Fandom and Musical Jargon
Creating a Fictional Fandom Based on Musical Notation
Purpose/Rationale
To enhance students’ musical vocabulary and for students to understand the importance of understanding musical terms.To create a fictional story and analyze that story for depth and significance.
Overview of Procedure
Students will be given a list of five musical terms and over the course of three weeks they will create a fictional story using these words. These stories will include “Fandom” and must be set in a popular community including but not limited to Harry Potter, Spongebob Squarepants, The Walking Dead, Frozen, the Smurfs, etc… They will then apply the “Say, Mean, Matter” exercise to their own writing to analyze their own work. They will then rewrite their story and turn in a final draft of their story as their finished project.
Say
What does the text say?
What happened?
Paraphrase
Mean
What does the author mean?
How do I interpret this?
Read between the lines
Matter
Why does it matter to me or others?
Why is it important?
What is the significance?
What are the implications?
Literacy Pedagogy Infusion
Fandom:” …[a] community that surrounds a specific area of interest. “[Fandom] selects from the repertoire of mass-produced and mass-distributed entertainment certain performers, narratives or genres and takes them into the culture of a self-selected fraction of the people” (Lewis, 1992, pg. 30)” (Alvermann, 2016, pg. 81).
MU:Cn11.0.6a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
Goals and Objectives for Learning
Students will learn five musical terms. Students will be able to apply these five musical terms in a written format. Students will engage creative and critical thinking skills and evaluate and rewrite their own original fictional story based on the fandom literacy approach.
Materials
Computer at home or in school library.Comic book/movie/website of students chosen Fandom for reference
Lesson Cycle
TimeTeacher’s RoleStudents’ RoleOpening/Anticipatory Set30 minTeacher introduces the assignment of writing a piece of fiction (2 pages, double-spaced) based on a fandom. Musical terms will need to be incorporated. Students will break up into small groups to discuss different fandoms. Teacher will walk around to the various groups and provide feedback and guidance.Take notes, get into groups, listen to and provide feedback on fellow students’ fandom selection.Introduction of New Material and Library Research45 minTeacher will introduce a list of 15-20 musical terms and discuss the elements of plot including introduction, action, and resolution. Student will select 5 to use in their fiction paper. Terms can be characters, places, or items. A library trip will be used to conduct research on the fandom.Pick musical terms, take notes, brainstorm possible plot elements.Homework #14 hoursTeacher will assign homework to write a rough draft of two pages, double spaced. Assignments will be reviewed for grammar, creativity, and use of musical vocabulary.Complete the written assignment and submit it on time.Say, Mean, Matter45 minTeachers role is to introduce the following analytical guide and hold a class discussion using a familiar story like Three Blind Mice or Humpty Dumpty. Divide students into small groups to analyze a story familiar to them.
Say
What does the text say?
What happened?
Paraphrase
Mean
What does the author mean?
How do I interpret this?
Read between the lines
Matter
Why does it matter to me or others?
Why is it important?
What is the significance?
What are the implications?
Take notes, take part in class and small group discussionsHomework #22 hoursTeacher will assign the final draft that will incorporate the Say, Mean, Matter information. Assignments will be reviewed for grammar, creativity, and use of musical vocabulary.Student will re-write their rough draft to include the Say, Mean, Matter information. Student will prepare an oral presentation to include their use of musical vocabulary.Closing10 minSummarize the assignment, highlight the learning outcomes, and provide feedback on class successes.Ask questions and provide feedback.
Works Cited
“Fandom.” Adolescents’ Online Literacies: Connecting Classrooms, Digital Media, and Popular Culture, by Donna E. Alvermann, Peter Lang, 2016.
Bennett, Lucy. “Researching Online Fandom.” Cinema Journal, vol. 52, no. 4, 2013, pp. 129–134. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43653153.