Learning about the Development of the Electric Guitar

charlotte browne
cbrowne@thayer.org
Thayer Academy – Braintree Ma

TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:

Internet

Level:

Middle School

Class:

General Music

Equipment:

computer with internet access;LCD projector

Duration:

40 Minutes

Prior Knowledge and Skills:

basic computer skills / basic knowledge of the guitar

MENC Standards Addressed:

MENC 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
MENC 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture

Materials:

computer lab with internet access; LCD projector

Objectives:

students will learn about the development of the electric guitar in rock history

Procedures:

students will go to http://www.history-of-rock.com/indx.html. Select from the left menu: ELECTRIC GUITARS. Scroll to the bottom of the page to “next page”; read about the history of the electric guitar.
Students will choose a guitar from the pictures of famous guitars and read about that guitar – how it works, the artists that used that instrument and the innovators of guitar.
Students will answer:
What was the significance of these names? : Les Paul, Leo Fender, Gibson
When was the guitar invented?
What is a “pick-up” and how does it work?
Who are some of the significant performing artists of guitar?

Evaluation:

Students will discuss with the class the guitars that they discovered and share the answers to the questions. They will demonstrate the guitar images to the class with the LCD projector.

Follow Up:

Students may bring in guitars they own to show the class. Students may bring in recordings of the artists mentioned in their research.