About
Composition of a City (COAC) is a songwriting program that uses hip hop and classical art song to empower students to share their stories through original songs.
Our virtual curriculum is available for FREE to educators. Learn more below, and fill out our form to bring this work to your classroom.
Six adapted lesson plans, serving students with a diverse range of learning needs, have been added to our materials. Thank you to WFMT (wfmt.com) for the generous partnership which has given us the opportunity to serve more students!
Teacher testimonials:
"Last year I had the privilege of teaching Composition of a City with my high school choir classes. The creative process is structured and clear for educators to replicate with ease, yet is easily adjustable to meet the individual needs of their students. Throughout the experience, I was so impressed with the availability and support offered by the creators at LYNX if any questions arose. Most importantly, the student experience, artistic process, and ultimate products the curriculum facilitated were joyful and reflections of student's humanity and growth."
-David Batdorf (Golder College Prep HS)
“My class loved creating their own original songs through Composition of a City! The video lessons were engaging and directly applicable to what we were trying to achieve. We were easily able to adjust the curriculum to accommodate our specific needs as a class. My students were well guided through learning about hip hop culture, art song, sampling, and lyric writing, which helped us produce a really incredible song. If you would like to watch our music video, go to https://youtu.be/8L0EJ8xyBvU”
-Brooks Salloum (MyCincinnati)
Composition of a City’s virtual curriculum is available for educators for FREE!
Want to bring this work to your classroom? Connect with us and let’s make it happen!
Behind-the-scenes photos of the set and shoot for Composition of a City: Digital videos:
ABOUT COMPOSITION OF A CITY: DIGITAL
LYNX’s Composition of a City is a cross-genre songwriting program where students in high school learn about hip hop and classical art song side-by-side. This program, led by Aasha Marie and Olivia Doig, connects students to diverse musical experiences as they write their own lyrics and original songs using elements of both genres.
LYNX now offers a free online curriculum available to educators worldwide, augmented with in-person experiences for those in Chicago. This digital curriculum features full lesson plans, high-quality instructional videos, and supplemental video and audio materials, and performances showcasing Chicago’s diverse artistic community. If you are an educator interested in using these resources with your students, get in touch!
Watch the trailer from our six-week pilot program, conducted in Fall 2019:
Composition of a City began in 2019 when LYNX artist and soprano Olivia Doig teamed up with hip hop artist Aasha Marie to create a cross-genre educational curriculum for high school students in Woodlawn. Read more about the program’s history below:
PROGRAM FACULTY
Olivia Doig
Aasha Marie
Aaron Gholar