Principled Music

Music and social justice have always had close ties. Music has been used for centuries to pass on important life lessons and to motivate change.  Many artists have recorded songs that seek to empower the listener to make social change.

Principled Music uses popular music from the 1960s through the present as the basis for in-depth discussions of a wide variety of social justice topics. At each class, songs on a particular topic are listened to, along with a copy of the lyric sheet.  After listening, the class engages in discussion and activities, using the lyrics of the songs as a launching point.

During the year, students are also encouraged to bring in their own examples of songs on the social justice topic under discussion.  These songs are compiled into a UU Playlist, that can shared with all students at the end of the year.

This curriculum is easy to teach and to administer, with lesson guides that provide an outline of each topic and songs, followed by discussion questions and activities.  Topics include: racism, civil rights, bullying, homophobia, gender stereotyping, income inequality, and war.

Lessons are appropriate for either a classroom, youth group setting, or Coming of Age program. Youth are quickly,  and deeply, engaged in the topics, and become active participants in discussions, generating provocative discussion and interaction.

Included with your purchase are PowerPoint presentations that can be edited as needed. PowerPoint has proven to be a valuable tool with this age group to keep the class engaged. In addition, all music is easy to obtain (not included with curriculum), available on CD or digitally. Streaming music will be the most cost-effective way to acquire the music.