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"We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover"
Introductory Activity:
1) Ask your students if they have ever seen a play, a movie, or a TV show that had a character or situation with which they sympathized. If so, what was it? (Answers will vary; accept all answers.) Ask your students if they have ever seen a play, a movie, or a TV show that made them think for a moment, "That's just like me! That's my life!" If so, what was it? (Answers will vary; accept all answers.) Ask your students if, aside from reflecting the experiences of individuals, they think it is possible for a dramatic production to reflect a society or the times in which it was created. Why? (Answers will vary; accept all answers.) Explain to your students that in this lesson, they will be examining how an American art form -- the Broadway musical -- reflects and utilizes American history, ideas, social movements, and individuals.
2) Insert BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL: Episode 3: I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' into your VCR. Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to determine what the Federal Theatre Project was and what purpose it served. START the tape when you see black-and-white footage of a man wearing a sandwich board that reads, "Unemployed, will take any work," and you hear a piano playing. PAUSE the tape when you see a black-and-white photograph of a woman standing in front of a poster for "The Cradle Will Rock," and you hear John Houseman say, "as a labor opera." Check for student comprehension, and ask your students what the Federal Theatre Project was and what purpose it served. (Answer: The Federal Theatre Project, a project of the Works Progress Administration, was a government program designed to create jobs for theater professionals during the Great Depression. It also created entertainment for a quarter of the United States' population through its productions.) Ask your students if they can describe what life was like in the United States during the time of the Federal Theatre Project, based on the footage they've just seen. (Answer: Many people were out of work, undernourished, unhappy, and hopeless). Ask your students who was speaking at the podium in the video clip. (Answer: President Franklin D. Roosevelt.) If they cannot answer this question, rewind the tape and show them the video clip again.
3) Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to determine why "The Cradle Will Rock" was considered a "dangerous" play by the Works Progress Administration. PLAY the tape from the previous pause point, and pause again when Micki Grant finishes performing the song from a 1964 production of "The Cradle Will Rock." Check for student comprehension, and ask your students why "The Cradle Will Rock" was considered dangerous by some. (Answers will vary; however, guide students to realize that the show addressed the topics of labor unions, strikes, and the conflict between the "establishment" and more radical labor ideas. This was particularly touchy since the federal government was paying for the show.) Ask your students if they have any idea what might have happened before "The Cradle Will Rock" had its first performance. How might the government have dealt with the situation? (Accept all answers.)
4) Explain to your students that they have just made some predictions, and that their FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION for the next video clip is to determine if any of their predictions are correct. PLAY the tape from the previous pause point until you hear the cast of the 1999 film THE CRADLE WILL ROCK say, "The cradle will rock!" and see them raise their hands in the air. STOP the tape. Check for student comprehension, and ask your students if any of their predictions were correct. (Answers will vary.) Remind your students that Tim Robbins said that the director and producer "believed in America." Ask them if the performance of "The Cradle Will Rock" was "un-American" or "American." Why? With whom do they most sympathize -- the creators or the government? Why? (Answers will vary, but the discussion generated here should give you a pretty good idea whether or not you need to do another lesson about freedom of expression.)
5) Ask your students if they think the performance of "The Cradle Will Rock" accurately reflected the society and social trends of the time period in which it was produced. Why? (Answers will vary, but guide students to realize that during the Great Depression, labor relations and workers' rights were hot-button issues, which were also the focus of this show.) Ask your students if they think the "last-minute" performance style helped or hindered the artists who created the piece. Why? (Answers will vary.)
6) Tell your students that they will now examine another musical that reflected the time in which it was created. Insert BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL: Episode 5: Tradition into your VCR. Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to determine how "Hair" reflected the time period in which it was created. START the tape when you see the words "Let the Sunshine In" onscreen and you hear the opening strains of "The Age of Aquarius." PAUSE the tape when you see the cover of PLAYBILL with the word "Cheetah," and you hear the narrator say "the show moved first to a disco club called 'The Cheetah.'" Check for student comprehension. Ask your students when "Hair" was created. (Answer: The late 1960s.) Ask them what controversial event was taking place at that time. (Answer: The Vietnam War.) Ask what was happening socially at the time. (Answer: An increasing "generation gap," antiwar protests, the country becoming polarized, and many young people -- known as hippies -- adopting a new lifestyle.) Ask your students why "Hair" was a landmark in the history of musical theater. (Answer: It was the first all-rock musical.) Ask them why, based on their observations in the segment, "Hair" reflected the time period in which it was created. (Answers will vary.)
