This unit provides students the opportunity to create, perform, and respond to music, all within the context of America from 1965-1969. General Music is a class that is open to all experience levels, and those students will inevitably have many different tastes in music. This unit is designed with those students in mind.
The unit will explore the beginnings of rock and roll and move on to the British Invasion, the Civil Rights Movement, the counterculture, and the Vietnam War. This unit and its lesson plans are not intended primarily for history or social studies instruction, but they do offer students a chance to explore the deeper cultural connections of the music during this era. Students will be asked to put themselves in the performers’ shoes, think critically, and perform to the best of their ability.
(Developed for General Music, grades 5-8; recommended for Choral Music and General Music, grades 5-8)
