Philanthropy & The Arts

Grades 7 & 8 

2 Class Periods

Program Segments

• Introduction (approximately 5 minutes)
• A Legacy for the Future (approximately 5 minutes)
• Kleinhans for the Community (approximately 9 minutes)
• A Hall Where You Belong (approximately 4 minutes)

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Identify the world and local events that contributed to the economic boom and rise of industry during the early 1900s
• Understand the effects of the economic boom and how the environment impacted philanthropy and shaped the Buffalo community
• Recognize the impact of Kleinhans Music Hall on arts and culture in Buffalo throughout history and to this day

Instructional Resources

• Kleinhans’ Gift to Buffalo
• Paper
• Pen/Pencil
• Kleinhans Music Hall Worksheet

Procedures

CLASS PERIOD 1

1. Prior to viewing the video segments, the teacher will explain that Kleinhans’ Gift to Buffalo tells the story of Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, NY. The teacher will ask the Focus Questions:
   • Why was the music hall created in 1939?
   • What else was going on in Buffalo and the nation as a whole during that time?
   • What is the role of Kleinhans Music Hall in the community today?
2. The Teacher will distribute the Kleinhans Music Hall Worksheet. Students will watch the video segments and take notes on the worksheet.

CLASS PERIOD 2

1. The teacher will remind the students of the video segments from Kleinhans’ Gift to Buffalo that they watched the class before.
2. The students will be given time to complete the Kleinhans Music Hall Worksheets. If they don’t recall some of the information, fellow students or the teacher can help with the answers.
3. The teacher will then ask the same Focus Questions from before viewing the videos segments:
   1. Why was the music hall created in 1939?
   2. What else was going on in Buffalo and the nation as a whole during that time?
   3. What is the role of Kleinhans in the community today?
4. As part of the class discussion, these topics should be included:
   1. Features in the city of Buffalo that contributed to its rise during the early 1900s
   2. The Pan American Exposition
   3. The population and subsequent economic boom of the early 1900s
   4. The impact of a music hall on community life

Assessment Task(s) 

• Students will participate in a class discussion and turn in a completed Kleinhans Music Hall Worksheet.

Adaptations for Grades 9-12 

• Students could write an essay or letter of support on the importance of Kleinhans Music Hall and how the building serves multiple purposes within the Western New York community.
• Students could write an essay about using their own funds to support an existing organization or building, or create a new one, and explain how their philanthropy would have a positive impact on the surrounding community.

Extension Activities (optional) 

Students can read through the Kleinhans Music Hall memories (on the Buffalo Toronto Public Media website: https://www.wned.org/television/wned-productions/kleinhans-gift-to-buffalo/kleinhans-memories/) and share their own experiences (if applicable) of visiting Kleinhans Music Hall.