THE POWER OF MULTIMEDIA IN MUSIC INTERPRETATION

 

Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Projection board with internet access
• Implements for completing writing assignments
• Graphic organizers (optional)
• Printed song lyrics
• Audio recordings
• Music video (if available)
• Album art
• Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routines

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

• Think, Pair, Share: Pose the following question–How does the format of a song (text, audio, video or performance) influence its impact?
  • Allow students a few minutes to think individually and document their thoughts by using words or images.
  • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
  • Call on students to share their responses with the class. All responses are acceptable.

Work Session

• Review the five multimedia formats that include print text, digital text (audio), film (music video), image (album art), and performance (live or staged).
  • Discuss how each format affects perception, engagement, and understanding of the medium.
• Choose a song to complete a song analysis. (**Song suggestions are in the Additional Resources section of the lesson plan.)

 

See, Think, Wonder (Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routine)

• Prepare students for a “See, Think, Wonder” reading activity by telling students they are going to read the song lyrics (using an excerpt is acceptable) and answer three prompts.  Students will need implements for annotating their responses.
  • “I see”: What do you see? What words or phrases stand out to you?
  • “I think”: What do you think the lyrics are about? What do you think about while reading the lyrics?
  • “I wonder”: What do the lyrics make you wonder? What questions do you have?
• Provide students with individual copies of the lyrics to read individually or as a group.
• Have students answer the first prompt (I see) using words or images.
  • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
  • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
    • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
  • Students will read the lyrics a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
    • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable. Ask students, “What did you read in the ballad poem to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the written text.
  • Students will read the lyrics a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images. **The “I think” and “I wonder” can be combined.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.

 

Music Analysis: Hear, Think, Wonder

• Prepare students for a “Hear, Think, Wonder” listening activity. This is a modification of the Project Zero “See, Think, Wonder” Thinking Routine activating strategy. **Make sure only the music is played without showing the accompanying video! This practice allows deeper analysis of the musical sounds!
• Tell students they are going to listen to the song (or an excerpt) and answer three prompts:
  • “I hear”: What sounds are heard. Musical sounds can include pitch (high/low sounds), rhythm (long/short), dynamics (loud/soft), tempo (fast/slow), timbre (instruments), form (same [repetition], different [contrasting]), articulation (smooth/detached).
  • “I think”: What does the music make you think about?
  • “I wonder”: What “wonderings” do you have? Wonderings are generally questions.
• Students listen without talking the first time and answer the first prompt (I hear) using words or images.
  • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
  • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
    • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
  • Students will listen without talking a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
      • Ask “What did you hear in the music to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the music.
    • Students listen without talking a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images. **The “I think” and I wonder” prompts can be combined into one listening event instead of two separate events.
      • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
        • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
      • Discuss any changes in interpretation with the addition of musical sounds.

 

Music Analysis: See, Hear, Think, Wonder (combination of two Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routines See, Think, Wonder and Hear, Think, Wonder)

• Prepare students for a “See, Hear, Think, Wonder” activity by telling students they are going to watch a music video of the song (using an excerpt is acceptable) and answer four prompts. Students will need implements for annotating their responses.
  • “I see”: What do you see? What images or scenes stand out for you?
  • “I hear”: What sounds are heard. Musical sounds can include pitch (high/low sounds), rhythm (long/short), dynamics (loud/soft), tempo (fast/slow), timbre (instruments), form (same [repetition], different [contrasting]), articulation (smooth/detached).
  • “I think”: What do you think is the message of the video? What did you think about while watching the video?
  • “I wonder”: What does the video make you wonder? What questions do you have?
• Students answer the first prompt (I see) using words or images.
  • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
  • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
    • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
  • Students watch and listen without talking a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
      • Ask students, “What did you hear in the music to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the music.
    • Students watch and listen, without talking, a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images. **The “I think” and I wonder” prompts can be combined into one listening event instead of two separate events.
      • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
    • Discuss how visual storytelling changes or enhances interpretation.

 

Performance

• Students will use the lyric sheet to sing along with the recording. Singing along with the instrumental version adds an additional challenge.
  • Teacher will remind students to demonstrate good posture, breath support, and accurate pitch while singing.

 

Group Discussion

• Divide students into small collaborative groups. Using a graphic organizer might help students organize their thoughts and discussion.
  • Possible questions include:
    • Which format was most effective in conveying the song’s message? Why?
    • How did each format alter the perception of the song?
    • What are the limitations of each medium?
  • Conduct a whole-class share out and discussion.
  • Finally, students will write a comparative analysis essay evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of two multimedia formats in presenting the song’s message.

 

Closing Reflection

• Have students sing the song together.
• Students will complete an exit ticket: Which format of the song do you think was most effective and why?
• Students share one takeaway about how multimedia influences meaning in literature and music.

 

Assessments

Formative

• Exit ticket: Which format of the song do you think was most effective and why?
• Responses to thinking routines (See, Think, Wonder; Hear, Think, Wonder; See, Hear, Think, Wonder)
• Teacher observations

Summative

• Students write a comparative analysis essay evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of two multimedia formats in presenting the song’s message.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated:  Compare how different multimedia formats are used in other art forms, such as poetry or film adaptations of books.   Remedial: Use graphic organizers. Provide guided notes or sentence starters for discussion. Provide discussion questions. Use partner reading or small-group support for comprehension.

 

Additional Resources

Suggested Song Titles:

• “Living on a Prayer” sung by Bon Jovi
• “Julie” sung by Rhiannon Giddens
• “Man of Constant Sorrow” sung by The Soggy Bottom Boys

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Rue S. Lee-Holmes

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW