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Hadestown: The Musical, the Myth, the Legend. Let's Do a Deep Dive Study!

In this 8 week course, learners will take an art critical look at the myth behind the musical and analyze the artistic choices that the writers made.
Cristi M
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:
(95)
Class
Play

What's included

8 live meetings
8 in-class hours
Assessment
The learner will be assessed through their participation and ideas they share during class or through the classroom board.

Class Experience

US Grade 9 - 12
What will be taught?  What topics will we cover?
We will explore the musical Hadestown and the mythology behind it.  We will compare the myth to the play.  We will discuss the plot, character development, and how the creators use music to show this.  We'll interpret the meaning and artistic choices of the show's creators and dive into some art criticism by determining how effective those choices were and justifying that opinion.  Greek myths were used to teach a lesson.  What lesson ultimately is this new take on an old myth supposed to teach us?

How is the class structured?  How will it be taught?
At the beginning of each class, I like to check with learners to see if they have any additional thoughts or anything to add regarding what we went over the previous week.  Because there are 40 songs on the cast recording, we will look at approximately five songs in each class.  We will then look at the new material and discuss the songs for the week and learners will be encouraged to give their thoughts and opinions on the artistic choices made and compare what they hear to what they know about the myth.  We will use Kahoot! activities to springboard our discussion of the play and the myth.  We will wrap up the class by reviewing what we learned, getting learner opinions on what we discussed, and preview what we will do in the next class.  In between classes, I will provide learners with supplemental material to enhance their understanding, but is not required to participate.

Week 1:
We will introduce Greek mythology, specifically the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and discuss what learners already know about the story.  We will discuss the characters that are introduced and how that is done musically.  We will discuss the plot as it relates to the first five songs and how it relates to the development of the characters.

Week 2:
We will continue to follow the plot and character development.  We will compare the relationship of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone.  We will follow the plot development and look at songs 6-10.

Week 3:
We will analyze and interpret what happens in songs 11-15.  What changes are the characters going through?  How are their choices affecting the plot of the story?  How is the music conveying this?

Week 4:
This will finish out Act 1.  We will look at songs 16-19.  Why did the creators choose to end the first act where they did?  Do you see any modern comparisons with what is happening?  

Week 5:  
We will start Act 2 with songs 20-25.  What changes have the characters gone through since the start?  Has anything unexpected happened?  Did any character act in a way that seemed odd for them?

Week 6:
We will look at songs 26-30.  What is the conflict that is being set up?  Is there any way for this conflict to end on a positive note for anyone?  If so, how?

Week 7:
We will look at songs 31-35.  What choices did the various characters make?  How have their relationships changed?  Would you have made the same choices?

Week 8:
We will finish with songs 36-40.  How does the play end?  Is it different than the myth?  Were you expecting it?  What lesson do you think we were to take away from it?  Does it feel like the story has come full circle?  How effective do you think that the creators were at conveying this lesson?

What is my teaching style?  How will learners get to interact?
I teach through discussion and open-ended questions.  We will also use Kahoot! to quickly poll opinions and share ideas in a fun way.  I encourage learners to share their thoughts on what we're learning and discuss them with each other.  I also encourage learners to make use of the classroom board to share ideas that come to mind in between classes so we can address them.  Learners will interact with me and each other through classroom discussion and Kahoot! interactive games and polls.

Any required experience or knowledge learners need?
Learners will want to be familiar with the music of Hadestown.  Some background knowledge of Greek mythology is helpful, but not required.
As a note, I am happy to teach to single learners and I do not cancel due to low enrollment.
Learning Goals
The learner will develop their own interpretation and appreciation of Hadestown through studying its correlation with myth and analyzing artistic choices made.
learning goal

Syllabus

8 Lessons
over 8 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Introduction to Greek Mythology
 We will have an introduction to Greek mythology and the history behind this myth.  We will introduce the characters and analyze the first 5 songs. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Continued Plot and Character Development
 This week we will continue to look at the plot and character development in songs 6-10. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Analysis of Songs 11-15
 We will continue to analyze the elements of the show in songs 11-15. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Analysis of songs 16-19
 We will finish Act 1 of the show by analyzing the elements of songs 16-19. 
60 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Parental Guidance
Parents should be aware that the story of Orpheus and Eurydice as well as the music from Hadestown may contain mature themes and language.
Supply List
-  Students will need their own copy of Hadestown: The Musical (available on both iTunes and Amazon)
-  Students may want to have their own copy of the myth.  "Orpheus and Eurydice" by Edward Eaton is a good version of the myth that is still written in verse, but the language has been updated.
-We will be using Kahoot!, so it's helpful for learners to have access to their own phone or another device to participate with it during class.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
  • Kahoot!
Joined March, 2020
4.7
95reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Virginia Teaching Certificate in Science
Virginia Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts
Master's Degree in Education from Hollins University
I am a certified K-12 art teacher.  I have taught art criticism at a variety of grade levels and have applied those skills to musical theater.  The theater is one of my passions!

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$14

weekly or $110 for 8 classes
1x per week, 8 weeks
60 min

Completed by 3 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
1-8 learners per class

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