Group Name: Recording Studio

Adult Leader/s: Jose Mane and Lisa Burns

Student Members:

Muzahid Abdulla
Victor Cordero
Richard Fernandez
Dylan Ficeto
Muhidi Hasain
Stephanie Montalvo
Troy Adams
Kenji Cano
Nia Daniels
Makeda Lewis
Aidan Sugrue
Norma Degante
Sully Delacruz
Andres Aguirre
Loren Francione

Goals and Objectives:
Write songs and raps, music and lyrics, and record music on a CD in our studio. Identify student-directed focus and themes for the album, and work on focusing lyrics and music toward these themes.
Aim: What are the problems that we would like to solve in our communities?

Activities:
Monday, October 21 – 9:00-9:30 AM – ice breakers and – group building.
9:30-10:30- What communities are we a part of and what are the problems that affect our communities? Problem-based discussion–

  • Students will define community,
  • define and analyze a challenge that is presented to their community,
  • identifying problems and collectively discuss and record solutions with their group.

10:30-11:30- Roundtable discussion about student-identified problems in different communities

11:30- 12:30- Group decision about the 6-8 problems that students will choose to tackle in their school, neighborhood, borough, city, state, national, or global communities.

1:30- 2:30- Students do research about the problem that they have chosen to tackle and identify the overall challenge and problems that stem from the challenge.

  • Students will research articles about the causes of a problem generated from a group discussion.
  • They are to type a one-page reflection that details the problem and its causes.

2:30- 3:13- Groups present their findings and we identify and write down problems and solutions on the community board.

Tuesday, October 22 –
9am to 10am: Critical Analysis of Nas’s “One Love”.

  • Students will take directed notes as they individually read the lyrics to Nas’ s One Love.
  • Mark places in the song where Nas identifies a personal problem with a PP, a community problem with CP, and a solution with an S.
  • Teacher modeled critical reading.

Nas’s “One Love” Song, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjd7EbUUds8‎
CNN’s “Black in America Tale of Two Brothers” www.yidio.com/show/Black-In-America

Rest of the day: Writing a problem/solution- based song.

  • Identifying problems and solutions of the School to Prison Pipeline problem.
  • Group writing session: based on the School to Prison Pipeline Issue

Wednesday, October 23 – Recording and writing cycle

goal: every group records one or two song(s) and writes a 3rd

  • Artwork group organizes responsibilities: cover art, back cover art, cd sticker art
  • End of day share-out of artwork concepts and ideas

Thursday, October 24 –

  1. continue recording; creative writing/solo song writing
  2. pick final tracklisting; start mixing process
  3. create back cover
  4. continue and finish mixing the final tracklisting
  5. publish online; furnish wiki page; share out

Photos/Pics/Blogs:
Dylan, Kylup and Richard Jam session: