We Shall Overcome: Integrating Music, Art and Social Justice in the Classroom
This course explores the powerful role of music and visual art in movements for social change. Through guided listening, visual analysis, discussion, and creative reflection, participants will examine how artists and musicians have used their work to challenge injustice, amplify marginalized voices, build community, and inspire hope.
Participants will engage with protest songs, spirituals, murals, posters, paintings, photography, and contemporary multimedia works that have shaped public consciousness and fueled movements for equity. From the artistic expressions surrounding the Civil Rights Movement to present-day visual and musical responses to social issues, the course highlights how melody, imagery, symbolism, and design function as tools of activism.
Through collaborative dialogue and hands-on planning, participants will explore how integrating music and visual art can deepen student understanding of historical and contemporary justice movements. Designed for music and art educators, this course invites thoughtful conversation, critical thinking, and meaningful collaboration.
By the end of the course, participants will leave with a fully developed, classroom-ready unit plan that meaningfully integrates music, visual art, and social justice themes-complete with objectives, creative activities, visual analysis strategies, and assessment tools-allowing them to implement their learning immediately in their own educational settings.
FORMAT: Asynchronous online learning
DATES: 7/6/26-7/31/26
FACILITATOR: Sabrina LaPointe
GCRTC CONTACT: Denise Lutter, Ed.D., GCRTC Teacher Leadership Coach for Visual and Performing Arts
FEE: None. Registration is required.
CTLE HOURS: 15
REGISTRATION: https://tinyurl.com/ru7husfn