Unit Rationale
The rationale for developing this curriculum unit is to cultivate an awareness of the American Indian cultures and examine their methods of self expressions through music. Another reason for developing this unit is to cultivate an appreciation and awareness of a forgotten people and culture of the first true Americans, in addition to, examining their contributions to the woven fabric of American arts and history. Moreover, students do not separate their learning into segregated compartments or subject areas. Therefore, it is crucial to the learning outcomes to innovatively correlate the arts with the academic subjects as much as possible in order to build on the wholeness of the students' perspective and their connections to the multicultural society in which they live. This unit of study is important to my students for many reasons. First, the Indians innovatively created many forms of dance rituals. Through the study of music and dance, it will enable my students to gain knowledge and lessons of sensitivity and self expression. Another reason for studying this unit is to examine the performance practices of music and dance forms. The study of the cultures will enable my students to develop beliefs or come to the realization that all people have similarities through music and dance as means of self expressions. The discourse of this unit will concentration on the following tribes: Creek Confederacy (Southeast culture) and both the Illinois Tribe and the Iroquois Confederacy from the Northeast culture. Within the Creek Confederacy, the studies will concentrate on the Choctaw and Coushatta cultures. In the Iroquois Confederacy or Nation, the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) as well as the Illinois cultures will be examined. The ceremonial music and dance genres will be surveyed. Through the examination of dance genres, rhythm, instruments, and rituals will be investigated. Through the analysis of the music, the structural organization, melodic characteristics, scale patterns, modes, and rhythm will be researched.
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