My Compositions
Here are two of my choral compositions, written for the North Cambridge Family Opera and performed at the Cambridge Science Festival in 2010. The choir is an intergenerational community chorus, directed by Laura Backley.
http://www.familyopera.org/drupal/sites/default/files/2010_Science_Festival/Performance/LU10-AurorasBroadNoApp.mp3
http://www.familyopera.org/drupal/sites/default/files/2010_Science_Festival/Performance/LU09-NoctilucenceBroadNoAppEQ.mp3
I first saw noctilucent clouds in County Claire, Ireland in 2005. I rented a house on a hill with family and friends. The view from our garden encompassed the Aran Isles, the Burren, and the Cliffs of Moher. It was midsummer, and the sunsets happened around 11 pm every night. As we watched the twilight glow recede, eerie, ghostly, glowing clouds appeared where the sun had just set.
Social Justice Education Sites
I have found these resources invaluable in my teaching.
http://learningtogive.org/
Although it is not music-specific, Learning to Give has a searchable database of K-12 lesson plans for teaching social justice in the classroom. These eloquently-designed, often multidisciplinary lesson plans engage student creativity and critical thinking. Many of the plans incorporate service-learning elements. Difficult social issues are addressed with age-appropriate, student-centered activities. There is also a huge database of social-justice themed children's literature.
http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/
This well-researched site includes music examples as it explores the multifaceted uses of music in Nazi Germany. Music can incite hatred and violence, but it is also a powerful tool for peace within individuals and among communities.
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/music/
This site, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, takes you on a virtual tour of its Music of the Holocaust exhibit.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123599617
This National Public Radio Talk of the Nation story discusses songs from the Civil Rights Movement. Music examples of historical recordings are included.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
This is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created by the United Nations in 1948. I feel that this document should be required reading for every middle school-aged student throughout the world. It declares a specified vision of how everyone, globally, can achieve freedom and equality.
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/arts/songs.html
EdChange is a rich web resource created by Paul C. Gorski to assist teachers of multicultural and social justice education. It contains a growing list of popular songs about social justice issues. It also contains historical speeches and quotes about social justice as well as curriculum ideas.
http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic31-1-2/socjust1.html
This is a 2005 article from Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, published by the New York Folklore Society. It explores the musical activism for social change of two mid-20th century musicians, Ruth Crawford Seeger and Zilphia Horton.
http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/cho3023l5.htm
Integrating Music in History Education is an essay by Cameron White, Ph. D., Professor of Social Education at University of Houston. White offers three different models for integrating popular music in secondary history education. He argues, "Our children's natural desire to make sense of their world can be enhanced through the appreciation and application of popular media as a pedagogical tool."
http://www.mcgath.com/freesongs.html
Songs of Freedom is a list of historical and contemporary freedom-themed songs, with lyrics and some MIDI files. This site is not current--it was last updated in 2002. However, the list is informative.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
The Library of Congress American Memory website is amazing! Here you can access a plethora of photos, sheet music, sound recordings, and documents pertaining to United States history. It is like an online museum.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/sources.php
Women in World History from George Mason University is a website which provides primary sources for information on women in world history.
http://www.bluesforpeace.com/songlist.htm
Here are lyrics to blues songs about peace!
http://www.msbeardsclass.com/WebQuest.html
This site includes middle school lesson plans and links to information about South Africa.
http://learningtogive.org/
Although it is not music-specific, Learning to Give has a searchable database of K-12 lesson plans for teaching social justice in the classroom. These eloquently-designed, often multidisciplinary lesson plans engage student creativity and critical thinking. Many of the plans incorporate service-learning elements. Difficult social issues are addressed with age-appropriate, student-centered activities. There is also a huge database of social-justice themed children's literature.
http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/
This well-researched site includes music examples as it explores the multifaceted uses of music in Nazi Germany. Music can incite hatred and violence, but it is also a powerful tool for peace within individuals and among communities.
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/music/
This site, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, takes you on a virtual tour of its Music of the Holocaust exhibit.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123599617
This National Public Radio Talk of the Nation story discusses songs from the Civil Rights Movement. Music examples of historical recordings are included.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
This is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created by the United Nations in 1948. I feel that this document should be required reading for every middle school-aged student throughout the world. It declares a specified vision of how everyone, globally, can achieve freedom and equality.
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/arts/songs.html
EdChange is a rich web resource created by Paul C. Gorski to assist teachers of multicultural and social justice education. It contains a growing list of popular songs about social justice issues. It also contains historical speeches and quotes about social justice as well as curriculum ideas.
http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic31-1-2/socjust1.html
This is a 2005 article from Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, published by the New York Folklore Society. It explores the musical activism for social change of two mid-20th century musicians, Ruth Crawford Seeger and Zilphia Horton.
http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/cho3023l5.htm
Integrating Music in History Education is an essay by Cameron White, Ph. D., Professor of Social Education at University of Houston. White offers three different models for integrating popular music in secondary history education. He argues, "Our children's natural desire to make sense of their world can be enhanced through the appreciation and application of popular media as a pedagogical tool."
http://www.mcgath.com/freesongs.html
Songs of Freedom is a list of historical and contemporary freedom-themed songs, with lyrics and some MIDI files. This site is not current--it was last updated in 2002. However, the list is informative.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
The Library of Congress American Memory website is amazing! Here you can access a plethora of photos, sheet music, sound recordings, and documents pertaining to United States history. It is like an online museum.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/sources.php
Women in World History from George Mason University is a website which provides primary sources for information on women in world history.
http://www.bluesforpeace.com/songlist.htm
Here are lyrics to blues songs about peace!
http://www.msbeardsclass.com/WebQuest.html
This site includes middle school lesson plans and links to information about South Africa.
