A. Dance / C. Music · Music and DanceMusic: Music, Society and Change: Past and Present
C3.1 C3.2 C2.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals- I can analyse social, political and economic factors that affect the creation of music.
- I can explain how national anthems, protest songs and activism through song, including by First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, are shaped by their times.
- I can compare and contrast music from the past and present, including traditional and contemporary Indigenous music and older and newer dance music.
- I can express a detailed personal response about how music's role in our lives has changed.
Words to know
national anthem
A country's official patriotic song.
nationalism (in music)
Music that expresses pride in a country or people, often using its folk songs, landscapes or history.
activism
Taking action to bring about social or political change.
background music
Music played in places like stores or restaurants to create a mood, not for close listening.
fusion
Music that blends two or more styles or traditions.
mariachi
A Mexican musical tradition played by an ensemble with violins, trumpets and several kinds of guitars.
Remember from Grade 7
In Grade 7 you explored how music and the media shape identity, how music can build pride, including for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, how music passes on through oral tradition, and how inventions like the piano and electric guitar changed music.
In Grade 8 you will analyse the social, political and economic factors that affect the creation of music, and compare and contrast music from the past and present. A good starting question: What might influence someone to write a certain kind of music?
Three kinds of factors (again!)
You met these factors in the dance part of this unit. They work for music too.
- Social: love songs, dance music, lullabies and folk songs come from everyday life: families, friendships, celebrations and work.
- Political: national anthems, songs for a cause, and nationalistic music come from history and power. Smetana's Má vlast (which includes The Moldau) expressed Czech pride at a time when the Czech lands were ruled by the Austrian (Habsburg) Empire.
- Economic: music is also a business. Jingles sell products; background music in stores is chosen to create a mood that fits the store; musicians earn money from concerts, recordings and streaming.
Records, cassettes and streaming changed how people buy and hear music, an economic and social factor in what music gets made. AI-generated imagePolitical factors: "O Canada"
Canada's national anthem shows how music changes with its country.
- 1880: "O Canada" was first performed in Québec City, with music by Calixa Lavallée and French lyrics by Adolphe-Basile Routhier.
- 1908: Robert Stanley Weir wrote the English lyrics that became the best-known English version.
- 1980: "O Canada" officially became Canada's national anthem.
- 2018: the English line "in all thy sons command" was changed to "in all of us command", so the anthem includes everyone.
Each change reflects its time: who was writing, which language they spoke, and what Canadians believed about who belongs.
Activism through song
Music can call for change. First Nations, Métis and Inuit musicians and communities use song to strengthen identity and to speak up about rights, land, water and language.
- During the Idle No More movement (winter 2012–2013), people gathered in public places for round dances with drums and songs to draw attention to First Nations rights and the protection of land and water. The songs brought people together and made the issue visible.
- Many Indigenous artists today write songs in their own languages, helping to keep those languages strong. Singing in a language is itself a way of saying we are still here.
Ask about any song for change: Who wrote it? For whom? What did they want to change? How do the music's elements help (a repeated chorus everyone can sing, a steady drum that unites)?
Comparing past and present
The curriculum asks you to compare music from the past and present. Here are some pairs:
- Traditional powwow song and electronic powwow music: in Grade 5 you met The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red), a First Nations group from Ottawa that blends powwow drumming and singing with electronic music. Both keep the powwow drum at the centre; one is sung live around a big drum, the other is made in a studio and played in clubs and at festivals.
- Dance music then and now: 17th-century court dances like the minuet were played by string players for nobles; hip hop began at 1970s block parties with a DJ and turntables. Both are made for dancing and both reflect who was gathering, but the instruments, places and audiences are very different.
- Chopin's waltzes (1800s, Polish composer, for solo piano) were written mostly for listening in homes and salons, even though the waltz was a dance. Mariachi music from Mexico, with violins, trumpets and guitars, has long been played at celebrations and is performed today around the world, including in Canada.
Worked exampleExample: Let's analyse the factors behind a song
Let's analyse the factors behind "O Canada" using the timeline.
- Social: in 1880 it was written for a French-Canadian celebration in Québec City, so it was first sung in French.
- Political: it became the official national anthem only in 1980, after a law was passed. In 2018 a law changed one English line to include everyone. Governments and laws shaped its words and status.
- Economic: an anthem is not written to make money, but it is used at public events, sports games and schools, so it reaches millions of people for free.
- What stayed the same: Calixa Lavallée's music has stayed the same since 1880.
- Conclusion: the anthem is shaped mostly by social and political factors, and its changes mirror changes in Canada.
"O Canada" shows how social and political factors affect what a song says and how it is used.
Worked exampleExample: Let's compare and contrast music from the past and present
Compare a minuet from the 1600s–1700s with a hip hop track today.
- Purpose: both were made for dancing (and listening).
- Who and where: the minuet: nobles at court. Hip hop: young people at 1970s block parties in the Bronx, now worldwide.
- Elements: minuet: 3/4 time, stately tempo, strings and keyboard, homophonic texture. Hip hop: usually 4/4, a strong beat from drum machines or samples, rapped lyrics.
- Factors: the minuet needed wealthy patrons to pay musicians (economic) and showed good manners at court (social). Hip hop began with little money: turntables, records and a microphone (economic), and gave young people a voice (social and political).
- Personal response: Both show that people have always made music for gathering and moving, but who gets to make and hear the music has changed a lot.
A comparison names similarities, differences, the factors behind each, and ends with your own response.
Just for funWhat's the most musical part of a grocery store?
The bar codes. 🛒🎶 (Every bar is exactly one item long.)
Hands-on activityPast and present playlist
You need: a way to listen to music with a grown-up, paper and a pencil.
