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Music in the 1920's and 1930's
Marcia Ferri
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Despite the hard times America faced in the 1930s, the people's spirits were uplifted by cultural elements like lively music. As a distraction from the Great Depression, people often listened to music on the radio. In this lesson, students will be exposed to four musicians and their different types of music--Duke Ellington (Jazz), John Philip Sousa (The March King), Fiddln' John Carson (Country Music), and Johnny Mercer (Show Tunes). The goal is for the learner to understand music in relation to history and culture.
Information about the Great Depression and biographical information about the four musicians-Duke Ellington, Fiddlin' John Carson, Johnny Mercer, and John Philip Sousa. (Some abbreviated teacher-created lecture notes are located under "Biography Information" as a linked file.)
Music performed by these artists obtained from www.Amazon.com or www.morpheus.com.
Pictures of these artists and lyrics of their songs obtained from www.google.com
Word search of material studied in this lesson. See Attachment.
50 minutes
1
How did music reflect the time period of the 1920s and 1930s?
Have the following words written on the board: country, jazz, marches show tunes
Then write the names on the board: Duke Ellington, Fiddlin' John Carson, Johnny Mercer, and John Phillip Sousa. Have students match the type of music with the appropriate musician.
Conduct a brief discussion on these types of music.
Students will listen to selected music of John Philip Sousa, Fiddlin' John Carson, Johnny Mercer, and Duke Ellington. As each composer's selection is played, students will be asked to draw a picture of what they feel the music is conveying to them. Each student should have four drawings, one per composer. After drawings are completed, allow students to group their pictures on the wall according to artists. Divide the class into four groups and allow each group to look for similarities and differences among their pictures and report to the class. (They might consider feelings, attitudes, depictions, etc.)
Distribute article "John Phillip Sousa Visited LaGrange". See Linked Files for short blurb. For the article in its entirely, visit www.trouparchives.org. (Also available is an article on "Fiddling John Carson", which was published in the LaGrange Daily News, March 31, 1939.) Have students read the article or excerpt and discuss who John Phillip Sousa was and why he would choose to come to visit LaGrange.
Have students recall events of the 20s and 30s, such as the stock market crash, people losing their jobs and homes, farmers in Oklahoma and Texas being forced to abandon their homes and farms because of the Dust Bowl. BUT AMERICANS DID PERSEVERE! They did regain their dignity and America did work its way out of the Depression.
Teacher should conduct a background discussion on the political and economic climate in which these artists lived as he/she sets the background for the music of the 20s and 30s and how it reflected the times. (See "Depression Notes" in Notes section of lesson plan.)
Divide the class into 4 groups and assign each group an artist from the 1930s-Duke Ellington, Fiddlin' John Carson, Johnny Mercer, and John Phillip Sousa. Each group will look up information about the artists on the Internet using Google or any site they are familiar with and can use quickly.
Give each group a sheet of paper with Who? What? When? Where? Why? written on it. The teacher will instruct each group:
Who?-- Who is the name of one of the musicians--Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Fiddlin' John Carson, and John Philip Sousa.
What?--What can you find out about the artist's life--where he was born, where did he grow up?
When?--When did he show talent as a musician? When did he die?
Why?--Why was he famous? Why did he write and list some of the songs he wrote.
Students will share information they gathered in their groups with the other students.
Students will take notes from a mini-lecture given by teacher on the types of music. (See Notes.)
Student will listen to short excerpts from these types of music, which can be accessed at http://www.morpheus.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/.
Discuss with students: Describe ways people find to have a happy, positive experience in spite of difficult times. (Such as family gatherings, listening to music, etc.)
Students will complete the word search (see attachment).
Have students recall events of the 20s and 30s, such as the stock market crash, people losing their jobs and homes, farmers in Oklahoma and Texas being forced to abandon their homes and farms because of the Dust Bowl. BUT AMERICANS DID PERSEVERE! They did regain their dignity and America did work its way out of the Depression.
Students will write a song to a familiar tune. The songs will go along with the theme of the Depression-hard times, no money, no jobs, and trying to escape.
Students will sing their songs for the class in a sharing session.
Teachers may want to download examples of the music of John Phillip Sousa, Duke Ellington, Fiddlin' John Carson, and Johnny Mercer from www.morpheus.com or obtain examples from www.Amazon and play short excerpts.
DEPRESSION NOTES: At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher should set the stage by briefly discussing the Great Depression. A good website for information on this time period is www.sparknotes.com/history/american/depression/context.html. Tell students that the Great Depression was the worst economic crisis in our country's history. Millions of people became jobless, homeless, and some were at the point of starvation. This began in 1929 when the stock market crashed. The prosperity and glamour of the Roaring Twenties was over and the hardship and poverty of the Depression began. Many years later survivors of this time period can still recall the feelings of desperation, hunger, and poverty they and their families faced. The Great Depression in America was also felt in other countries. Not until Franklin D. Roosevelt became president and introduced new ideas, such as the New Deal, did our country begin recovering from the Depression
Lecture notes on the different types of music were obtained from www.google.com. Roughstock's History of Country Music, Music AOL.com, www.southernmusic.net, and www.amazon.com
JAZZ is attributed to turn of the century New Orleans-although it was occurring at the same time in Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago. Traits carried from West African black folk music. Jazz music draws from life experience and human emotion. Jazz is an American art form.
COUNTRY (also known as Country and Western music) is a blend of popular musical forms found in the southern United States. It has roots in traditional folk music, Celtic music, blues, gospel music and old time music. It evolved rapidly in 1920's. Although musicians had been recording fiddle tunes (known as Old Time Music at that time) in the southern Appalachians for many years, on August 1, 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, country music started. Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family signed recording contracts for Victor Records.
POPULAR SHOW TUNES is part of popular music which is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public. Some are written for Broadway shows. Johnny Mercer wrote many show tunes.
MARCHES were written as military band music. A variety of instruments are used for these marches: trombones, trumpets, drums, saxophones, clarinets, and flutes.
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Music of the 1920 and 1930 Word Search_SI2 Ferri
John Philip Sousa Visited LaGrange_News Article_SI