South Africa: Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse

Objective: These lessons are designed to help students compare music of South Africa to music of other countries.

Topic for Discussion: Lead students in a class discussion about the videos and music they have seen/heard. Begin by having students list what they noticed in the video for ‘Burn Out’ (location, people, clothing, dancing, etc. ) The following questions provide a guide for dialogue:

Lesson 2: Working in small groups, have students find another South Africa song and to share with the class. Each group will create a storyboard for a music video for the song they have selected. Depending on the size of the group each student should create 1 or 2 frames for the story as a whole.

Once completed have each group/student share the song they selected with the rest of the class. Students should then present and explain their storyboards and the choices they made to tell the story of the song.

Educator Note: Musicians/groups that can be easily found in the United States: Miriam Makeba, Johnny Clegg, Hugh Masekela, Soweto Gospel Choir, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Abdullah Ebrahim, and Zola (the music from the film Tsotsi).

Make sure that students understand that the concept of a storyboard is to create a blueprint for a video. Each group should create at least 6 frames to tell the story of the video. Students will need to work as a group to tell the story and maintain a narrative thread. Based on the previous discussion they should incorporate clothing, location, and people that represent South African culture.

Student Assessment: After completing these lessons students will be able to identify the similarities and differences in music seen of the U.S. and of South Africa. Students will be able to collaborate to tell a cohesive story.

Our global team of educators are working on lesson plans for this chapter. Please check back frequently: we will post it as soon as it is available.

ProjectExplorer's materials and activities at the Middle Elementary and High School levels have been designed so that they may be easily adapted for your students.

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Objective: This lesson is designed to help students understand the importance of music and its political, social, and cultural significance around the world

Lesson: Begin by having students discuss Sipho’s importance in South Africa. Why is he culturally, politically, and/or socially important?

Assignment: Have students research and select a song, musician, or group that has had a major impact politically, socially, or culturally. In a 3-5 page paper, have students explain the song/artist’s significance. The following questions should be addressed:

Would the song or artist have had the same impact at another time period?
How was this song/artist received at the time? Was the song/artist controversial? Why?
What political, social, or cultural events were happening the time that the song was written/artist was performing?
How has the song/artist led to change? What was the specific impact - both short term and long term?

Student Assessment: After completing this lesson students will be able to understand the impact that music and the arts can have on a society or time period.

Curriculum Connections: Arts Education, English, Social Studies

These lesson plans were contributed by: Kailee Bialaszewski