Abstract
This curriculum project explores how a study of protest music and songwriting can deepen choir students’ musical understanding by engaging them in all four artistic processes—creating, performing, responding, and connecting—while also empowering them to become civically engaged members of their communities. Grounded in the educational theories of social constructivism and critical pedagogy, the project emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and the social context of music, drawing on practices from the Orff Schulwerk, World Music Pedagogy, and Expeditionary Learning approaches. The four-phase design includes improvisation and arranging activities, protest song case studies, songwriting lessons, and the rehearsal and performance of students’ original compositions at a public event. The project aims to deepen learners’ understanding of melody, texture, and the craft of lyric writing while promoting divergent thinking, collaboration, and student agency.