Below is the feedback I provided for Group 5 after they submitted their proposals:

 

Group 5: Female Expression through music over time. 

 

Topic:

How have women expressed themselves in music then and now?

Would you want to restrict it to Black women given the three examples you have chosen?

 

I think you all are wise to narrow your topic and just focus on music. I think by concentrating on those three main examples – female slave song, Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” and a Lauryn Hill (or other contemporary female hip hop artist) song – you will have more than enough juicy material for your presentation.

You may want to look first at music itself: can ideas and feelings be expressed through song in a more powerful way than through other forms? What does a song do to the listener that a speech or a written piece does not? Why?

As you analyze each song, pay close attention to the date (when was this song written and/or sung?). Find out about what issues are brought up in the song and how they relate to the historical period. Can you identify a female perspective? What is unique about it?

Look for similarities and differences between the songs. What are the issues and ideas in the lyrics? What about the artist herself? What about the music: do you see similarities and/or differences in the melodies, the lyrics, or the rhythm? What connections can you make between then and now?

You may also want to acknowledge that not all women use songs in the way your three examples do (obviously), and then discuss why you think these examples you have chosen are important. Are they a voice of resistance? Are they expressing themselves and raising issues in a particular way?

Develop your own questions, but stay focused on specifics.

 

Project delivery:

            I like the idea of a power point presentation with music. I also like the idea of a (short) class discussion. The class discussion should not be the majority of the time you present, however. In order to do the power point you will need a computer and time to put it all together. Right now, we have today, the weekend, Monday and Tuesday to finish these projects (you will be presenting on Wednesday and Thursday). Make sure you figure out how the pieces are going to come together in this short amount of time. I would also suggest thinking about trying to write your own song: maybe one that fits in with the other three you are looking at? If you choose to do this, it is important that everyone participate in creating and/or performing it.

Research:

I know you were going to bring in slave songs today to look at together. If you are having trouble, may I suggest checking out the electronic version of a book from 1867 called Slave Songs of the United States http://docsouth.unc.edu/.../allen.html. Also, you could look at William Wells Brown's Songbook The Anti-Slavery Harp; A Collection of Songs for Anti-Slavery Meetings, Compiled by William W. Brown, A Fugitive Slave (Boston: Bela Marsh, 1848). It can be found at http://www.iath.virginia.edu/.../absowwbahp.html and has a number of female slave songs recorded in it. Also, Sparatacus Educational site (on your list) has some information on slave songs: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAslavery.htm.

One interesting thing if you look at the songs is that they often do not have authors. This is because they were passed down through oral traditions and not written down. Most of the songs in the 1867 book, for example, do not have authors, but it says that women would sing them. You could pick one of these and talk about how you don’t know who wrote it but that women would use it as a form of expression.

 

Take charge:

            You have a great project here and now it is just a matter of working hard to make your presentation a reality. You don’t have much time but I know you can do it and I am so excited to see what you come up with!