History Through the Lens of Music

For our first action project in our Humanities class, Argument, we had to come up with a new class to study. Due to medical reasons, I could not complete this project with my other classmates and in a way, this feels like my final goodbye to this class. We studied the basics of what makes up an argument and the origin of American history. The declaration of independence was an important argument made by the founders of America and is used in our project! Below is my work, which starts with my declaration.

Image of Mia Rainey Georgia Jazz Band Ann Powers, 2013

DECLARATION
As an individual raised with music and influenced by the artists of our history's time, I am declaring that we as learners and students, recognize just how influential a role, music has played in the soul of our history. With this being said, we must also see that music culture is changing; From how we listen to music, when we listen to music, and the kind of music being made. It is our unalienable right to an education established by the states within America, as stated in the constitution, under the 14th Amendment. In this declaration, we acknowledge and embrace music as not only an influence on history but an influence on the future.
PURPOSE OF LEARNING
It is within our nature to learn. We survive and thrive from learning something new every day. Whether this is about ourselves, our friends, or the world around us. From learning and discovering we can interact with the world and one another. Of course, learning isn't always about something completely new. Sometimes it is about going back into what we already know, but learning in a different way than before, which is why we must learn our history through the lens of music.
THE ANALOGY TO OUR HISTORY
History and the extreme pressure of politics started a musical revolution. This historical shift between the 1900s and 2000s completely changed new musical styles. Though part of this is because of new technology allowing more diverse sounds and easier recording, the history that preceded dramatically affected the music that followed.
GUIDING QUESTION
What does history look like through music, and how has music influenced history?
RESOURCES FOR LEARNING

• Music's history with Religion
• An example of history written as music
• How music can change and shape the world
• African American : A philosophical look at African American Music in Society
• Sounds and Society : Themes in the Sociology of Music (Music and Society MUP)
• Moments when music changed the world

ULTIMATE GOALS
By the end of the class, students will understand history in a new lens, that is of course, through the ears. Students will see the correlation and influence that music has made on our history. Students will reflect on this and think about what the future could look like just with the influence of music. The final goal would be for the students to think about how their history looks just through the music that they have listened to, and what influence was there.
SYLLOGISM
Premise 1 : Everyone makes a connection to music at some point in their lifetime.Premise 2 : Music has been implemented in many nations, governments, and religions.Conclusion : There is a correlation between music and history.
Premise 1 : Music is an expression of individuals' interpretations of their experiences in life.Premise 2 : Music has been used to express ideas and opinions of the current world.Premise 3 : There is a correlation between music and history.Conclusion : Music has influenced people and shaped history.
REFLECTIONBefore writing the declaration for this class, I wasn't sure if writing a declaration was going to feel right. After writing it, I really felt pride in the class I made, and the idea of looking at history from another perspective, other than ourselves. I think this class would be interesting because we are looking at history through something that has no opinion on the events of the past. Thank you for reading my work!
CITATIONS
Betchwars, Hannah, and Hannah Betchwars. “Music 345: Music and Religion.” Music 345 Music and       Religion, 18 Sept. 2016, pages.stolaf.edu/musicandreligion/2016/09/18/the-desire-for-music-and-its- 

   importance-in-religion/.

“BRIA 7 4 c Education and the 14th Amendment.” Constitutional Rights Foundation,            www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-7-4-c-education-and-the-14th- 

    amendment.Powers, Ann. “Holding Music History In Your Hands: Why Archives Matter.” 

NPR, NPR, 1 Nov. 2013,        www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/11/01/242155743/holding-music-history-in-your-hands-why- 

    archives-matter.