This lesson was developed in the course Teaching with WebQuests, a course offered by the Teacher Education Institute.    It is aimed specifically at high school music students.  

The ideas for the WebQuest came from questions at the heart of music education today: Is music essential in our culture, or is it a luxury?  Does music reflect culture or shape it? What makes music emotional?  What is the connection between our current music making and that of past generations?  How does technology influence the realm of music?  What defines good music?

In this WebQuest, students are led to grapple with these questions in the form of a debate.  They will study the forces which shaped their favorite music styles, and then take on the persona of a famous American musician to debate the question, "Who has the most control over our music:  the composer, the performer, or the consumer (the audience which listens to or purchases the music)?"