5 Ways to Promote Music Education with the Movie BANDSLAM

Tuesday, 3/9/2010

5 Ways to Promote Music Education with the Movie BANDSLAM

© MENC

What’s on your playlist? – Ask your students this question, and you’ll get a flurry of excited answers. We certainly did when we asked BANDSLAM stars Vanessa Hudgens and Gaelan Connell.

Their eclectic responses are part of a comprehensive, music- based curriculum Walden developed in honor of our film Bandslam. The Bandslam curriculum is a perfect addition to your celebration of Music in Our Schools Month.

Sponsored by MENC, Music in our Schools Month encourages classrooms to celebrate music, “raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music.”

MIOSM and Bandslam: A Winning Combination

The Bandslam education program was co-developed with MENC and the Grammy Museum, and complies with national content standards. Three engaging webisodes hosted by the young stars of the film, Aly Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens and Gaelan Connell, make music education fun, cool and relevant.

Integrate the curriculum into your celebration in these engaging ways:

Screen Bandslam (available on DVD March 16th) for your class as a special MIOSM treat. Encourage students to pay attention to the different genres of music they hear. How does the band in the film, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, create its unique sound by mixing genres?

Bring a Recording Professional to School: Use the special Bandslam webisode “Recording” and the Recording lesson plan to teach students about the history of recorded sound. Then, invite a recording professional to class to discuss his job, and all the effort that goes into the creation of one song.

Add to the lesson by selecting a song popular with your students, and encouraging them to research all those involved with its creation and recording.

Hometown Heroes: Research the history of music in your own hometown. What famous musicians got their start there, and how did the city itself affect the music? Use the “Music Epicenters/New York” and “Spotlight on the 1970s” lesson plans to guide your research.

Culture Clash: Music has always been a symbol of pop culture. Use the “Culture Shock: 1950s-2000s” lesson plan to illustrate how music and pop culture have influence each other. Play songs, use movie clips and newspaper articles to demonstrate the profound effect of music on the cultural movements of the day.

Encourage students to think about what the popular music of today says about our culture.

Explore Music Forms: Use the “Exploring Music Forms” lesson plan and the “Music Genre” webisode featuring Vanessa Hudgens and Gaelan Connell to learn about what defines a music form. Encourage students to create a playlist of their favorite songs – how many different genres are represented?

Want more? MENC has more Music in our Schools Month programming ideas on their website, and Walden.com/education features the complete Bandslam Education Program. Visit both for more ideas.

What are you doing for MIOSM? Share your ideas with Walden – the first 5 responders will receive a FREE BANDSLAM POSTER.

(Note: Please do not leave personal information in the comments, we will contact you separately to confirm your address. Offer valid while supplies last. Limit 1 per household. Offer only valid in the United States.)