May 5, 2021 -- Students listen to music every day and are inspired to dance, sing, feel, and join challenges. They have many influences ranging from Beyonce to Cardi-B, and Drake to Lil Nas, just to name a few. With this in mind, Heights High School's English 1 teacher, Mrs. Green, presented the Music of Protest Movements Project. This was a lesson meant to observe the influences music had, and continues to have, in the Black community. How powerful it was for students to hear the passionate, purpose-driven music of Sam Cooke, study the influences of leaders such as Malcolm X, and continue the discussion on gun violence, police brutality, racism, and the Black Lives Matter movement during times of oppression, resistance, and injustice.
Through the Music of Protest Movements Project, students were able to create a multimedia presentation, present a summary of their assigned protest movement, and analyze the poetic and literary devices used within the song. Students were then required to make an argument where they determined if the song assisted in the advancement of the protest movement, or failed in its attempt to progress the people forward. At the completion of this project, students were not only able to explore the creative mindsets of artists who produced the music of their time, but also assess the development of their individual artistry and unique ability to influence their own movement.
View the finished projects
here.