Unit Guide

Rites of Passage and The Lion King

Cecilia Hann

In my unit, Rites of Passage and The Lion King, fifth grade students will focus on five guiding questions: How do performers interpret musical works? How do individuals choose music to experience various rites of passage? How do we discern the musical creators and performers expressive intent? How do musicians make meaningful connections to creating, performing and responding? How do the other arts, disciplines, contexts and daily life influence our lives? Following the Delaware Music Standards and the Delaware Science Standards, students are introduced to appropriate rites of passage and the music of The Lion King. Rites of Passage and The Lion King, introduces students to the rites of passage of beginnings, coming of age, separation, graduation, marriage and death. Then they explore these rites as seen in the Lion King and its music. They discuss and perform the score of The Lion King using instruments, pantomime, tableau and word games. After reading and discussing The Lion King, my students begin to see how the rites of passage influence their lives, their friends and their family. They can relate this music to not only literature but to anthropology through the rites of passage.