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A Wired story, reporting on the ‘civil war’ that has kicked off as a result of the release of the biopic about Michael Jackson, pitting truth against audience size.

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TRUTH VERSUS ACCOUNTABILITY | TOK mini-lesson

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A Guardian story, looking at how a once-banned music rhythm is now a ubiquitous sound on the streets and squares of Uruguay.

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A BBC story, assessing whether pop art icon Keith Haring has been santitised by the huge range of merchandise available based on his work.

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A Sky News story, reporting the popularity of the AI influencer ‘Chloe vs. history’, and why her rise is worrying Hollywood.

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THE DEATH OF HOLLYWOOD | TOK mini-lesson

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A BBC story, looking at how - according to Spotify - pop music's bias towards English is fading, as other languages such as Spanish, Korean, and Arabic emerge in the industry.

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A Conversation story, examining how the character of Dracula has evolved over time, culminated in Luc Besson’s latest film, presenting him as a ‘red hot lover’.

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An Independent story, offering a very negative review of the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, prompting questions about the responsibilities of filmmakers.

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A Reuters story, looking at the impact of Bad Bunny’s halftime Superbowl show, and how it “offers a cultural lifeline to a besieged Hispanic community.”

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An Al Jazeera story, reporting on Arundhati Roy’s decision to quit the Berlin Film Festival in protest against Wim Wenders’ assertion that artists shouldn’t be political.

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“ALL GOOD ART IS POLITICAL” | TOK mini-lesson

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A BBC story, tracking the way critical assessment of the British artist Beryl Cook has developed over time, and what this says about artistic appreciation.

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EVOLVING ARTISTIC TASTES | TOK mini-lesson

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A Conversation story, exploring whether the ‘mad artistic genius’ trope stands up to scientific scrutiny, or whether it is a false assumption.

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A New Statesman story, featuring dancer Jasmin Vardimon, who talks about bodies as  “tools of expression to communicate thoughts”.

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A Guardian story, in which music journalist Tom Service explains how he has told the history of the world via 50 pieces of music.

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ODE TO JOY, ODE TO HATE | TOK mini-lesson

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rA Conversation story, analyzing the “marketing genius” of Spotify Unwrapped, the yearly round-up of users’ music habits.

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CONNECTION & INDIVIDUALITY | TOK mini-lesson

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A BBC story, looking at a Levi’s advert from 1985 that was one of the first to upend the traditional principle of male gazes on female bodies.

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UPENDING THE MALE GAZE  | TOK mini-lesson

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A Guardian story, which reports on Robin Williams’s daughter, Zelda, requesting fans stop generating AI videos of her father.

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OVER-PROCESSED HOTDOGS | TOK mini-lesson

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A Guardian story, which discusses whether AI is helping composers to create new music, or if it’s about to put them all out of business.

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A Guardian story, looking at how the arrival on the scene of ‘AI actor’ Tilly Norwood is being condemned by members of the film industry.

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A BBC story, investigating the new band The Velvet Sundown, which may (or not) be totally AI-fabricated.

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A mini-lesson based on a Guardian article, reporting on the news that a new ‘historically accurate’ digital replica of Auschwitz will allow films to be set there, breaking the taboo that currently exists.

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A mini-lesson based on an Art Newspaper article, looking at a new work by Banksy, on display in a location in Marseilles, and trying to interpret its message and meaning.

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OUTSPOKEN OR PERSONAL? | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a copy of a letter by artists published in Tribune, arguing that the Irish rap band Kneecap are being persecuted and deplatformed by the authorities.

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A mini-lesson based on lovely little Big Think article, exploring the concept of ‘cosmic realism’ - small-scale stories that express universal themes - and how they are the secret to great works of literature.

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ANIMATING THE ABSTRACT | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a Big Think video with David Eagleman, in which he argues that the first step in understanding the world is understanding the way your brain works.

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INGROUPS AND OUTGROUPS | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a Guardian article, examining the science of intuition, in an attempt to explain the role it plays in helping us know about the world.

