Assemble information about striving for one's best.
Assemble information about how music is used in a variety of positive ways to help people
personally overcome negative emotions, nurture positive emotions and engage full mental and
physical capacity.
Assemble several examples of music used in positive ways to calm people, to excite people,
to soothe people, etc.
TV, VCR, CD player, magazines and newspapers from home and school.
Selected music recordings
Web site Resources (See Further Research section below.)
References (See Further Research section below.)
Explain the following:
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The average K-12 Utah student experiences over 4 hours of television, VCR, movies, radio, CD's,
or the Internet a day! What we put into our hearts and minds has a powerful impact on our
ability to be our best, to do something heroic. Many adults and students use music to build
their inner strength; it is a "secret weapon" in overcoming fear (and other negative emotions),
and in getting the mind in gear for a maximal performance. The genius of those who make great
contributions to our word comes from the ability to use emotions productively. This activity
is an expedition to discover the music that speaks to you to prepare yourself to be and do your
best.
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Read information about the Olympic Games.
Discuss how the Olympic Games have a set of values that range from friendship, fair competition,
commitment and honor, to other life skills such as self-discipline, good manners, cooperation and
respect.
Ask students to identify community heroes that embody these real Olympic values. They could be
your friends, your family, or people that you know. What makes them special? How do they do what
they do?
Find 2 examples of heroic people who strive for their best self. Bring them to class on
videotape, CD, cassette, or cut them out of magazines.
Discuss examples: What is it that makes this person a real hero? How does this person strive for
personal best? What effect does this person have on you?
Choose someone whom you consider a hero in your life and who uses music to help be their best self.
List a few of the heroic characteristics of that person (these can be quite simple: patience,
kindness, truthfulness, etc.)
Interview the selected person to learn what music they like to listen to and why.
Encourage students to identify pieces of music that speak to them and build characteristics of the
hero.
Ask students to share and explain why they made the selections.
Activity 2: Understanding Heroism
Bring several examples of heroic people who strive for their best self. Bring them to class on
videotape, CD, cassette, or cut them out of magazines.
Discuss examples: What is it that makes this person a real hero? How does this person strive for
personal best? What effect does this person have on you?
Students will:
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Describe the attributes of the pieces of music on your list and why you chose them
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Describe how you use this music to build within yourself the mind and will of a person striving for one's best self
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Extensions
Examine the concept of personal heroism by listing a number of behaviors that can be done to
encourage the best self. Begin a list of behaviors and pieces of music and add to it over an
entire semester and year.
Expand your interest in how music is used by people to improve their performance by starting a
collection of stories about this from newspapers, magazines, etc.
Extend student interest in heroes and Olympic values by creating a Webquest for the
Internet to help others create art, music, dance, film, or drama that communicates and/or builds
Olympic values. A webquest can be submitted to your school website. Instructions on
what a Webquest is and how one is created can be found at:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/
and
http://www.kiko.com/wqst/index.jsp
Further Research
Instructors may want to preview these web sites carefully.
Other Resources
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Reader's Digest monthly feature on heroes
Heroes-curriculum guide. This excellent resource emphasizes heroes and their attributes.
Teacher Created Materials P.O. Box 1040; Huntington Beach, CA 92647; (800) 662-4321
House of Girls - video. High school-level material. Four teenage girls produce insightful
videos. Marisa's piece analyzes the popular vision of beauty; Alow's piece emphasizes the
importance of positive women role models in the media; Maya's piece is a journey to meet a
woman she admires, Maya Angelou. Distributed by Independent Television Service; 190 Fifth
Street East, Suite 200; St. Paul, MN 55101; (612) 225-9035
Hurray for Heroes-Teacher Resource Book. "Kids '94 Compilation Tape" - video.
Video shorts produced by kids:
700 Series: Heroes;
1300 Series: Inventors;
1400 Series: Role Models.
Distributed by Independent Television Service; 190 Fifth Street East, Suite 200; St.
Paul, MN 55101; (612) 225-9035
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