Name: Minter, Tanisha
E-mail: tlminter@yahoo.com
Topic: African American Heritage in Arkansas
Grade: Third
Time: One to one and one half hours
Ark. Hist. Framework: 2.1.3,3.1.1,3.1.3
Objective: The students will identify famous African Americans from
Arkansas.
Set: Ask the children if they listen to music. Let the children share
the types of music that they enjoy listening to. Ask the children to name
their favorite music artist. Ask the children if their favorite artist is
from Arkansas.
Materials: Copies of the article Three Composers: Joplin, Still, and
Price from Arkansas Odyssey, by Michael Dougan.
Key Terms: Composers
Key Facts: *Scott Joplin (1868-1917), Florence Price (1888-1933), and
William Grant Still (1895-1978) are composers that are from Arkansas.
*These three composers were known nationally, but were never recognized in
the state of Arkansas.
*Scott Joplin was born in Texarkana. He played the piano.
Joplin was a well-known composer of Ragtime music. He composed the first
black opera called Treemonisha. Joplin’s music was highlighted in the
motion picture The Sting.
*William Grant Still was born in Mississippi, but was raised in Little
Rock. In 1930, he composed an African American Symphony. This
Symphony was the most frequently performed that was composed by an African
American. He also composed the theme music for the “Perry Mason” and
“Gunsmoke” television shows.
*Florence Price was born in Little Rock. She graduated from the New
England Conservatory of Music in 1903. After this she returned to Arkansas
and taught at Cotton Plant. She also taught at Shorter College in Little
Rock. Price was the first African American woman to have her work
performed by major orchestras. This composition was called the Symphony in
E Minor, which was performed by the Chicago Symphony. Price won awards
from the Rodman Wanamaker Foundation. Despite these facts she was not
allowed to join the Arkansas State Music Teachers’ Association because she was
black.
Activities: First, introduce the three composers to the students.
Start by giving the students the definition to the word composer. Next,
pass out the article Three Composers: Joplin, Still, and Price from
Michael Dougan’s book Arkansas Odyssey. Read this article aloud.
Students will then be asked to write three paragraphs about one of the
composers.
The first paragraph is the introductory paragraph. This paragraph
should include the name of the composer they chose. Other information that
should be included is the year that person was born, the year that person died,
and the city that person was born in. The second paragraph should include
interesting facts about the person. Facts could include what the person is
known for and awards that the person has won. The final paragraph will be
the student’s personal opinion about the person they wrote about. This can
include if they liked the person or not and their explanation.
Closure: Review facts about the three famous composers from Arkansas.
Assessment: Students will share their autobiographies with the
class.
Resources: Dougan, Michael, (1994). Arkansas Odyssey, 554.
Williams, Nancy & Whayne, Jeannie, (2000). Arkansas Biography,
229-230,276-278.
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