Take This Message Everywhere | GOSPEL

Welcome to the Watts Summer Festival, that took place in California in 1972, and brought together Gospel artists to share the stage with Funk and R&B performers, singing about injustice. Meanwhile, other children of the church used their voices to create Soul music. Aretha Franklin would become synonymous with the genre, using her upbringing and lessons from the church to create a distinctive sound and crown her the Queen of Soul.

In this lesson, students will analyze musical performances and draw connections between different genres of music and culture using Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” They will also discuss the Great Migration, and how it brought Southern Black traditions, such as Gospel music, to Northern industrial cities. Finally, they will assess how point of view or purpose shapes the style and interpretation of a piece of music by creating their own call and response style song.