ELVIS PRESLEY and the Top 20 Musicians in history (1950 - 2020's): Research, Sequencing, Sales, Records , Legacy

This product takes the 20 of the most successful recording artists of all time and creates a project which culminates in the children designing a seating plan of where those artists would sit in relation to Elvis Presley. The artists included in this activity are:

Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Justin Bieber, Adele, Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran, Drake, Queen, Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Elton John, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.

In order to create a seating plan for this extravanganza of a dinner party, students will need to complete a range of activities first in order to develop their knowledge of each of the artists, their successes, their legacy, their sales and when they were popular.

Full lesson plans are provided for each activity, as well as the resources required (as you will see in the preview). A suggested order for the activities has been provided, but this is flexible and can meet the needs of both the teacher and students in their class.

In order to create a seating plan for this extravaganza of a dinner party, students will need to complete a range of activities first in order to develop their knowledge of each of the artists, their successes, their legacy, their sales and when they were popular.

Activities includes:

• Musical Immersion - listening to each of the artists in action (including web links)
• Top Trump Card Game - Research, complete and play
• Artist Fact File - Includes: Name, Birth date, Died (if appropriate), Country of origin, Achievements, Awards, Legacy, Fashion Icon, Career Span, Career High, Sales, Humanitarian and Charity work, Changing Attitudes.
• Artist Timeline - when, in history, was the artist most successful?
• Sequencing Sales
• Sequencing downloads and streaming
• Comparing and discussing differences in the way music is consumed and why the sequences for sales, downloads and streaming look very different
• Legacy of the artists
• Elvis' Dinner Party - Using the knowledge gained from the previous activities how should the artists be sat at the dinner party? Why?
• Musical Genre Appreciation - Reviewing the genres which the 20 chosen artists represent. Playlists have been identified in the planning to provide students with a wide variety of examples of music within each of the genres
• What makes.... ? Children to use their listening and research skills and identify why a piece of music is given to a specific genre. For example, what makes rap, rap? What makes Rock and Roll, Rock and Roll?
• Write a biography of a chosen musician from the 20 studied - children to use their skills in writing biographies to use the information researched throughout this project to create a detailed biography on the life, achievements and legacy of the chosen musician.

We have found this to be an exciting way of developing historical skills, reading and research skills as well as musical appreciation skills by mixing well known musicians and recording artists for the students, with musicians they may not be aware of. Genres are developed, maths skills improved through sequencing numbers, and perceptions of how music consumption are challenged through introducing students to vinyl, cassette and (in some cases) CD's. Discussions were in-depth and awe-inspiring for the students when they realised that new music was an event, and not as simple as downloading your favourite track from an album. Many learnt for the first time what a cassette and record player was for the first time.

It was a great unit of work, enjoyed by all.

Best wishes

INSPIReducation