Filmed last October 2010 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Hitman Returns, the follow-up concert to the hugely popular 2008 Hitman: David Foster & Friends, is an all-star celebration featuring even more chart-topping stars and music from the 15-time Grammy Award-winner’s extensive career catalog.

Watch a preview:

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media partners.

The Mandalay Bay Events Center concert followed showman Foster’s 10-city “Foster + Friends” tour which sold out across the country. “We had such a phenomenal time last go round, I knew that I wanted to come back with a stronger, bigger and even more theatrical show that would be totally unforgettable.  I think we succeeded in assembling some of the greatest voices out there for one night,” stated Foster.  “I was thrilled to be hosting and accompanying my friends on this very special night,” he concluded.

Foster’s high profile friends on this occasion include All-4-One, Martina McBride, Charice, Natalie Cole, Earth, Wind & Fire, America’s Got Talent sensation Jackie Evancho, Lara Fabian, Ne-Yo, Michael Bolton, pedal steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph, Chaka Khan, Kenny Loggins, Seal, Ruben Studdard, and Donna Summer, performing songs either written, produced or connected to Foster over the course of his prolific musical career.

The evening offers  a succession of  showstopping solos, from both veteran performers and newcomers, the latter category represented in spectacular fashion by 10-year-old phenomenon Jackie Evancho’s renditions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Pie Jesu” and Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro,” and “Glee” star Charice’s soulful “All By Myself.”

But the concert is also thrilling for its striking duets: Bolton and Seal’s bluesy mash-up of “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “It’s a Man World”; Natalie Cole and Ruben Studdard’s nostalgic “When I Fall in Love”; Lara Fabian and Bolton’s fervent “The Prayer”; and Donna Summer and Seal’s powerhouse medley of “Unbreak My Heart,” “Crazy,” and “On the Radio.”

Foster — who has been nominated for an unprecedented 45 Grammy awards, won two Emmys and was an Oscar nominee — has discovered and nurtured the careers of megastars such as Josh Groban and Michael Bublé.  He has well as created chart-topping hits for legends  Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind and Fire & Chaka Khan.

Song Rundown (as of press time)

David Foster “Winter Games”
Kenny Loggins “Heart To Heart”
Chaka Khan “Through the Fire”
All-4-One “I Swear”
Natalie Cole / Ruben Studdard “When I Fall In Love”
Jackie Evancho “Pie Jesu”
Jackie Evancho “O Mio Babbino Caro”
Martina McBride “We’ve Got Tonight”
Michael Bolton / Seal Medley “When A Man Loves A Woman / It’s A Man’s World”
Chaka Khan “I’m Every Woman”
Earth Wind & Fire Medley “In The Stone / September / After The Love Has Gone”
Lara Fabian “Caruso”
Ne-Yo “Miss Independent”
Charice “All By Myself”
Ne-Yo, Charice, Robert Randolph “Earth Song”
Lara Fabian / Michael Bolton “The Prayer”
Donna Summer / Seal Medley  “Unbreak My Heart / Crazy / On The Radio”
Donna Summer “Last Dance”

The concert was produced by THIRTEEN for WNET and WBR (Warner Bros. Records) for PBS broadcast on Great Performances, and will also be released this March as a concert CD/DVD on 143/Reprise Records.

The telecast was directed for television by David Horn, and produced by Mitch Owgang. Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn and David Foster are executive producers.

Great Performances is funded by The Starr Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Joseph A. Wilson, public television viewers and PBS.

• What Is Soul? Study Guide
• Viewing Guide

1. Many students may not have a clear understanding of the characteristics of soul music. Have them go to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music homepage at http://www.soulsvilleusa.com and listen to two to three minutes of the seven audio clips featured there. The clips are of songs by these Stax artists: Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Booker T. & the MG’s, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and Albert King.

2. Once the students finish listening to the clips, initiate a short discussion about the musical attributes that they heard. Specific attributes to focus on could include the song’s rhythm or beat, the various musical instruments, the type of lyrics, how the different songs made the students feel, and the students’ familiarity with the songs (many students will recognize some of the tunes). On the board or overhead, list the words and phrases that the students use to describe the music.

3. Provide the students with the following definition for soul music:

“Style of U.S. popular music sung and performed primarily by African American musicians, having its roots in gospel music and rhythm and blues. The term was first used in the 1960s to describe music that combined rhythm and blues, gospel, jazz, and rock music and that was characterized by intensity of feeling and earthiness. In its earliest stages, soul music was found most commonly in the South, but many of the young singers who were to popularize it migrated to cities in the North. The founding of Motown in Detroit, Mich., and Stax-Volt in Memphis, Tenn., did much to encourage the style.”

– from the BRITANNICA CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA

“Soul music has many definitions, but I like to think of it as a bridge — the common ground discovered between black and white cultures, expressed in music.”

– Robert Gordon, producer/director of RESPECT YOURSELF

Explain that because soul was a combination of many musical styles, it encompassed a wide variety of sounds, so songs that may sound very different can still be considered soul music.

4. So that students can gain a better understanding of the styles of music that came together to form what we describe as soul, distribute the What Is Soul? study guide and direct the students to the Stax River of Music Styles section of the Soul Learning Web site at http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/eduweb. Using the music and information presented in the Musical Styles and Stax Hits pages, teach the students about the various forms of music that influenced soul and gave Stax artists their particular sound.

(Note to teachers: Print out the What Is Soul? Study Guide Key and use it during the class discussion for this activity.)