7) Ask your students if they can think of any current popular entertainment -- whether theater, television, or film -- that accurately reflects our current society. What is it? Why do they feel it reflects our time? You may want to ask them to jot down a few short paragraphs, stating their opinions and defending their choices. This task can also be completed as homework to close off the introduction to the lesson.
Learning Activity:
1) Explain to your students that sometimes, rather than reflecting the people and times in which they were created, Broadway musicals bring historical figures, periods, and episodes to the stage. Tell your students that they will now be assuming the role of "historical detectives," and comparing the "history" presented in Broadway shows to actual American history. Tell them that they will be listening to a variety of excerpts of songs taken from Broadway musicals.
2) Log on to "Annie" Song List & Clips page on the Music Theatre International Web site at http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000005. (Note: Don't allow your students to log on to the Web site when you do.) Tell your students that they will soon be hearing an excerpt from "Mystery Song #1." Provide them with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to listen to the excerpt and be prepared to describe the subject, tone, and mood of the song. Click on the link that reads "Hooverville," and play the song excerpt once or twice for your students. Check for student comprehension. Ask your students what the topic of the song seems to be. (Answers will vary; the song seems to be about people who have lost their money and livelihoods. They are thanking Herbert Hoover for their predicament.) Ask your students what the tone and mood of the song are. (Answer: The tone of the song is rather angry, bitter, and sarcastic.) Ask your students if they have any idea what time period this song might be bringing to life. (Answers will vary; do not correct students or provide them with any additional information.) Tell your students that they will be investigating this song further in a little while.
3) Tell your students that they will now be listening to two excerpts from another Broadway song. Log on to the "Ragtime" Song List & Clips page on the Music Theatre International Web site at http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000228. (Note: Don't allow your students to log on to the Web site when you do.) Tell your students that they will soon be hearing an excerpt from "Mystery Song #2." Provide them with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to listen to the excerpt and be prepared to describe the subject, tone, and mood of the song. Click on the link that reads "The Crime of the Century," and play the song excerpt once or twice. Check for student comprehension. Ask your students what the topic of the song seems to be. (Answer: A woman singing about a scandalous relationship with a man named Stanford White. She later married a man named Harry Thaw.) Ask what the tone and mood of the song are. (Answer: The song seems to be a little bit teasing, silly, and flirtatious.) Ask your students if they have any idea what people or event this song might be bringing to life. (Answers will vary; do not correct students or provide them with any additional information.) Tell them that they will be investigating this song further in a little while.
4) Remain on the "Ragtime" Song List & Clips page on the Music Theatre International Web site at http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000228. Tell your students that they will soon be hearing an excerpt from "Mystery Song #3." Provide them with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to listen to the excerpt and be prepared to describe the subject, tone, and mood of the song. Click on the link that reads "Henry Ford," and play the song excerpt once or twice. Check for student comprehension. Ask your students what the topic of the song seems to be. (Answer: A man is singing about factory work and cars. Other people in the song seem very excited about the "Model T.") Ask what the tone and mood of the song are. (Answer: The song seems happy, excited, and proud.) Ask your students if they have any idea what people or event this song might be bringing to life. (Answers will vary; do not correct students or provide them with any additional information.) Tell them that they will be investigating the song further in a little while.
5) Tell your students that they will now listen to one last excerpt from another Broadway song. Log on to the "Assassins" Song List & Clips page on the Music Theatre International Web site at
http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000136. (Note: Don't allow your students to log on to the Web site when you do.) Tell your students that they will soon be hearing an excerpt from "Mystery Song #4." Provide them with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to listen to the excerpt and be prepared to describe the subject, tone, and mood of the song. Click on the link that reads "Unworthy of Your Love," and play the song excerpt once or twice. Check for student comprehension. Ask your students what the topic of the song seems to be. (Answer: A man is singing a love song to a woman named Jodie. The song implies that Jodie does not love him back.) Ask what the tone and mood of the song are. (Answer: The song seems to be romantic; the singer is very much in love and very determined.) Ask your students if they have any idea what people or event this song might be bringing to life. (Answers will vary; do not correct students or provide them with any additional information.) Tell them that they will be investigating this song further in a little while.
