Lesson objective(s): Help students learn how to ask research questions about musical works.
Total estimated time: 43 minutes
Additional outcome(s): Introduce The Fairy Queen, help to generate potential research questions, connect research questions with types of sources.
Course work or assignment underway:
This is just between the critical survey and the research proposal
Work and/or reading completed before class: None (but students will be asked to either listen to The Fairy Queen or watch a film adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream after this class)
Sequence of Classroom Activities:
Brief introduction the The Fairy Queen, that is, let’s talk about what it is (a masque based on MND). Perhaps also give them a clue about the Drunken Poet scene in particular. (2 minutes)
Either play or show a video of the Drunken Poet scene in The Fairy Queen (available in Naxos). (8 minutes)
Break students up into groups of four. Give each group a card with a topic written on it, like “STAGING” “BIOGRAPHY” “RELATIONSHIP TO A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM” “FAIRIES” “TECHNICAL QUESTIONS” etc. (3 minutes)
Ask each group to brainstorm a list of research questions about that topic. After 7 minutes, ask them to list what sort of source they’d use to answer each question. (15 minutes)
Share the questions with the class and organize them into categories. Introduces a discussion about what sorts of sources they might use to learn more about music. (15 minutes)