Lesson: The Future of Concerts?

Ask the class: Have you been to a live concert? What was it like? Ask students to share details about how the experience activated their senses, including sight, hearing, smell, and touch (e.g., feeling vibrations). Then ask if any students attended a virtual concert during the coronavirus pandemic. What was it like? How did the experience compare with a live concert?

Read the prereading question aloud: Think about the different ways that technology can be used to bring concerts to life online. Have students read the article independently. As they read, ask them to take notes about each technology and explain its function in a virtual performance. After they have finished, discuss their responses. Based on what they have read, ask students if they would attend a virtual concert. Discuss their opinions. (You can submit the class’s answers in the article’s poll at the end of the online scrollable article.)

Share the “Enter the Virtual World” skills sheet with students. Examine the diagram together. Have students complete the questions and discuss their answers.

Read the post-reading question: Do you think virtual concerts will someday become as commonplace as traditional ones in the future? Support your argument with evidence from the text. Distribute the “What Do You Think?” skills sheet. Have students work together or synchronously in small groups to discuss the evidence related to the question. Then have students work independently to support their claim in writing.

As a class, watch some clips of virtual concerts on YouTube. Try to find school-appropriate examples of livestreams, digital avatars, and motion-capture avatars. Discuss what made the concerts engaging and what technology they used. Distribute the “Create Your Dream Concert” graphic organizer. Have students plan their concert designs and then share in small groups.

⇨ TAKE OUR POLL: Take a poll about whether you would attend a virtual concert.