5. Discuss the origins and characteristics of each type of music included in the Musical Styles page, then spend the rest of the discussion having the students share their impressions of the Stax Hits section. Ask them which songs they enjoyed most and least and why. Use this time to clarify any questions they have about each of the specific musical styles.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
Time Allotment: two to three class periods

1. Introduce RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY by explaining to the students that they will be watching a program about how the people at Stax Records went about developing a new style of music and how African-American performers were able to achieve great success during a time when the country was torn by the civil rights movement and racial discrimination. Instruct them to view the program carefully and fill out the Viewing Guide completely, so they can participate in class discussion activities.

2. Distribute the Viewing Guide and have the students read the questions before they watch the program. Encourage them to provide specific examples from the program when answering the questions and support their ideas and answers. Watch RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY as a class. Pause the program as needed for brief discussions or to provide time for the students to answer the questions in the guide.

3. After the students have watched the entire program and completed the Viewing Guide, discuss each question in the guide.

CULMINATING ACTIVITIES:
Time Allotment: two class periods

1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups and have them create a multimedia presentation (such as a PowerPoint presentation) about a specific Stax artist. Encourage them to incorporate musical clips and pictures as well as research from Internet and library resources to tell the life story of the performer they’ve selected. They should also include biographical information, career highlights, and any special events or causes the artist was associated with throughout his or her career. Here is a list of some Stax artists and Web sites that the students can use to begin their research.

Otis Redding
http://www.otisredding.com/

Isaac Hayes
http://www.isaachayes.com/

Rufus Thomas
http://www.seguerecords.com/rufusthomas/

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: The Staple Singers
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-staple-singers

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Booker T. & the MG’s
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/booker-t-and-the-mgs

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Wilson Pickett
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/wilson-pickett

Luther Ingram
http://www.lutheringrammusic.net/index.htm

Johnnie Taylor
http://www.johnnietaylor.net/

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Sam & Dave
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/sam-and-dave

Within the presentation, the students should play a song clip from the artist and provide an analysis similar to what’s included on the Stax River of Music Styles (http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/eduweb/) page utilized earlier in the lesson. Presentations should not exceed five minutes in length.

2. When all the students have completed their multimedia projects, each presentation should be shown to the class.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

1. Many of the songs initially recorded by Stax artists have been re-recorded by other performers and become big hits. Using information from the program, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music Web site, and other resources, work as a class to compile a list of popular Stax songs that have been re-made by other artists. Have the students work in small groups to collect different versions of these songs and then compare and contrast them. The students could illustrate the similarities and differences between the various versions using graphic organizers, such as Venn diagrams. They could then play the different versions for each other and use their graphic organizers to discuss how the songs evolved over time.

2. Encourage the students to learn more about the civil rights movement and how race relations at Stax were extremely unusual for the time. They can start by researching what life was like for blacks and whites in Memphis between 1955 and 1975. Use the research as a basis for class discussions about how the individuals at Stax Records became a family by focusing on the music. Discuss how the program’s title, RESPECT YOURSELF, connects to the theme of race and why the filmmakers may have chosen it.

Time Allotment:
Approximately five to six 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter:
Music, History, and Language Arts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will:

1. Listen to and analyze various musical clips to determine the attributes that make them blues, gospel, country, jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, or soul tunes.

2. Participate in class discussion activities about their impressions of soul music and the content of the program RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY.

3. Utilize critical viewing skills to analyze program content and complete the related viewing guide.

4. Conduct research using the Internet and primary sources to learn about the lives, careers, musical contributions, and social contributions of Stax recording artists.

5. Create multimedia presentations that illustrate what was learned from researching a selected Stax artist and provide a musical analysis of a sample of the artist’s performance.

6. Make a class presentation of their research and musical analysis.

Materials:
A copy of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY
Access to Internet and/or library resource materials
Access to multimedia software

Prep for Teachers:
Prior to teaching the lesson, record the broadcast of RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY (check local listings to determine if and when the program will air in your state), review the program for content, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer, and download the necessary plug-ins. Print out and make copies of the related student handouts: Study Guide and Viewing Guide.

Bookmark the following sites:

Stax Museum of American Soul Music
http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/

Stax Museum of American Soul Music: Soul Learning
http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/eduweb

Otis Redding
http://www.otisredding.com/

Isaac Hayes
http://www.isaachayes.com/

Rufus Thomas
http://www.seguerecords.com/rufusthomas/

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: The Staple Singers
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-staple-singers

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Booker T. & the MG’s
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/booker-t-and-the-mgs

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Wilson Pickett
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/wilson-pickett

Luther Ingram
http://www.lutheringrammusic.net/index.htm

Johnnie Taylor
http://www.johnnietaylor.net/

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Sam & Dave
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/sam-and-dave

Grove Music Online
http://www.grovemusic.com

STANDARDS:

Art Connections
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=9&standardID=1
Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

Music
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=11&standardID=7
Understands the relationship between music and history and culture.

Historical Understanding
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=3&standardID=2
Understands the historical perspective.

United States History
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=5&standardID=29 Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.

Language Arts
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=7

Writing
Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Gathers and uses information for research purposes.

Reading
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Viewing
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Working with Others
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=1
Contributes to the overall effort of a group.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=4
Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.

Thinking and Reasoning
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=21&standardID=3
Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

This lesson was prepared by Lisa Prososki, an independent educational consultant and instructional design specialist who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology courses for 12 years.