Description: Students will create a playlist of songs that fit the audience and objective of a specific event.

Musical Objectives:

Understand the role of a DJ—consider the audience and choose a track for a specified outcome.

Develop critical listening skills to find the energy, emotion, and instrument sounds in a song.

Prep:

Determine which type of events would be most relatable to your class. Use some of the songs from the shared class Spotify or Youtube playlists to make your own sequence of tracks that work for a specific audience and objective. Communicate with administration, other teachers in the department, or school to find opportunities for students to DJ.

Materials:

A quality playback system for students to hear their music being played.

As a Class:

Watch the first section of the top video (up to 1:25) and discuss the job of a DJ as a class.
Complete the rest of the top video and ask questions about audience/objective and energy/emotion/sound. Use questions to check for understanding and to foster a community of collaboration.
Complete some of the connection activities to build confidence and understanding of the material.
Listen to the first three songs together by clicking on the thumbnail images and discuss their audience, objective, energy, emotion, and sounds.
Watch the step four and five videos together and review the instructions. The video on the student page provides instructions to create a playlist on YouTube. If YouTube isn’t available or you prefer not to use it, have students create the playlist using the songs in the bottom section of the page.

Partners:

Have students pair up and use a headphone splitter so they can both listen to the same device.
Have them watch the step four and five videos and complete the playlist activity using the Playlist Planner PDF.

Informal Assessment:

Check for understanding by asking questions after the top video and during the connection activities.
Walk around the room while students are completing the partner portion of their projects to check their understanding of the role of a DJ and how to listen for energy, emotion, and sounds in a track.

Formal Assessment:

Grade the Playlist Planner PDF for completion while walking around and conferencing with students about their choices.
Have students share their playlists with the class at the end of the working session.

Identify The Instrument Game:
Students should get into small groups and create a team name. Play a teacher or student-selected song or song section on a high-quality playback system on loop and have them name as many instruments in the track as possible—the more detailed, the better. Each correctly identified sound is worth two points; each incorrectly identified sound incurs a one-point penalty. Repeat this process for a few songs and tally up the scores at the end to find the winner.

School Dance Playlist:
Have students get into groups of 2-4 and create an 8-song list to be played at a school dance or assembly. Instruct students to consider the audience of the event, the student population at the school, and what kinds of music most students like. Inform them that not everyone needs to like every song in a playlist, but the energy should change from song to song to keep listeners engaged. Share the playlists with the class and create a mega playlist together. As an extension, use the playlist at an event or when students are entering the school. This is a great opportunity to create visibility for the music classes, while entertaining the student body and enhancing the school culture.

Music Mood Ring:
Ask students if they have songs they like to listen to when they feel a certain way (e.g., sad music when they are feeling sad) or if there are songs they listen to make them feel a certain way (e.g., study music to make them focus). Discuss how music can change or reinforce the mood of the listener. Find a song that students agree makes them feel happy. Discreetly play the song for the class while they walk into the room during the next session and ask how they feel with a mood meter activity. After they have identified their mood, ask if they paid attention to the music that was playing in the background and whether it affected their mood.

Radio Station Playlist Investigation:
Poll students to find a local radio station they like and locate its website. Find the playlist for the day (most are available on their homepage) and select five songs that are next to each other. Listen to samples of these songs and determine the audience and objective for each song. Have students identify the types of instruments used and the energy and emotion the song has to achieve its objective. Challenge students to choose two additional songs that would work at the end of the playlist.

Emotion Free Draw/Free Write:
Play a portion of an instrumental song that students are not familiar with. Have students abstractly draw the emotion they hear during playback individually. Repeat the song or section a few times to give everyone a chance to create their emotive drawings. Share the drawings at the end of the listening session. If students feel more comfortable with words, they can write about the emotion they hear in the song instead of drawing. While the song is playing, prompt students to close their eyes and listen deeply.

Enrichment:
If there are students who complete their playlists quickly, have them create multiple playlists for different events.

Remediation:
If students are having trouble selecting music or if YouTube is not an option, they can use the music at the bottom of the page to create their playlists. This music is clean and copyright-free.

Students will be thinking about the audience and objectives of music throughout the entire course. It is important for them to feel comfortable talking about their emotions together. Normalize this through modeling and being supportive when students are sharing. Ensure everyone has a chance to share something. Students comfortable with this type of communication will be great collaborators later. If possible, try not to collect and grade the Playlist Planner. Instead, provide immediate, meaningful feedback while walking around.

Core Arts Standards

Creating:
- Anchor Standard 1 (Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work): Students generate ideas for playlists based on themes and audience preferences as they learn to think like a DJ.
- Anchor Standard 2 (Organize and develop artistic ideas and work): They organize musical selections to create a cohesive and engaging set.
- Anchor Standard 3 (Refine and complete artistic work): Students refine their playlists through iterative feedback and critical listening exercises.
Performing:
- Anchor Standard 4 (Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation): Students analyze and interpret the music they select, ensuring it aligns with their intended audience and purpose.
Responding:
- Anchor Standard 7 (Perceive and analyze artistic work): Students analyze how different musical elements influence the mood and energy of their playlists.
- Anchor Standard 8 (Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work): They interpret the intent behind their song choices and the overall impact of their DJ sets.
Connecting:
- Anchor Standard 11 (Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding): Students connect their musical selections to broader cultural, societal, and historical contexts, understanding how these elements enhance audience engagement.

Technology Literacy Standards

Empowered Learner (ISTE Standard 1):
- Students use digital audio workstations (DAWs) and other music production software to take control of their learning. They set goals for creating and refining playlists, track their progress, and reflect on their work, thereby demonstrating competency in music production.
Creative Communicator (ISTE Standard 6):
- Students express their creative ideas by curating and arranging playlists that communicate specific themes and emotions. They utilize various digital tools and platforms to present their work, effectively engaging different audiences through their DJ sets and musical projects.

Career Pathways

Music Production: Skills in creating and arranging music.
Sound Engineering: Technical knowledge of audio equipment and software.
Broadcasting and DJing: Understanding audience engagement and playlist curation.
Multimedia Production: Integrating music with video game audio, product commercials, and podcasts.

1.1 Think Like A DJ

3.3 Repetition & Variation

3.2 Bass Lines