Overwhelmed trying to get students to express themselves through music? Need a step-by-step system for songwriting? Children are passionate about a variety of topics and learning about protest music can encourage students to be their authentic selves through music.

This protest music project is broken into three main parts:

1. Defining, listening to, and analyzing protest music

A slideshow provides kid-friendly definitions of protests and protest songs. Then, students will listen to examples of some well-known protest songs and answer questions to help them better understand their purpose.

2. Brainstorming and research

Students can brainstorm their own topics for their songs or choose from the 3 options provided within the project (environmentalism, anti-bullying, and combating homelessness). Then, they will research their topics using the articles provided and/or other resources provided by you. They’ll also choose whether to compose their song in ternary or rondo form.

3. Composing

The composing process is scaffolded in a three-step process: lyrics, rhythms, and melody. Taking it one step at a time makes it less overwhelming and results in greater student success.

Check out the preview to see the process in detail!

(Please note that the rhythm-writing and staff paper pages are print-only.)