Flappers of the 1920s
Grades 9 - 12

Lesson #2
The Jazz Age: Tin Pan Alley
The "Golden Age" of Songwriting and the Roaring Twenties
Flappers, jazz and razzamatazz are the essence of this class where students take a musical excursion through the "Roaring Twenties" down a street called "Tin Pan Alley"—the birth-place of American Popular Music. Students will learn about "The Golden Age" of songwriting and its impact on society, fashion, industry and culture as they sing and dance to the tunes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Eubie Blake and others. As a culminating group activity, students will write and publish original lyrics to a well-known song from the period.

Objective
Students will be able to:

  • Students will understand and demonstrate the process of songwriting
  • Students will understand the connections and links between American culture/society, industry, technology and music

Activity

  1. Power Point presentation: composers, fashion, industry
  2. Fashion Show, Singing and Dancing
  3. In groups, students create and perform original lyrics to a melody of a Tin Pan Alley song
  4. Student’s songs are transcribed and presented at the conclusion of class

Prep Period
Before coming to the class, use the following links to prepare for the lesson:

Teacher Follow-Up
Class activities, bibliography and websites for continued study will be provided on the day of the lesson.

Student Activities

  • Using the computer log onto the websites for ASCAP and BMI. What do the acronyms mean?

  • Visit the BMI website at www.bmi.com/licensing

  • Visit the ASCAP website at www.ascap.com

  • Become acquainted with the various types of copyrights and how they work.

National Standards

Music

  • Standard 4: Composing and arranging music with specified guidelines
  • Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing and describing music
  • Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
  • Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
English and Language Arts
  • Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
  • Standard 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
United States History
  • NSS-USH.ERA 7: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
    Understands how the United States changed from the end of World War I to the eve of the Great Depression
Technology
  • NT.K-12.5 Technology Research Tools