orchestra UNIT: The Intersection of


Music and Culture Michelle A. Kaebisch, Guest Writer


This was a very per- sonal project... My ideas on ‘The Inter- section of Music and Culture’ grew and changed a lot this semester... which I think I will keep with me for the rest of my life. ~ sophomore


As a teacher of a high school performing ensemble class, I have long struggled with how to teach culture and diversity in a meaningful and authentic way through a curriculum often dominated by the music of dead, white, European composers. The idea for this semester-long unit was culti- vated for almost two years and came from a combination of things: the need to create engaging tasks for my orchestra classes in the virtual learning environment; pro- fessional development sessions with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings (UW-Madison); conversations with respected colleagues; and my father.


My dad, a refugee during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, has had a huge impact on my own cultural identity. At most, I am 25% Hungarian, but I grew up immersed in the Hungarian culture: its food, music, language, customs, traditions and social norms. I identify with being Hungarian be- cause of the environment that I grew up in.


Why is this important? Because it dem- onstrates that cultural identity can go beyond ethnicity or geographical loca- tion. It can be anywhere we find a sense of community. My unit was designed to not only engage each student in a deeper dive into their own cultural identities, but to also give them an opportunity to build empathy by learning about the identities of their classmates.


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“Before this project began, I probably would have defined culture as something you are born into, but now I would tell you that a culture can also be your interests, your joy; cultures can be wherever you feel most at home and wherever you feel that you can be your most authentic self.” ~ sophomore


Essential Questions


How do music and culture influence one another? As a music creator, consumer and performer, why does understand- ing this relationship matter?


It might be easy to recognize the influence that culture has on music, but synthesizing the ways music influences culture can be a bit more challenging. To explore the lat- ter, we discussed how pop music and its artists can influence fashion and language, and push against social norms. For a rich conversation, we analyzed the ways in which the musical Hamilton continues to influence not only in the musical theater culture, but also the broader American culture. (See Hamilton’s America in the Classroom: Resources on PBS Learning Media)


“At the beginning of this unit, I hardly thought about the effects music could have on culture. Music can bring ideas to the forefront of social consciousness… Music really is a powerful thing.”


~ junior Learning Targets


The learning targets for this unit focused on exploring the relationship between music and culture, creating a multitrack re- cording project, and writing a final reflec- tion. To create a baseline of understanding


Unit Plan


The first quarter was devoted to exploring and researching the cultures that students selected. To demonstrate their learning, students created presentations about their cultures to share with each other in class.


April 2021


“…cultural identity can go beyond ethnicity or geographical location. It can be anywhere we find a sense of community.”


it was necessary to define the word culture and explore its elements: arts, beliefs, clothing, traditions, education, ethnic- ity, faith, food, geography, government, language, music and social norms. We discussed the different kinds of cultures that students are a part of: ethnic, geo- graphical, sports, music, video gaming, etc. I used football to demonstrate how the elements of culture are represented in a sport. Is there music in football? Special clothing? What about traditions, food and geography? Language and social norms? Absolutely! Once students understood that culture can have a broader meaning, they felt more comfortable selecting a culture that they most identified with and real- ized that they identified with more than one culture.


“Over the course of this project, I learned … that I identify with many more cultures than I had originally thought. I learned that I connected with different people in my class in ways that I wasn’t aware of before.”


~ sophomore

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