UNIT4 |
Envisioning Southeast AsiaLESSON 6: Popular music in Southeast Asia: Between global and local cultures |
This lesson focuses on the evolution of popular music in Southeast Asia over time, from traditional to modern forms and how consumption of popular music, embodied in mass pop culture show such as the Idol series, have affected regional, national and individual identities.
| Subject | History / Social Studies |
| Topic |
Popular music in Southeast Asia: Between global and local cultures |
| Key idea | Pop culture has creatively blended global and local cultural features. It constitutes a channel to promote a regional community among young generations by displaying commonly recognizable features while respecting local identities |
| Key concepts | Local culture and global culture Pop (popular) culture Idol competitions |
| Level | Lower secondary |
| No. of periods / lessons | 2 periods (1 period is approximately 50 minutes) |
| Facilities needed | A/V equipment and Internet access to play the video clips (or hard copy with similar content) Sources and handouts for distribution |
| Prerequisite knowledge | Students should have some basic familiarity with pop music and popular culture. |
Learning objectives
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
| KNOWLEDGE | SKILLS | ATTITUDES |
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Structure
Download the lesson plan for details on the talks and activities suggested below.
Period 1
1. Hook activity
Students watch a clip from 1920’s Indonesia singer and discuss the local versus the global elements in the recording.
Clip: Miss Ribout Ka Doewa, Krontjong Dardanella
2. Teacher talk: The keroncong music genre in Indonesia
This lecture presents the history of the Indonesian keroncong early in the XX century – as a precursor to the recent Idol competitions -, and shows how the music industry has mixed local and global influences.
3. Objective of the lesson
The teachers details that the lesson will examine two types of recent pop culture: Idol competitions and K-pop.
4. Teacher talk: Idol competitions across Southeast Asia
This lecture introduces the birth of Idol competitions in Western countries and their recent development in Southeast Asia.
5. Discussion
Students compare the global and local dimensions of the Idol programmes’ content.
6. Group work: Idol competitions
Students watch clips of Idol competition in Indonesia, Myanmar and Viet Nam. In small groups they identify the global vs local elements of the competitions and compare them.
7. Reflection
Students reflect on what defines and characterizes Idol competitions and on why these competitions became so popular in Southeast Asia.
8. Suggestions for home extension activity
Students develop their personal reflection as a homework.
Period 2
9: Teacher talk on K-pop
The teacher notes that American and Western pop culture are not the only
influences of Southeast Asian pop culture. East Asia also has a big influence, as seen through well-known phenomena such as J-Pop and K-Pop.
10: Group work
In small groups of 4, students read articles on the Korean wave and collaborate to fill in a worksheet.
11. Teacher talk: Examples of K-pop groups
12. Group work: Analyzing music clips
Students watch 2 videos of K-Pop artists, Baby V.O.X and Rain, and reflect on the global and local elements in the videos.
Note: The video clips shows beach scenes (video 1) and people kissing (video 2). Teacher should use discretion as to whether it is appropriate to show these parts of the clip.
13. Conclusion
The teacher highlights that in the past and nowadays, pop culture is the product of multiple influences, both global and local. It can play a role in bridging different cultures.
14. Suggested home extension activities
- Students plan (outline of a video) or tape (actual performance recorded on a smartphone) a video that represents their national culture and national pop culture.
- Students write a news report or a review of an Idol competition or a K-Pop album, focusing on how popular it would be with local audiences.
- Students create an advertisement poster for an Idol competition, a K-Pop concert, or a pop album from either a local or international artist.
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UNIT4: LESSON5
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