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MAKING SENSE OF INTUITION | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a BBC article, reporting on how two actors put on a virtual production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet inside the computer game, Grand Theft Auto.

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HAMLET WITH FLAMETHROWERS | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a Reuters photo-essay tracing the way outfits at the Met Gala have become more ostentatious, why this is, and what it tells us about wider society.

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A mini-lesson based on a Big Think interview with Claire Dederer, which discusses the age-old question of art vs. artist, and why the goalposts have moved in the online age.

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AN AESTHETICO- ETHICAL DANCE | TOK mini-lesson

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A TOK mini-lesson based on an FT essay by Simon Schama, which discusses how writers and artists have led the way in the fight for human rights.

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THE BATTLE BETWEEN TRUTH & LIES | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a Vox article, exploring the relationship between political campaigns and music, and why artists are so sensitive about their work being used without permission.

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A mini-lesson based on a Conversation article, which looks at recent research suggesting that listening to music not only triggers memories – it might even change how you remember them.

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A mini-lesson based on a Guardian article, looking at how a team of artists and scientists has ‘resurrected’ composer Alvin Lucier, enabling him to continue creating music, despite having died in 2021.

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ART FIRST, AND SCIENCE SECOND | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on an Independent article, reporting on calls by former contestants, and some media outlets, to ban Israel from taking part in Eurovision 2025 due to events in Gaza.

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MUSIC VERSUS GEOPOLITICS | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on an ARTnews article, looking at the forthcoming sale of Wu-Tang Clan’s album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, of which only one CD exists.

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A mini-lesson based on a Conversation article, looking at the ‘genius’ of Beyonce’s new album, Cowboy Carter, which it says is based on the way it defies and challenges our perception of musical  genres.

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A mini-lesson based on a Guardian article, looking at how rap music has changed the way young people throughout the UK use language.

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A BIG WAVE | TOK mini-lesson & knowledge journey

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A mini-lesson based on a Conversation article, examining why it’s hard for people to feel like they have ownership of digital music.

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ART & OWNERSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE | TOK mini-lesson & knowledge journey

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A mini-lesson based on an NPR article, looking at the decision by the Chechnya government to ban all music that isn’t between 80 and 116 beats per minute.

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THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT | TOK mini-lesson & knowledge journey

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A mini-lesson based on a 9-minute Big Think video, which discusses how our innate musical abilities (and limitations) define us as a species.

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A mini-lesson based on a Conversation article, in which a professor of literature argues that Taylor Swift should be taught alongside Shakespeare.

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AVOIDING REDUCTIVE ASSERTIONS | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a FT article, arguing that art can help us overcome division and conflict by helping us to focus on what we all have in common.

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A mini-lesson based on a Wired article, looking at the viability - and the value - of preserving 3 million vinyl records in the age of digital streaming.

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A mini-lesson based on an NPR article, looking at how social media algorithms 'flatten' culture by making decisions for us.

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MACHINE-GUIDED CURATION | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based on a Conversation article and video, exploring the line between real and digital ‘live’ music performances via an exploration of Abba’s ‘Voyager’.

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CO-PRESENT & IMMEDIATE | TOK mini-lesson

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A mini-lesson based a Conversation article and video, exploring how the rap sub-genre of dip hop is changing what it means for music to be heard.

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A mini-lesson based on an ABC video, looking at how new music by the Beatles is being produced via the use of AI.

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The UP padlets offer students a wide selection of mini-lessons and other resources that explore and unpack the latest issues and events related to the performing arts, enabling students to link learning to the real-world, develop a more critical eye, and demonstrate their interest in the subject.

The advice on the final slide of the presentation provides specific advice on how the story will help to deepen their knowledge, introduce them to key thinkers, and relate to wider issues going on in the world.

Choose which version of the mini-lesson you want, depending on the programme you're following. IB students can use the TOK mini-lesson; other students should follow the link on the second slide of the presentation, to take them to the non-IB Diploma version.

Check back regularly, because we add new mini-lessons every month