Tag Archives: music

Amy Beach

Posted on March 18, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Amy Beach originally Amy Marcy Cheney known as Mrs, H.H.A. Beach: (1867-1944) U.S. composer and pianist. Born in Henniker, New Hampshire, to a distinguished family, she was a precociously brilliant and mostly self-taught musician, and she performed as soloist with major orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. As a composer, she was devoted to German romanticism rather than American themes or sources. Her best-loved works were her songs. Her Gaelic Symphony (1894) was the first symphony written by an American woman. Other works include a piano concerto (1899), the choral pieces The Chambered Nautilus (1907) and Canticle of the Sun (1928), the opera Cabildo (1932), and a piano quintet.”

­­­­­­Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

Leave a comment

Posted in Quotes, Reference

Tagged , ,

The Weekly Text, 20 March 2026, Women’s History Month Week III: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Madonna

Posted on March 18, 2026 | Leave a comment

For a variety of reasons I have resisted posting, especially during Women’s History Month, this reading on Madonna and its vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. Why? I don’t know: maybe simple sexism? There is something about her that has always annoyed me. Maybe her apparent vanity? Maybe her ubiquity over a long span of time?

The fact remains that during the early 1990s, when I was an undergraduate at Hampshire College, a number of critics and scholars touted Madonna as a feminist icon. That’s not what I see when I look at her, but what do I know? In any case, Madonna at this point is unarguably a part of women’s history (however we all feel about that).

Does anyone still pay attention to her? On the chance that she still has an audience, I have tagged this as a high-interest item.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, New York City, Social Sciences, The Weekly Text, Worksheets

Tagged , , , , ,

Alice Childress

Posted on March 6, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Alice Childress: (1916-1994) U.S. playwright, novelist, and actress. She grew up in Harlem and studied drama with the American Negro Theater, where she wrote, directed, and starred in her first play, Florence (produced 1949). Her other plays, some featuring music, include Trouble in Mind (produced 1955), String (1969), The African Garden (1971), and Gullah (1984). She was also a successful writer of children’s books, including A Hero Ain’t Nothing But a Sandwich (1973).”

­­­­­­­­­Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, New York City, Quotes, Reference

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Cultural Literacy: We Shall Overcome

Posted on February 27, 2026 | Leave a comment

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the song “We Shall Overcome.” This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two sentences and two comprehension question. A spare, but necessary, introduction to this “…best-known song of the civil rights movement.”

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice

Tagged , , , , ,

Cultural Literacy: Spirituals

Posted on February 27, 2026 | Leave a comment

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on spirituals. This is a half-page document with a reading of three sentences and five comprehension questions. The reading is straightforward, and even the longish third and final sentence is simply a list of famous spirituals that shouldn’t cause a reader at any level much trouble.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , , , , ,

Frederick Douglass on Slave Songs

Posted on February 13, 2026 | Leave a comment

“[Of slave songs:] Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains.”

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass ch. 2 (1845)

Excerpted from: Schapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference

Tagged , ,

Cultural Literacy: Chuck Berry

Posted on February 13, 2026 | Leave a comment

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Chuck Berry. This is a half-page worksheet with a one-sentence reading and two comprehension questions. The sparest of introductions to this musical innovator, but one nonetheless that notes his influence on The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged , , , , ,

Wayne Shorter

Posted on February 13, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Wayne Shorter: (1933-2023) U.S. saxophonist and composer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he studied at New York University, He played with Art Blakey’s group 1959-64, acting as its musical director, then joined Miles Davis’s remarkable mid-1960s group, including Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. In 1970, he and Joe Zawinul formed Weather Report, the most significant jazz-rock ‘fusion’ band of the 1970s, with bassist Jaco Pastorius. He has written many distinctive jazz standards.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Quotes

Tagged , , ,

Teddy Wilson

Posted on February 6, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Teddy Wilson (originally Theodore Shaw) (1912-1986) U.S. pianist and bandleader, the principal pianist of the swing era. Born in Austin, Texas, he began recording as the leader of small groups in 1935. These recordings, which featured Billie Holiday, are classics of small-group swing. Wilson joined Benny Goodman’s trio in 1936. After 1940 he worked primarily as a leader of small groups or as a solo pianist, showcasing his tasteful and refined amalgam of the styles of Fats Waller, Earl Hines, and Art Tatum.”

Excerpted from: Macey, David. The Penguin Dictionary of Critical Theory. New York: Penguin, 2001.

Leave a comment

Posted in Independent Practice, Quotes, Reference

Tagged , , ,

Cultural Literacy: Scott Joplin

Posted on February 6, 2026 | Leave a comment

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Scott Joplin. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two relatively simple sentences and two comprehension questions. Just the basics on this innovative and groundbreaking African American pianist and composer.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged , , , ,