SQUILT Set 4, #1 - "Maple Leaf Rag"

Title: "Maple Leaf Rag"
Composer: Scott Joplin
Genre: Ragtime
Notes: The ragtime genre was developed and became popular from around 1895-1918. Ragtime is marked by the use of "syncopated" rhythms, or rhythms that bring emphasis to parts of the beat that usually aren't as strongly heard. Scott Joplin became famous in 1898 when "Maple Leaf Rag" was published, and his work is recognized as being influential in later forms of music. Ragtime lost popularity around 1917 when jazz really began to take the stage, but it experienced various revivals throughout the 1900s.

Related Artists: George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Benny Goodman

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 3, #4 - "Wade in the Water"

Title: "Wade in the Water"
Artist: Traditional African American Spiritual, arranged by Moses Hogan
Genre: Spiritual
Notes: The African American spiritual genre developed over as African slaves were brought over to the United States and interacted with the culture of the Europeans who enslaved them. This form is unique to the United States and was not developed in the same way as Africans traveled to other parts of the world. The basis for the songs are strongly linked with Christian influence and old Christian hymns, and the Africans who created spirituals often had two meanings behind the words - the ideas of Christianity and the hardships of being a slave.

Related Artists: Moses Hogan, Barbara Hendricks, Derek Lee Ragin, Jessye Norman

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 3, #3 - "My Heart Will Go On"

Title: "My Heart Will Go On"
Artist: Celine Dion
Genre: Ballad
Notes: "My Heart Will Go On" was released with the hit movie, "Titanic," in 1997. It quickly became a huge success and was the world's best-selling song single of 1998. It has also been recognized by some as one of the best ballads of the 1990s.

Related Artists: Anastacia, Michael Bolton, Cher, Josh Groban

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 3, #2 - "Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie"

Title: "Kyrie" from Missa Pange Lingua
Artist: Josquin Des Prez
Genre: Renaissance

Notes: Missa Pange Lingua is a setting of the "ordinary" of the Catholic mass. The ordinary of the mass is the part that does not change, made up of the "Kyrie," "Gloria," "Credo," "Sanctus," and "Agnus Dei" (all Latin names). "Pange lingua" in English is a command for our tongues to sing praises to God. This work was very influential for later composers who often imitated parts of it in their own compositions.

Related Artists: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, Georg Friedrich Handel

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 3, #1 - "Anthropology"

Title: "Anthropology"
Artist: Charlie Parker
Genre: Jazz

Notes: Charlie Parker is regarded a virtuoso jazz saxophonist. A virtuoso is someone who is very, very skilled at their instrument - way beyond what even great musicians can do. He introduced some revolutions into jazz music with his playing style, and he is known for producing a variety of different tone styles. Miles Davis, another very famous jazz musician, said "You can tell jazz history in four words: Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker."

Related Artists: Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Clifford Brown

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 2, #4 - "Higher"

Title: "Higher"
Artist: Creed
Genre: Rock and Roll

Notes: The band Creed was ranked as the 18th best artist 2000's by Billboard magazine in the United States. The lead singer of Creed grew up in a very strict religious home. For example, as punishment, he sometimes had to copy passages of the Bible. As he grew up, he did everything possible to get away from that environment, including running away from home for one month. Later in life, he says he experienced a change after getting involved in some harmful things, but I did not see any information on his faith.

Related Artists: Alter Bridge, Seether, Hinder, Daughtry

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 2, #3 - "Shackles (Praise You)"

Title: "Shackles (Praise You)"
Artist: Mary Mary
Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Notes: The "rhythm and blues" genre is one that has gone through many changes over the years and is difficult to classify exactly. At first, it's primary audience was African Americans, and this genre still may be somewhat associated more with African American performers today; however, anyone is certainly free to enjoy this music! The group Mary Mary, according to one online review, really pushed contemporary gospel music ahead with their song "Shackles (Praise You)." The group's name is based on the two famous Mary's from the Bible - Jesus' mother and Mary Magdalene.

Related Artists: Kirk Franklin and Family, Tye Tribett, Deborah Cox, Frank Hammond, CeCe Winans

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 2, #2 - "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)"

Title: "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)"
Artist: Gary Allan
Genre: Country

Notes: Country music is characterized by simple harmonies and forms, and this song would fit that description. Country music began in the southeastern United States and combined folk styles with emerging popular styles. In particular, Nashville, TN - the capital of Tennessee and a city close to where I went to college - is considered a main location for the country music scene. Many people back in Tennessee joke about country music as always being about depressing things, but this particular song is somewhat more "upbeat" and hopeful - although I do not know from what faith background Gary Allan is writing and where he gets the assurance that he sings about in this song.

Related Artists: Blake Shelton, Rodney Atkins, Josh Turner, Brantley Gilbert

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 2, #1 - "He is Coming"

Title: "He is Coming"
Artist: Christafari
Genre: Reggae

Notes: The leader of the band "Christafari," Mark Mohr, grew up as a drug-addicted teenager who traveled to Jamaica and became a member of the "Rastafari movement" - a false religious group based out of Jamaica. When he was 17, Mohr gave his life to Jesus after attending a youth camp in the United States. Within two weeks of that decision, Mohr performed his first reggae gospel song - using the style out of Jamaica with which he had become so familiar. Now, Mohr and his band's mission is to use music similar to what a Rastafarian would listen to, except their songs talk about truths from Christianity.

Related Artists: Jared Anderson, Michael Gungor, Darrell Evans, David Brymer

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 1, #4 - "The Battle"

Title: "The Battle" from the soundtrack to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Composer:Harry Gregson-Williams
Genre: Soundtrack

Notes: Soundtrack music has become a popular form for "classical" music to continue to develop. Film composers have difficult work that involves watching the film, working with the director, and being able to imagine what sort of music would fit with the music. Although the music is written to fit certain parts of a movie, many film scores are such good music on their own that versions are made for orchestras to perform during their concerts (sometimes while showing scenes from the movie and sometimes just playing the music itself).

Related Artists: John Williams, Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 1, #3 - "Don't Waste Your Life" by Lecrae

Title: Don't Waste Your Life
Performer: Lecrae
Genre: Rap

Notes: As a boy, Lecrae grew into a life of crime and gang activity. Although his grandmother took him to church and he had a Bible, he did not want anything to do with the things of God. At one point, he even tore pages out of his Bible. When he was 17 years old, he realized that he did not have a lot of hope for his life, so he became interested in attending church again. A girl in his high school invited him to a Bible study, and from there he began a process of returning to God. Now he makes music for God's glory.

Related Artists: Trip Lee, KB, Brandon Heath, KJ-52

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 1, #2 - "Parigi, O Cara" by Giuseppe Verdi

Title: Parigi, O Cara
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Genre: Opera

Notes: One book calls Giuseppe Verdi the "king of opera," and you could maybe say that back in the 1800s, seeing an opera would be like us watching a movie. Operas often tell very complex stories, and this is true of "La Traviata" - the opera where we hear the duet, "Parigi, O Cara."

"La Traviata" is of the Italian "tragic" style, where the ending is not what we would call a happy ending. This song, though, comes near the end of the opera and shows the two main characters singing about their love for each other. Here is the translation of the words:

ALFREDO AND VIOLETTA
Not man or devil, my angel,
Shall ever part you from me again.

ALFREDO
We'll leave Paris, my dearest,
Together we'll go through life.
In reward for your past sorrows,
You'll bloom into health again.
Breath of life, sunshine you'll be to me,
All the years to come will smile on us.

VIOLETTA
We'll leave Paris, my dearest,
Together we'll go through life.

ALFREDO
Yes.

VIOLETTA
In reward for past sorrows,
I shall bloom into health again.
Breath of life, sunshine you'll be to me,
All the years to come will smile on us.
Ah, no more!
Let's go to church, Alfredo,
And give thanks for your return.

The two singers in this video are Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland - both amazing singers that some would say are "one of a kind."

Related Composers: Giacomo Pucini, Georges Bizet, Richard Wagner, W.A. Mozart, Gioachino Rossini

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 1, #1 - St. Louis Blues

In addition to my posts where I analyze a song, I will also post weekly SQUILT examples.

What is SQUILT?
SQUILT is an activity that many music teacher use for elementary and middle school classes. It stands for:

Super
Quiet
UnInterrupted
Listening
Time

At BAIS, I use SQUILT in Lower and Upper Elementary Choirs. In Lower, students learn a new instrument each week. For Upper, I teach music genres. The students have a worksheet to complete for each song as they listen, and every few weeks I have a review time to see if students remember the instruments or genres they have heard. For this blog, I will only post the Upper Elementary SQUILT examples.

This is a favorite activity of many students, so I wanted to post the songs in case students want to listen again. I am also adding a "Related Artists" section, which I don't cover in class. As I state below, I want to stress again that just because an artist gets posted in "Related Artists" does NOT mean I approve of their music or that I recommend all students listen to every song they have created. I encourage parents to listen with their kid and talk about the music.

Title: St. Louis Blues
Performer: Louis Armstrong
Genre: Blues

Notes: Blues music is based on the "blues form," which was a starting point for much of jazz music. It was developed primarily by African-Americans of the southern United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Spotify's Related Artists: Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Nat King Cole

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**