1. The teacher will begin by asking the class to define the term music. Students will jot down ideas related to their own definition. (Examples may include rhythm, melody, or sounds for expression). 
2. Next, the teacher will ask students, one at a time, to share their answers to the above question with the class. The instructor will write down parts of each contribution on the whiteboard. After taking down notes from the definitions of several students, the instructor can begin to sketch a collective definition of music created entirely by the class. 

Notes for Instructor:

Among ethnomusicologists, or scholars dedicated to the study of music in and/or as culture, the best-known definition of music comes from the British scholar John Blacking. In How Musical is Man? (1973), Blacking refers to music as “humanly organized sound” for the purpose of expression. This definition is broad by design in order to account for countless sounds and forms of organization. Today, a number of music scholars are exploring the sounds and expressions of non-human species, including birds and whales. Later in this lesson we will be contemplating what it would mean for our definition of music to extend beyond humanity. 

3. The teacher will ask the class about the links between music and social bonding. Students will answer the questions below in writing.

   • What are some ways that music can bring us closer to those around us, including family and friends? (Examples may include attending concerts, listening to music together, sharing a song, or singing together).

   • Describe a time that singing music together with others brought you closer to a friend, family member, or community group. For example, have you ever sung in a large group, like a choir? Perhaps you have sung in unison with others at a place of worship, such as a mosque, temple, or church.

     • How did you feel at that moment? 

     • How was singing particularly useful for bringing you together?

4. Next, the teacher will ask students to share their answers to the above questions with the class.

Notes for Instructor

In the last decade, research has revealed that collective singing results in synchronized breathing and heart rates among participants. (See, for example, an article from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/07/09/200390454/when-choirs-sing-many-hearts-beat-as-one) This form of singing also increases oxytocin levels, which is associated with social bonding. 

In the volume Keeping Together in Time (1995), historian William H. McNeill introduces the concept of “muscular bonding” to describe the feelings of joy created by prolonged, simultaneous, and collective muscular movement. According to McNeill, movement in unison allows individuals to immerse themselves in a flow that contributes to the apparent disintegration of boundaries separating each individual from the group. In this way, “muscular bonding” is useful as a tool for boosting morale and for the physical and spiritual unification between community members.

For all of these reasons, collective musical performance provides human beings with advantages for survival.

5. Next, the instructor will ask students how music can aid in human survival. (Examples may include lifting morale in times of desperation, uniting groups of people. Work songs that allow people to synchronize their movements, whether to chop wood or propel a boat forward, could also be seen as aiding in survival. After all, when working with sharp tools, it is very important to avoid any mistakes. A recorded example of a work song by Pete Seeger (from 1960), entitled “Wood-Chopping Song”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI_2pPA3e7o) 
6. The teacher will play a video (10 minutes and 16 seconds) that presents a summary of Daran Kravanh’s experience surviving the Cambodian genocide, including how playing music helped save his life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6LJoYgloEQ. 
7. The teacher will guide students to write reflective answers to the following questions and prompts, following the video:
   • Daran and other people were forced to find ways to survive in a forest for eight months. He was able to accomplish this by connecting deeply with the natural world around him. He says, “When you sleep on the ground, you put your ear on the ground, you hear there[’s] all kinds of music, the sounds. The sounds [of] ants talk[ing] to each other, the way they talk – small, low, high voices. That’s music–orchestral.”
     • In what ways could the sounds of nature be considered musical? 
     • How would you listen to nature differently than you listen to music in your daily life?
   • Why do you think the Khmer Rouge soldier gave Daran the accordion?
   • How did Daran’s accordion playing impact the people around him? 
     • Why do you think that it impacted them in those ways? 
     • Explain how music aided in Daran’s survival and the well-being of those around him.
   • At the 7:18 mark in the video Daran says, “In the Khmer Rouge time, we [didn’t] have any music.”
     • What do you think the absence of music during this period represents?
   • We often think of music as a form of entertainment, but how does/can music bring us closer to those around us? 
     • How can it be used to strengthen bonds/relationships between our family, friends, and wider communities?
   • In the video, Daran declares, “I believe that music can change society.”
     • What do you think he means by this?
     • How could music be used to improve our society today?
   • At the end of the video, author Bree Lafreniere explains how Daran remarked that nobody wanted to hear his stories because they were so disturbing.
     • Why is it important to relate Daran’s story, and the stories of others who lived through this horrible period in Cambodia’s history? 
     • Why is it important to remember these traumatic events and experiences, as terrible as they are?
     • How can these accounts be used to advance compassion and understanding in the world?

8. Assessment - Students will complete a two-part reflection. This reflection can be done as a written assignment, a video reflection, or a verbal discussion with groups.

   • Prompt 1: How has musical performance served to reinforce social bonds, particularly in times of adversity and tragedy within the Cambodian community? 

   • Prompt 2: Reflect on a specific song that holds significant value in your life, and reflects a time of adversity. How has this song supported your adversity?