Music, Society, & Activism
Music, Society, & Activism Grades 10–12 0.5 Credit
*AMD Pathway
This semester-long course utilizes Pittsburgh as a laboratory to understand how music has shaped the politics and neighborhoods that comprise our city. Students will research and learn the musical history of neighborhoods with deep ties to musical history, such as the Hill District, East Liberty, Homestead, and Oakland. Through field recordings, sound mapping, site visits, journaling, and discussion, students will examine the current state of each site and its history, reflecting on how music has shaped the space. Using the framework of musical politics from Jacques Attali (sacrificing - representing - repeating - post-repeating), students will identify and politically locate music from antiquity - present. Students will serve as activists through community service projects which take a deeper look into material learned from site visits and Attali’s framework.