Crossing Borders/Breaking Boundaries IV:
The Impact of Islamic Culture on the Arts of the Renaissance

July 19-26, 2004
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Lesson Title: The Impact of Ancient Islamic Musical Instruments on Contemporary Music.

Name: Judith Lambert-Winfield, Dale Williams, Debbie Davis

School: Martin Luther King Middle

Grades taught: 7th /8th grade

Grade appropriate: 7th grade

Discipline taught: Foreign Language

Disciplines appropriate: FLEX and Japanese

Duration: 2 days. Classes meet daily for 45 minutes.

Big idea: Cultural Ambassadors.

MD Content Standard Connection:

English
Students will understand, acquire, and use new vocabulary
Students will read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational texts.

Social Studies
Students will understand the diversity, commonality, human interdependence and global cooperation of the people of MD, the US and the world through a multicultural and historic perspective.

Foreign Language
Connections – Connect with other disciplines and acquire knowledge
Reading – Students will demonstrate their ability to read for information by examining, constructing, and extracting meaning from content books and other expository materials related to the content areas.

Lesson Objectives: Students will be able to identify at least six traditional Middle Eastern instruments in order to compare them with contemporary musical instruments in the western world.

Abstract: Students will be exposed to six traditional musical instruments, experience the sound of each instrument, and relate them to contemporary musical instruments.

Lesson Components:

  • Motivation/Warm Up – Students will match each musical instrument with the appropriate country: clarinet, guitar, conga drums, piano, castanet, and tambourine.; Turkey, Spain, Kenya, Germany, Saudi Arabia.
  • Modeling - Students will view several pictures or paintings pertaining to ancient musical instruments. These include: a harp, psalter, ‘Ud, Shawn, Oboe, Nakers (bells), and bagpipes. A map will also be presented to allow students to distinguish the Middle East from the Western world.
  • Guided Practice - The students will experience a brief audio/visual presentation on six Islamic musical instruments. After each presentation they will be asked to think about a contemporary musical instrument related to the ones presented. Next, each student will be given an opportunity to compare their answers with a classmate. Then the class will return as a group and the teacher will generate questions to check for understanding.
  • Independent Practice – Each student will be provided with a handout featuring six traditional Islamic musical instruments with brief information representing each item. After the teacher presents them the students will be given time to read excerpts and answer follow up questions about the reading.
  • Assessment – Students will be assessed on their reflective journal writing and their participation in class.
  • Closure/Summary – Each student will be given the assignment to select one of their favorite Islamic musical instruments and write a one page report about its origin, use, and contribution to society.

Materials/Resources: (Specify if for teacher or student use)

  • Text Sources
    • Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-cultural Study. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995.
    • The Music of the Arabs. 2nd ed. Laurie Shaartz. Portland: Amadeus Press, 1986.
  • Web Sites
  • Student worksheets
  • Visuals
    • computer, LCD projector, handouts, instruments (if available), video or DVD, CD rom

Plans for Lesson Assessment:

  • Students are able to accurately identify the Islamic instruments and find the relationship between ancient Islamic and modern day instruments.
  • Students will successfully complete the worksheets.
  • Students are actively involved with the power point presentation, the video and the class discussion.
  • Students willingly and cooperatively select an Islamic musical instrument to research and write about.

Keywords: Islamic instruments Mijwiz, Ud - Buzq, Tablah - daff, Qanun Nay, contemporary musical, instruments in the western world

 

Sponsored by
the Center for Renaissance & Baroque Studies
and the Maryland State Department of Education