- Ask an older family member or neighbour: What music was popular when you were my age? Where did you hear it? How did you get it? Write down their answers.
- Make a two-song playlist: one song they chose and one you choose. Listen together.
- Make a chart comparing the two songs: tempo, instruments (timbre), texture, lyrics, where people heard it, and how they paid for it (economic factor).
- Next time you are in a store, notice the background music. What mood does it create? Why might the store have chosen it?
- Write a detailed personal response: How has music's role in people's lives changed between their time and yours? Use at least three musical terms.
Your turn
1Give one social, one political and one economic factor that can affect the creation of music.
Social: celebrations, family life, love, friendships. Political: laws, governments, national pride, causes. Economic: selling products, earning money from music, the cost of instruments and recording.
2Who wrote the music for "O Canada", and when was it first performed?
Calixa Lavallée; first performed in 1880 in Québec City.
3When did "O Canada" officially become Canada's national anthem?
4What change was made to the English lyrics in 2018, and why?
"in all thy sons command" became "in all of us command", so the anthem includes everyone.
5How did songs and round dances play a role in Idle No More?
People gathered in public places to drum, sing and round dance, which brought people together and drew attention to First Nations rights and the protection of land and water.
6Name one similarity and one difference between traditional powwow song and electronic powwow music.
Similarity: both centre the powwow drum and singing and show pride in identity. Difference: traditional is sung live around a big drum at gatherings; electronic adds electronic beats and is made by DJs and producers for clubs and festivals.
7Why might a store choose its background music carefully?
To create a mood that fits the store and makes shoppers feel comfortable, which can help sales (an economic factor).
More practice: warm-up
1What is a national anthem?
A country's official patriotic song.
Taking action to bring about social or political change.
Music that blends two or more styles or traditions.
4Name three instruments in a mariachi ensemble.
Violins, trumpets, guitars (including the vihuela and guitarrón).
5Who wrote the English lyrics of "O Canada" in 1908?
More practice: on your own
1Why is Smetana's Má vlast called nationalistic music?
It expresses pride in the Czech homeland (its river, landscape and history), written when the Czech lands were ruled by the Austrian (Habsburg) Empire.
2Compare Chopin's waltzes with mariachi music: one similarity and one difference.
Similarity: both have dance roots and are still performed today. Difference: Chopin's waltzes are for solo piano, mostly for listening; mariachi uses an ensemble of violins, trumpets and guitars and is often played at celebrations.
3Explain how economic factors helped hip hop emerge in the 1970s.
Many young people had little money for instruments or lessons, but turntables, records and a microphone at block parties let them create music anyway.
4How can singing a song in an Indigenous language be a form of activism?
It helps keep the language alive and strong, passes it to young people, and shows that the community and its culture are still here and thriving.
5Write a detailed personal response to this question: Has music become more or less important in people's lives?
Example: More important in some ways: we can listen anywhere, anytime, on a phone. But maybe less special: our grandparents saved up to buy one record, and listened to it closely. I think music is everywhere now, which means we sometimes hear it without really listening. Look for an opinion, reasons and specific examples.
Challenge
1Choose a song for change (any time period, any culture). Analyse it: who created it, for whom, what they wanted to change, and how at least two musical elements support the message. Use only facts you have checked in a reliable source.
Look for: the creator and audience, the issue, and two elements linked to the message (for example, a repeated chorus so crowds can join in; a steady drum that unites people; a rising melody on the key words). Facts must come from a reliable source.
2"O Canada" has had the same music since 1880, but its words and status changed. Explain why the words of a song might change more easily than its music, using political and social factors.
Words state ideas directly, so when society's beliefs change (for example, about including everyone), the words can feel out of date and people push for change; governments can change them by law (as in 2018). The melody carries less specific meaning and is familiar and loved, so there is less reason to change it.
3Compare and contrast music from the past and present: a traditional Inuit katajjaq (throat-singing game, which you studied in Grade 6) and a contemporary song by an Inuk artist who blends throat singing with other styles. Give two similarities and two differences, and the factors behind them.
Similarities: both use throat-singing sounds and rhythms; both express Inuit identity. Differences: traditional katajjaq is often a game or contest, usually between two women face to face, passed on by ear from Elders; contemporary songs may be solo, add instruments, electronics or other styles, and are recorded and shared worldwide. Factors: social (passing on culture), economic (recording and touring), and political (pride and renewal after past efforts to suppress Inuit culture).
Quiz
1. Background music chosen by a store to create a mood that helps sales is mainly a(n) ___ factor.
2. "O Canada" was first performed in ___.
3. "O Canada" officially became the national anthem in ___.
4. Round dances with drums and songs in public places were part of which movement?
5. Music that blends powwow drumming with electronic beats is an example of ___.
6. Smetana's Má vlast is an example of ___ music.
7. Which is a political factor in the creation of music?
Big idea: Students analyse some of the social, political and economic factors that affect the creation of music (C3.1) and compare and contrast music from the past and present (C3.2), expressing detailed personal responses (C2.1). The curriculum's examples include national anthems, the purposes and effects of Indigenous activism through song, and traditional and contemporary Indigenous music.
How to help at home:
- Share the music you loved at your child's age, and talk about how you listened to it (radio, records, tapes, CDs, downloads).
- Notice background music together in stores and restaurants.
- Sing "O Canada" and talk about its history and the 2018 change.
Common difficulties:
- Thinking old music is boring and new music is better (or the reverse). Encourage fair comparisons using musical terms.
- Unchecked facts. When researching songs and artists, check facts in two reliable sources.
- Talking about Indigenous music only in the past tense. First Nations, Métis and Inuit musicians are creating music today in many styles.