6) Divide the students into four groups. Distribute the "Mystery Song Detective's Information Sheet" to each student. Assign Mystery Song 1, 2, 3, or 4 to each of the groups. On the board, write the following:
Mystery Song #1 = "Hooverville"
Mystery Song #2 = "The Crime of the Century"
Mystery Song #3 = "Henry Ford"
Mystery Song #4 = "Unworthy of Your Love"
Ask your students to log on to the appropriate page on the Music Theatre International Web site for their group:
Group 1 should log on to the "Annie" Song List & Clips page at http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000005.
Groups 2 and 3 should log on the "Ragtime" Song List & Clips page at http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000228.
Group 4 should log on to the "Assassins" Song List & Clips page at
http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000136.
Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to listen to their group's assigned song excerpt again, and then to click on the "Plot & Synopsis" link at the top of the page. Students should complete Part 1 of their "Detective's Information Sheet" and be prepared to share with their classmates the title of the musical their assigned "Mystery Song" comes from, any additional information they find out about the song, and a brief synopsis of the musical's plot. Allow them 10 to 15 minutes to complete this task. If your students would like to find the complete lyrics to their assigned song, you may want to allow them to complete additional Web searches.
7) Check for comprehension, and ask each group to share with the class the title of the musical their assigned song comes from, any additional information they found out about the song, and a brief synopsis of the musical's plot.
8) Tell your students that now that they have discovered information about the song and the musical from which it comes, they will begin investigating the actual history that the song represents. Did the creators of the musical get their facts straight, and accurately reflect actual events? Ask each group to log on to the appropriate Web site:
Group 1: FREEDOM: A HISTORY OF US: Depression and War
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web12/index.html
American Memory Timeline: Great Depression and World War II: Hoovervilles -- Photograph Collage
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/
timeline/depwwii/depress/hoovers.html
Group 2: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Murder of the Century: Film Description
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/century/filmmore/fd.html
Group 3: A SCIENCE ODYSSEY: People and Discoveries: Henry Ford
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dt13as.html
Group 4: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Reagan: People & Events: John Hinckley Jr.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/
peopleevents/pande02.html
The John Hinckley Trial: Hinckley's Communications with Foster
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/
ftrials/hinckley/jfostercommun.HTM
Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to investigate the actual history behind their assigned song and complete Part 2 of their "Detective's Information Sheet." Students should be prepared to share with their classmates whether or not they think the song accurately reflects the history behind it. Give them 15 to 20 minutes to complete this task. Students should consider the following questions as they investigate this history:
What are the most important things to know about this time period, person, or event?
What are the who/what/when/where/whys of the topic?
What facts or insights about the topic do they think are the most interesting or relevant?
What emotions did this time period, person, or event evoke in people? Why?
9) Check for comprehension, and ask each group to share the actual history behind their song. Does the song accurately reflect the history behind it? Why or why not?
Culminating Activity/Assessment:
1) Tell your students that they will now have an opportunity to create a song that EITHER reflects our current society OR is based on a historical figure, time period, or event.
2) Ask your students to decide first whether they would like to create a contemporary song or a history-based song. Then ask them to select a topic for the song, either a contemporary issue or individual or a historical figure, time period, or event. To ensure appropriateness and curricular relevancy, you may wish to assign topics based on in-class current events discussions or history you have studied.
3) Ask your students to complete research on their topics, and complete Part 3 of the "Detective's Information Sheet." Ask them to consider the following questions as they complete their research:
- What are the most important things to know about this time period, person, or event?
- What are the who/what/when/where/whys of the topic?
- What facts or insights about the topic do they think are the most interesting or relevant?
- Is this topic controversial? Are there two (or more) sides to it? What are they?
- What emotions did this time period, person, or event evoke in people? Why?
4) After your students have completed their research, ask them to imagine that they are developing a Broadway musical based on their topic and to begin composing a song that accurately reflects it. If composing lyrics and music simultaneously is too daunting a task, ask them to utilize the tune and lyric structure of an already existing song. It may be easier for your students to reference a song that already exists, and simply create their own lyrics. Students who are writing a song that reflects contemporary life may choose to utilize a contemporary song; students who are writing a song about a historical figure, time period, or event may wish to utilize a song from the relevant time period. Finding music from different time periods on the Internet is very easy: go to your favorite search engine and type in the time period, followed by the word "music" or "songs." Then, type in "MIDI files," and the search engine will direct you to sites with sound files of songs from that time period. Frequently, these sites will also have lyrics to the songs listed, which your students can consult as they are developing their own new lyrics.
For example, at Google (http://www.google.com), students could type in: "Civil War" music "MIDI files" to reach Web sites of music related to the Civil War period.
