Wendel Patrick, professor of Hip Hop at Johns Hopkins University, Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland
The Rhythm of Hip Hop
Grades 9-12
This lesson focuses on two main ideas:
- How sampling in hip hop music serves as a bridge between different musical eras, enabling artists to blend songs from the past with contemporary music
- How sampling contributes to storytelling and expressing identities within hip hop culture
Procedure
The ideas presented in this lesson are intended to be elaborated upon and scaffolded to adequately meet the standards for each grade level.
INTRODUCTION (15 minutes)
Read the introduction to students and review new vocabulary. Students will watch the “Artworks: The Art of Curation - Execution featuring Musician Wendel Patrick” video clip. After the video, have a discussion around the essential questions and thinking questions aligned to the topic and video.
EXTENSION (15-30 minutes)
Complete extension activities with students, as you see fit.
ASSESSMENT (15 minutes)
Have students apply their newfound knowledge by completing a summative assessment of the lesson using evidence from the video and activities as support.
REFLECTION (10 minutes)
Have students complete a reflection.
Standards
The ideas presented in this lesson are intended to be elaborated upon and scaffolded to adequately meet the standards. All grade levels should be creating, performing, and responding to music to fully meet the standards.
Students should be working independently to research and cite sources in order to explain and justify how art functions as a form of personal, societal, cultural, historical, political, and ethical communication and expression.
- Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make music.
Anchor Standard 10
Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
- Indicators
- I:6-8:1: Describe how interests, experiences, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and musical intentions when creating, performing, and responding to music.
- I:9-12:1: Describe how interests, experiences, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and musical intentions when creating, performing, and responding to music.
- Expectations:
- E:6-8:1: Identify and describe personal and cultural influences as well as creative preferences in creating, performing, and responding to music.
- E:9-12:1: Identify and justify personal and cultural influences as well as creative preferences in creating, performing, and responding to music.
Anchor Standard 11
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
- Indicators
- I:9-12:1 - Describe, justify, and explain how music functions as a form of personal, societal, cultural, historical, political, and ethical communication and expression, citing musical characteristics and research.
- I:9-12:2 - Describe and analyze factors that impact the roles of music in the lives of people, citing research.
- I:9-12:3 - Describe influences and interactions among music, dance, theatre, visual arts, media arts, and other disciplines, citing research.
- Expectations:
- E:9-12:1 - As self-directed learners, make connections between music and other personal, societal, cultural, historical, political, and ethical ways of communication, through creating, performing, or responding to music.
- E:9-12:2 - As self-directed learners, connect music to other people’s personal life experiences, when creating, performing, or responding to music.
- E:9-12:3 - As self-directed learners, describe influences and interactions between music and other common core subjects, including the arts, through creating, performing, or responding to music.
Summative CER
Option 1:
Discuss how sampling connects different musical eras and what this means for the evolution of music. Use evidence from the video and activities to support your argument. Describe how these samples have either changed the context of the original music or enhanced the new song.
Option 2:
Use programs like GarageBand, Audacity, or any online mixing tool to create a short song (1-2 minutes) that mixes samples from different times in music history. Also, make a presentation to explain why you chose those samples, any historical significance of the original music, how you used these samples in your new song, and what you want your song to express or make people feel.
Reflection Questions
- Think about a song you like that includes sampling. How do the samples affect the way you experience the song? Does knowing where the samples come from change how you feel about the song or the artist, and what you think the song is saying?
- What is the cultural impact of hip hop museum exhibits like the one at the Baltimore Museum of Art? Do you think exhibits like this can influence how the general public views hip hop? Why or why not?
Summative CER Rubric
| Scoring Rubric Components | No Response Score Point 0 |
Not There Yet Score Point 0.5 |
Beginning To Score Point 0.75 |
Yes Score Point 1.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLAIM | The claim is missing. | The claim is incorrect or irrelevant. | The claim partially takes a position on the topic or issue addressed within the prompt. | The claim takes an appropriate position on the topic or issue addressed within the prompt. |
| EVIDENCE | There is no type of evidence in the response. | The evidence is irrelevant or does not support the claim. | The evidence partially supports the claim and demonstrates some understanding of the topic or text, using appropriate sources. | The evidence supports the claim and demonstrates a strong understanding of the topic or text, using appropriate sources. |
| REASONING | There is no use of words, phrases, and/or clauses to create cohesion and to clarify the relationship between the claim and evidence. | The use of words, phrases, and clauses fails to show or explain any relationship between the claim and evidence. | Scientific words, phrases, and clauses used lack cohesion but partially clarify the relationship between the claim and evidence. | Appropriate scientific words, phrases, and clauses are used to create cohesion and to clarify the relationship between the claim and evidence. |