The segments of this unit offer an investigation of the impact of circumstance on the music of a people through examination of several musical selections from the Five Nations heritage (Choctaw and Cherokee in particular) during and following the Trail of Tears of 1831 and 1838 respectively.

Sstudents are provided a medium for discussion of the Blues by learning 12-bar blues form through singing and theory. Students will have the opportunity to write and perfom their own 12-bar Blues verses.

Students will draw connections between the voices in music and voices found in literature to increase their understanding of how to use voice in their writings.

Students deepen their understanding of the political and emotional events of the War of 1812 through the music of Tchaikovsky. Students will learn how different instruments are used for expressing a mood and illustrating events in history. Students will write a response to the music that informs about their own understanding of both the instrumentation and the important events of history.