5) As your students develop their songs, ask them to consider using a tune that accurately reflects the tone and mood of their topic. Also, to promote good research skills, tell them to be sure to credit the original song title, composer, and/or lyricist on their finished product (i.e., "This song is based on 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic,' by Julia Ward Howe, based on a traditional 19th-century tune.")
6) Once your students have developed their songs, ask them to present their work. They may opt to perform their songs for the rest of the class or simply present their lyrics and the tune on which they are based. Ask them to also provide a brief background sketch of relevant information that influenced their songwriting process.
7) As a final assessment of the lesson, ask your students to write a brief reflection paper, detailing the information they discovered in their research and how that information informed the creation of their new "Broadway" song.
Cross-Curricular Extensions:
Social Studies/Economics
The Federal Theatre Project was one of the only instances in American history when the government directly sponsored the arts. Research how the government distributes funding for the arts today. How much money does it spend on arts-related projects? How do organizations and individuals secure arts funding from the government? What is the cost per taxpayer, and what are the issues surrounding the expenditures?
English/Language Arts
Create the dramatic scene from which your group's assigned "Mystery Song" could be taken. Who are the characters? Where would it take place? How could the dialogue support the song?
Drama
Create a brief one-act musical reflecting current issues or trends in your school. Perform your work for other classes.
Community Connections:
- Research what was going on in your community during the same time period as either "The Cradle Will Rock" or "Hair." Did Federal Theatre Project shows tour to your city or area? Were there protests against the Vietnam War? Consider conducting interviews with older members of your community for firsthand accounts of life during these time periods.
- Conduct a poll in your school to determine what objects (from a list you generate) best reflect the culture and society today. Construct a time capsule of these objects for a future generation at your school, along with detailed descriptions of what the objects are and why they are relevant to our culture.
- Attend a professional or amateur musical theater production. Research the time period in which the musical was created. Does it reflect the time period accurately? If so, why? If possible, invite members of the cast or creative team into your classroom for a discussion.
Online Resources:
Music Theatre International
http://www.MTIshows.com/
Music Theatre International is a leader in the theatrical licensing industry, specializing in Broadway, Off-Broadway, and West End musicals. Since its founding in 1952, MTI has been responsible for supplying scripts and musical materials to theaters worldwide and for protecting the rights and legacy of the authors it represents. Students can listen to audio clips of songs for this assignment at this site.
"Annie" Song List & Clips
http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000005
On this page, students can listen to a clip of the song "Hooverville (We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover)." They can also find additional information about the show by clicking on the link "Plot & Synopsis" at the top of the page.
"Ragtime" Song List & Clips
http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000228
On this page, students can listen to clips of the songs "Henry Ford" and "Crime of the Century." They can also find additional information about the show by clicking on the link "Plot & Synopsis" at the top of the page.
"Assassins" Song List & Clips
http://www.mtishows.com/show_songs.asp?ID=000136
On this page, students can listen to a clip of the song "Unworthy of Your Love." They can also find additional information about the show by clicking on the link "Plot & Synopsis" at the top of the page.
FREEDOM: A HISTORY OF US: Depression and War
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web12/index.html
This section of the online companion site for the PBS series FREEDOM: A HISTORY OF US provides background information on life in the United States during the Great Depression.
American Memory Timeline: Great Depression and World War II: Hoovervilles -- Photograph Collage
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/
timeline/depwwii/depress/hoovers.html
A page in the Library of Congress' online archive called American Memory, it features a series of photographs from depression-era shantytowns.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Murder of the Century: Film Description
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/century/filmmore/fd.html
The online companion for the PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE offers background information about the "Crime of the Century" -- the murder of architect Stanford White by his mistress' husband, Harry Thaw, in the early part of the 20th century.
A SCIENCE ODYSSEY: People and Discoveries: Henry Ford
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dt13as.html
This site, which compiles information about technological innovations of the 20th century, includes background on Henry Ford and the moving assembly line.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Reagan: People & Events: John Hinckley Jr.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/
peopleevents/pande02.html
The online companion to the PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE features background information on President Ronald Reagan's would-be assassin, John Hinckley Jr.
The John Hinckley Trial: Hinckley's Communications with Foster
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/
ftrials/hinckley/jfostercommun.HTM
This site, from the University of Missouri at Kansas City's law school, contains a copy of the letter written by John Hinckley Jr. to movie star Jodie Foster.
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photo credits: Martha Swope
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