Kaupapa Through Musical Choices

Overview

This is lesson 7 of 10 in Sound, Story, Identity. Students examine the kaupapa of Lorde’s “Royals” by considering its musical commentary, perspective and imagery alongside the official music video. They use specific musical and visual evidence to explain how the work reflects, reinforces or challenges popular culture.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify the kaupapa, perspective and commentary in “Royals”
• analyse how musical choices communicate ideas about popular culture and identity
• examine how framing, setting, gesture, editing and performance contribute to meaning
• write concise, evidence-based explanations linking musical and visual features to purpose

Success criteria

• I can describe a relevant musical or visual feature accurately.
• I can support my ideas with a specific example from the song or video.
• I can explain how a feature communicates an idea or viewpoint.
• I can make a supported judgement about how effectively the work communicates its kaupapa.

Curriculum links

• Demonstrate understanding of music in relation to contexts: describe significant music concepts and relevant cultural, social and historical contexts; explain relationships using examples; begin evaluating their significance.
• The Arts curriculum refresh: respond to and interpret music, considering how artists communicate ideas and perspectives through artistic choices.
• Key competencies: thinking; using language, symbols and texts; relating to others; participating and contributing.
• Understand that music can communicate identity, social commentary and belonging within Aotearoa New Zealand and wider popular culture.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Provocation and retrieval. Teacher opens the hook and learning intention slides with a still-image comparison between luxury music-video imagery and the everyday settings associated with “Royals”, then asks: “Who gets to define success in popular culture?” Students silently write one response and share a relevant idea from the previous lesson about musical identity or context.

2. 5–12 min · Revisit the kaupapa. Teacher plays a short, teacher-selected excerpt of “Royals” and briefly revisits the class’s working definition of kaupapa: the central purpose, values or issue communicated by a work. Using the song-context teaching slides, teacher models one example, such as the contrast between the sparse production and lyrics referring to wealth, status and celebrity imagery. Students identify one musical feature and one idea communicated by that feature.

3. 12–20 min · Focused video viewing. Teacher explains that students will view the official video for evidence, not simply personal reaction, and distributes the music-video evidence worksheet. Play the selected video once without stopping. On the second viewing, pause at two or three purposeful moments to draw attention to framing, setting, gesture, editing and performance. Students record brief observations, distinguishing what they see or hear from what they infer.

4. 20–30 min · Evidence analysis in pairs. Teacher displays the feature-analysis instructions and evidence prompts and assigns the six students to three pairs. Each pair selects one musical feature and one visual feature, then completes the worksheet using the structure: “The feature is…”, “This suggests…”, “This connects to the kaupapa because…”. Teacher circulates, prompting students to name precise evidence rather than retell the video. Students compare interpretations and challenge each other respectfully: “What makes you think that?”

5. 30–38 min · Share and evaluate. Teacher invites each pair to present one explanation in no more than one minute, recording key relationships on the board under “reinforces” or “challenges”. Use the discussion and evaluation slides to prompt: “Does the video strengthen the song’s commentary, complicate it, or do both?” Students listen for similarities and differences, then add one improvement or counterpoint to their worksheet response.

6. 38–45 min · Independent written response and exit check. Teacher asks students to write a 100–130 word response to: “How do musical and visual choices communicate the kaupapa of ‘Royals’?” The response must include one musical example, one visual example and a conclusion about their significance. Teacher closes with the plenary and exit-question slide. Students submit the worksheet and independently complete the sentence: “The most significant relationship between the music, video and context is… because…”

Resources

• the “Kaupa​pa Through Musical Choices” slide deck
• the music-video evidence worksheet
• Teacher-approved audio recording of “Royals”
• Teacher-approved official music video clip
• Projector, speakers and reliable playback device
• Whiteboard and markers
• Headphones or quiet viewing option if required
• Highlighters or coloured pens

Assessment

• During viewing and pair work, check whether students distinguish observation from interpretation and identify precise musical or visual evidence.
• Listen to pair explanations for a clear relationship between feature, context and kaupapa; question students who describe features without explaining their significance.
• Collect the 100–130 word response and exit sentence. Look for accurate description, evidence-based explanation and a supported judgement about how the choices communicate purpose.

Differentiation

• Provide the worksheet sentence frames, a feature word bank and a completed model for students who need writing or analytical support.
• Allow students to replay short sections, use headphones or view the video with captions where appropriate; provide the lyrics in an accessible format.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach terms such as kaupapa, perspective, commentary, framing, gesture, imagery and popular culture, and allow initial discussion before writing.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain a tension or contradiction between the song’s message and the video’s visual presentation, and to evaluate which medium communicates the kaupapa more powerfully.