Indigenous American Research Project

• Elisabeth Ross
• Posted 10/6/23
• 1 comments

Student Instrument Research Project

Exposing our students to different communities and cultures can be overwhelming when we are not members of these groups.  However, as music educators, we are expected to increase awareness of these different musical styles and genres with authenticity and respect.  

This unit was initially created as a way to connect to our 5^th grade Social Studies curriculum. In the unit, students are learning about the history of Indigenous people in North America, artifacts, and what they are. This lesson also seemed like a great tie-in to discussions about instrument families.  

When discussing instrument families in elementary music classes, we typically focus on band and orchestra instruments. While this is meaningful because many of our students will have experiences in band and orchestra as part of school programming, it is also problematic because it is a Euro-centric approach.  

This activity can supplement a discussion on instrument families and involves critical thinking because students have to use what they know about instrument families to decide which family they believe a particular instrument belongs to. I thought this was an excellent opportunity to study the instruments traditionally used by Indigenous Americans.  As I started researching, I found the Smithsonian Music Website invaluable for this project. 

Smithsonian Music Website

According to their website, the Smithsonian’s combined musical resources constitute the world’s largest music museum.  They have an extensive listening library of music worldwide, lesson plans, live performance recordings by culture bearers, and access to images of items found in the National Museums. 

For this project, I accessed the National Museum of the American Indian, specifically using images in the American Indian Music section. In addition to various instrument images, you can access live musical performance recordings on this site. Additional images came from the Smithsonian Music website. See Copyright Information Below. 

Research Project

For this series of lesson plans, I created a Google slide deck.  On each slide, I uploaded an image of a Native American Instrument from the Smithsonian. I hyperlinked the image to the webpage so students could uncover the items I wanted them to identify for each instrument. Here is a list of information I had my students find. These items may not be available for all instruments, so adjust your slides as needed.

Lesson Plan Process

In our district, our students have 1:1 access to devices.  If your students do not have 1:1 access, you will need to utilize your school’s computer lab.   

1. Assign students to work independently or in small groups of two or three students. 
2. Students access the premade slide show using a QR code or web address. 
   • Teacher Hint: Some classes may be able to share and work together on the same slide deck. In this case, I have them type their names to claim the slide they want to use. With certain classes, I have found it helpful to have the link force them to make a copy of the deck (Instructions here https://zapier.com/blog/force-a-copy-of-a-google-doc/), and then have them share it with me. It’s a little more work on your end, but it prevents students from messing with each other’s slides or accidentally deleting slides. 
3. Students scroll through the slides and pick an instrument they want to start with. They do not have to go in order, and they do not have to do them all.  
4. They can click on the link below the image – or if you have hyperlinked the images, they click the image. 
5. Each student chooses a slide and types their name on the slide. – this is how I have student claim their slide.  Only one student or student group is allowed to use each slide. 
6. Students use the web page to fill in the information about your instrument.  
7. Students need to use their previous knowledge to determine which family the instrument belongs to. Wind, Brass, Stings, or Percussion Family? 
8. Finally, students write something they personally find interesting about their instrument and fill in the “Something Interesting About This Instrument” category.  
9. If a group finishes early, they can work on a second instrument. 
10. Go through the slide deck with the entire class and have students share what they have learned with their classmates. 
11. Consider printing out the finished slides to create a bulletin board display! 

Conclusion

This project can be extended by showing video examples of people playing the instrument or listening to music that incorporates instruments similar to the ones students researched.  Asking students to classify unfamiliar instruments provides an excellent opportunity to assess their knowledge about the characteristics of each instrument family.  Additionally, it broadens their awareness of the music by Indigenous Americans. 

A Note About Copyright

The Smithsonian allows you to use their images for educational purposes. However, you cannot sell a slideshow on teacher sites without paying the appropriate copyright fees for the images

References

Smithsonian. (n.d.). American Indian music. Smithsonian Music. https://music.si.edu/spotlight/native-american-music  

Smithsonian. (n.d.). National Museum of the American Indian. https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/online  

Smithsonian. (n.d.). Smithsonian Music. https://music.si.edu/  

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, October 23). Big drum. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Drum