Lesson Plan - Sacred Harp Singing in Florida

Grades

6-8

Subjects

Music

Overview

Students will select and sing a song from the Sacred Harp genre.

Objectives

Students will:

• Listen to recordings of Sacred Harp singing.
• Discuss the unique history of Sacred Harp or shape note singing in America, the preservation of the tradition in the south and its current revival.
• Listen to recordings of shape note singing from the 1940s and 1980s and choose a song to sing.
• Acquire the music and sing the song.

Materials Needed

• Audio recording of Sacred Harp singing
  http://www.floridamemory.com/onlineclassroom/sacred_harp/documents
  

Lesson Plan

1. Activate prior knowledge.

Ask students:

• what they know about Sacred Harp singing.
• whether they have experience with Sacred Harp singing.
• what the notes look like.
• what they know about the history of Sacred Harp singing.
  
  

2. The Activity

• Listen to recordings of Sacred Harp singing.
• Discuss the unique history of Sacred Harp or shape note singing in America, the preservation of this tradition in the south and its current revival.
• Listen to recordings of shape note singing from the 1940s and 1980s and, as a group, choose a song to sing.
• Acquire the music and sing the song.

Assessment

Do students know the main characteristics shape note singing? Do they know a representative example of shape note singing? Rate how well students achieve each goal.