A gospel choir sings in a church in Bellevue, MD
Grades 3-5
For centuries, African Americans have created and innovated many musical expressions to reflect their artistic and cultural experiences. One of the most recognizable and enduring genres is gospel music. Due to the music’s popularity, by the mid-twentieth century, its practitioners moved beyond the walls of African American churches to perform on major stages, in movies, and in television shows. However, gospel music also remains a local expression, performed and shared by amateurs and professionals alike in communities such as Bellevue, MD.
In this lesson, students will (a) explore how gospel songs represent cultural concepts within African American music via performance and lyrical choices, and (b) identify and describe how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices around music.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will explore the ways in which gospel music is performed as a communal art form through which participants celebrate their heritage, their faith, and their community.
What’s in a Note?: Compare and Contrast
Students will listen to and observe the creative choices that gospel performers make while singing, and then compare these practices to the music notated on sheet music. Watch the video with students, and analyze the lyrics and song sheet for this activity.
What’s the Word?: Exploring Text and Meaning Activity
Select a gospel song (traditional or contemporary). Explore what the texts are communicating. For additional context, it may be helpful to also review a clip of an interview, oral history, or magazine article of the performers talking about the song or their song choices.
This learning resource is a production of Maryland Public Television/Thinkport.