________________
__
Step 3
Comparison Across Musical Styles
You should notice that there are numerous
connections between many of these different
styles of music. Methods may change in terms of
instruments, tempo, or singing style, but some
similarities still remain. Included in this
project are two versions of a traditional song
titled Ill Fly Away. It has been sung by a
number of artists, from Johnny Cash to Crystal
Gayle to traditional gospel choirs. Listen to
the following files OldTime3 Gospel1
Describe at least three key differences between
each version of this song. (Be more specific
than simply saying there are different
instruments!!) __________________________________
_______________________________ _________________
________________________________________________
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Step 4
Finding Connections
There are obvious differences between many
styles, even when they perform the same song.
But there are also many styles of music that
remain relatively close. Take some time to
explore some of the other musical styles of the
United States to find similar musical influences
between styles. Use both the musical clips and
the internet articles to help you identify the
connections between the styles. (Find two pairs
a total of four styles.)
Pair One
What are the two similar musical styles?
_____________________________
_____________________________ How close
(geographically) are these two styles?
________________________________________________
_____________ Give at least two similarities
between these two types of music.
________________________________________________
_____________ ___________________________________
__________________________
Pair Two
What are the two similar musical styles?
_____________________________
_____________________________ Name an artist
who performed in both styles? __________________
___________________________________________ Give
at least two similarities between these two types
of music. _____________________________________
________________________ ________________________
_____________________________________
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Step 5
Local Styles
You may have noticed that Oklahoma has a specific
style of music noted in this activity. There are
a number of musical styles present in the state,
but Red Dirt music has become popular recently.
Why is this style of music called Red Dirt?
________________________________________________
_____________ Name two musical influences on
Red Dirt music. _________________________________
____________________________
Step 6
Identifying Additional Styles
There are only fourteen musical styles described
in this project. You can probably make some
suggestions about some other styles of American
music that deserve to be added. Use the
remainder of your time to explore some of the
other musical possibilities in the United States.
List some styles of music you identify with a
specific place and reasons why you think it is a
distinct style.
Style Location Musical Distinction
___________ ____________________
____________________________ ___________
____________________ _________________________
___ ___________ ____________________
____________________________ ___________
____________________ _________________________
___ ___________ ____________________
____________________________
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