Abstract
This column provides examples of activities that general music teachers might use to weave global awareness into web-based lessons to promote the development of information literacy, media literacy, and communication literacy through the study of world music.
What are the skills that students need to thrive in the 21st century? The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21; www.p21.org/), a national organization that promotes 21st-century readiness for every student in the United States, adds the “four Cs” to the “three Rs” in its definition of 21st-century skills. The “four Cs” are (a) critical thinking and problem solving, (b) communication, (c) collaboration, and (d) creativity and innovation. “We believe schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects” (P21, 2011b). These 21st-century interdisciplinary themes include Global Awareness; Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy; Civic Literacy; Health Literacy; and Environmental Literacy. The organization also promotes the development of the following “life and career skills”: flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cultural skills, productivity and accountability, and leadership and responsibility (P21, 2011b).
Although the four Cs can be addressed using many musical materials in various music classroom settings, the interdisciplinary theme of “global awareness” and the “cultural skills” that students need in order to “navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive information age” might best be addressed through the inclusion of world music. A savvy general music teacher might also use world music materials to address the 21st-century skills of information literacy (ability to access information effectively and efficiently, evaluate information critically and competently, and use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand), media literacy (examination of how messages can be interpreted differently by different people, how values and points of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence beliefs and behaviors), as well as digital communication literacy (ability to use digital technology, communication tools, and/or communication networks appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to function in a knowledge economy). This column provides a few examples of activities that general music teachers might use to weave global awareness into web-based lessons to promote the development of information literacy, media literacy, and communication literacy through the study of world music.
Information Literacy
General music teachers have been creating active world music making and listening experiences for their students for years, but current technological advances have made a plethora of online audio and video resources accessible not only to teachers but also to students. Because of the abundance of information available on the Internet, information literacy must be tapped in order to evaluate and use these resources appropriately. The following assignments might contribute to the development of students’ information literacy:
Explore the Internet (YouTube, Google, Wikipedia) to find several music videos that represent a musical practice from an unfamiliar culture that students have been listening to and/or performing. Compare and contrast the videos. Make sure to include as much information as possible about who, what, where, when, and how the information/videos were created and presented. Discuss how lack of information in these areas might contribute to bias or may not provide an accurate portrayal of a particular musical practice or cultural group.
An example of a follow-up activity for this lesson can be found on the website, www.p21.org/, where educators can read 21st century skills maps for various subjects, including world languages and arts. One of the learning outcomes defined in the world languages skill map is, “Students as informed global citizens access, manage, and effectively use culturally authentic sources in ethical and legal way” (P21, 2011a). The map provides the following example:
Students access music in the target language [culture] and develop a website to showcase the various musical genres following legal and ethical guidelines for posting and sharing music. They compare and contrast the laws for posting and sharing music in the U.S. and the target language country. (p.12)
Media Literacy
World music study provides an ideal vehicle for examination of the power of music as a media tool that can influence beliefs and behaviors. Multicultural music can also be included in the exploration of ways that particular points of view are represented through the media.
During a unit of study in which students listen to and recreate some Navajo songs from the book We’ll Be in Your Mountains, We’ll Be in Your Songs: A Navajo Woman Sings, students examine the ways that the media have portrayed Native American musical practices throughout history and the ways they have influenced beliefs and behaviors. Students find media examples (selected from television, websites, movies, talk radio, magazine covers, e-mail, video games, music, Twitter, Facebook, billboards) of the way that Native American music has been portrayed over time and write about and discuss their own reactions to these portrayals and which points of view are included/excluded. This may lead to further discussion of the ways other marginalized populations are portrayed through media.
Students listen to and analyze the lyrics of political songs from two different countries or groups that reflect two differing points of view (these can be preidentified by the teacher or found by students). Students identify which political position they tend to support, then are asked to create a multimedia presentation with music to support the opposite side (the one with which they feel less comfortable). Share the presentations with other students and discuss the issues that arise from the project.
Digital Communication Literacy
Digital communication can be used for music students to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create music as they work with their “web pals” instead of “pen pals.”
Use webcams to “trade” music with music students in another “partner” country. Students from the “partner country” create a piece or a song to perform for the webcam, and the American students ask questions in order to ascertain the meaning and/or function of the music to the foreign students. The Americans do the same for the “partner” country. Each group of students then goes offline and arranges the piece or song from their “web pals” in a new way but attempting to maintain a similar meaning or function. After a certain period of time has passed (perhaps a week), they meet again via webcam and share and discuss/evaluate their arrangements.
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In addition to singing, playing, moving, and playing instruments, general music students might benefit greatly from the activities listed above. As students practice using the Internet to gather and critique information about world music, create multimedia presentations considering various political points of view, and communicate musically with students from around the globe, they are using skills that employers have identified as necessary for success in the 21st century and hopefully learning more about themselves and others in the process.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.