Introduction
This unit will explore how history and culture are reflected in musical production, specifically Puerto Rico’s history and culture through some of the musical genres of the archipelago. To create structure to this unit we will be anchoring the flow of lessons on the 2026 Superbowl half-time show. Musical genres often have a broader context, an origin story involving transnational migration because of colonization and gentrification. These genres explained in this unit— reggaetón, salsa, bomba and plena—have roots in Puerto Rico but are connected to Africa, the Caribbean, the US and Central and South America. All the genres of music presented in this performance have transnational journeys that come from colonization, migration, commerce and technology. The unit will expose students to the variety of cultural connections and key historical events to illuminate the social and political issues facing Puerto Rico.
The overall goal of the unit is for students to develop cultural and historical awareness of the patterns we see cycle through history and society. Specifically, how does colonization impact communities? How does art reflect history and culture? This not only highlights the transcultural connections that Bad Bunny’s art reflects, but it speaks to an interdependence among nations that affect population, culture and way of life of these places and regions. The art analyzed in this unit will focus on how artists resist these inhumane aspects of colonization, while also inciting pride and joy in community.
This unit is written at a seventh-grade level but with the background knowledge necessary to scaffold up to higher grades as needed. The key objectives of the unit will address the Pennsylvania Core Standards for Economics, History Civics and Reading (which can be found in the Appendix) and the following essential questions.
- What are the human characteristics of the region related to culture, population and settlement, economics and political activities and what are the possible connections to the geography of the region?
- What are the civic issues for the region past and today, and how might other human characteristics of place and regions connect to those issues?
- How does interdependence among nations affect the population, culture and way of the life of places and regions?
This unit could easily be taught across the curriculum. Music courses could delve into the genres of music, Spanish and/or English courses to analyze lyrics, and Social Studies courses could expound on many of the interrelated aspects and key events that shaped Puerto Rican history.
The culminating project of this unit will be a product to display or perform that answers the question How does colonization impact a community? Students may choose to create a political cartoon or a letter to a senator about the conditions of Puerto Rico, or a dance, song, or poem about the impact of colonization of a community. The project will be assessed using Criterion C (Communicating) of the Individuals and Societies IB Middle Years Programme. The Communicating Criterion expectations are for communication in the project to be clear, organized effectively, and with sources cited.
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