Music and Culture in Iran Designed By: Taylor Cole ‘17
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Music and Culture in Iran Designed by: Taylor Cole ‘17 Summary: This Virtual Field Experience on the music of Iran will cover a variety of Iranian musical forms, from ancient Persian folk songs, to contemporary hip-hop. Alongside each musical example or tradition will be an activity, short reading, or video to better situate them culturally—particularly politically. Suggested Grade Levels: 9-12 Country: Iran (and greater Persia) Region: Middle East Culture Group: Persian Genre: Various Instruments: Include voice, body percussion, etc, authentic instruments as available (tombak, kamancheh, etc) Language: Persian (Farsi dialect) Co-Curricular Areas: History, Current Events, Film Studies, Religion, National Standards: Create, Connect, Respond, Perform. Objectives • Students will listen to, analyze, and create several different types of music from Iran, spanning multiple genres and eras. • Students will sing in Persian/Farsi, and know the meaning of what they are singing. • Students will use American instruments to simulate Persian instruments in recreating some Persian songs. • Students will demonstrate greater understanding of the Iranian people than the American media provides through contemporary texts, films, and musical exploration. • Student will draw and articulate cultural and musical connections between Iran, the USA, and other relevant cultures and nations that they may not have initially thought of. Unit Activities: 1. Intro to Iran – Survey of Music and Cultural Implications National Standards: MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or improvised performances. MU:Re8.1.E.Ia Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts, (when appropriate) the setting of the text, and personal research. MU:Re7.1.E.Ia Apply criteria to select music for specified purposes, supporting choices by citing characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, and context. This first lesson will include some geography and history of Iran, as well as a survey of a few different types of music—secular and religious. We will create a list of preconceptions about Iran, as well as lists things we “do know,” “think we know,” and “want to know.” These lists may alter lesson direction, and serve as a meaningful bookend at the end of the unit. We’ll tease the ‘Folk Music of Shiraz’ lesson for the following day, as well as some more modern religiously themed music (a piece by Parviz Meshkatian). 2. Folk Music of Shiraz and the continuance of Pre-Islamic Culture National Standards: MU:Re7.1.E.Ia Apply criteria to select music for specified purposes, supporting choices by citing characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, and context. MU:Pr4.3.E.Ia Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied repertoire of music through prepared and improvised performances. MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised performances. MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or improvised performances. MU:Pr5.3.E.Ia Develop strategies to address expressive challenges in a varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success using feedback from ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances. MU:Re8.1.E.Ia Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts, (when appropriate) the setting of the text, and personal research. Here, we’ll look at the Persian Folk Songs ‘Ay Sar Kotal’ and ‘Massom Massom.’ We’ll learn about the traditional instruments for ancient Persian music (Kamancheh, Tombak, Ney, etc), and do some singing of the chorus for “Massom, Massom.” We’ll conclude by diving into a violin transcription of a section of “Ay Sar Kotal,” for any students who play violin. 3. Iranian Dastgah - Scales (Create, Perform, Connect) National Standards: MU:Cr1.1.E.Ia Compose and improvise ideas for melodies, rhythmic passages, and arrangements for specific purposes that reflect characteristic(s) of music from a variety of historical periods studied in rehearsal. MU:Cr2.1.E.Ia Preserve draft compositions and improvisations through standard notation and audio recording. MU:Cr3.2.E.Ia Share personally- developed melodies, rhythmic passages, and arrangements – individually or as an ensemble – that address identified purposes. MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how compositional devices employed and theoretical and structural aspects of musical works impact and inform prepared or improvised performances. In this lesson, we’ll learn some of the scales utilized in Iranian music, and those who played violin can play them on Kamancheh—or on the violin. If anyone plays flute, they can stand in for the Ney, and I want to find an appropriate substitute for the dulcimer. After hearing a couple more examples from Tabriz, we’ll learn a drum ostinato part for the Tombak, and have students improvise in the scales they’ve learned over the beat. 4. Music and Persian Poetry – From Khayyam to Farrokhzad National Standards: MU:Cn11.0.T.Ia Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life. MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by connecting with an audience through prepared and improvised performances. MU:Re9.1.E.Ia Evaluate works and performances based on personally- or collaboratively- developed criteria, including analysis of the structure and context. We’ll begin with reading and reacting to some ancient poetry by Rumi, and hear a Persian folk song set to that music. We’ll explore the connections between the character of the poetry, and the music. Then, we’ll listen to recordings of more modern composer Hafez Nazeri setting the poetry of Rumi to music that bridges more cultural boundaries, and have a discussion about cultural appropriation. 5. Contemporary Composers and Islam National Standards: MU:Cn11.0.T.Ia Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life. MU:Re9.1.E.Ia Evaluate works and performances based on personally- or collaboratively- developed criteria, including analysis of the structure and context. In lesson 5, we’ll look at more contemporary overtly Islamic music in Iran. We’ll look at short pieces by Parviz Meshkatian and Hossein Alizadeh, and see how any post-revolutionary relifious influences do or don’t affect the music itself. 6. Music, Women, and Islamic Law National Standards: MU:Cn10.0.H.Ia Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music. MU:Cn11.0.T.Ia Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life. MU:Re8.1.E.Ia Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts, (when appropriate) the setting of the text, and personal research MU:Re7.2.E.Ia Explain how the analysis of passages and understanding the way the elements of music are manipulated inform the response to music. We’ll look at the official governmental and religious laws (have students read aloud here FOR SURE) surrounding women performing music in public. We’ll then hear some recordings of female performers and learn more about the contexts in which such recordings can be created. A discussion can spark about gender equality and the reasons for the laws they have. We’ll end with a short scene depicting an underground traditional Persian music performance from the film “No One Knows About Persian Cats” 7. Jafar Panahi, Offside, and The ‘Unofficial National Anthem’ National Standards: MU:Cn11.0.T.Ia Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life. MU:Cn10.0.H.Ia Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music. MU:Pr4.3.E.Ia Demonstrate an understanding of context in a varied repertoire of music through prepared and improvised performances. MU:Pr6.1.E.Ia Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied repertoire of music representing diverse cultures, styles, and genres. We’ll look at the final scenes of the 2006 film ‘Offside,’ then learn the history of the song Ey Iran—an unofficial national anthem not sanctioned by the government, but sung prevalently at sporting events nonetheless. We’ll see how music and this subservive, yet patriotic anti-war anthem brings people with different experiences and ideologies together. 8. Underground Indie Rock and Hip-Hop National Standards: MU:Cn10.0.H.Ia Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music. MU:Cn11.0.T.Ia Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life. MU:Re7.1.E.Ia Apply criteria to select music for specified purposes, supporting choices by citing characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, and context. MU:Re8.1.E.Ia Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts, (when appropriate) the setting of the text, and personal research. In the final lesson, we’ll most directly connect the underground indie rock and hip- hop movements of Iran to western popular music culture.