Post for June 28th - Thematic Compilation: Revolution

The following songs are songs about change - about revolution. I choose to look at this theme in popular music because we live in a time now where we have been promised change and awaiting the revolution. I feel these songs remind us the idealism of revolution, and ultimately its reality.

First, I will start with a very obvious one: The Beatles - "Revolution"



A few lines from the lyrics:

"You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world."

"But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out"

"Don't you know it's gonna be all right"

I feel this song is talking about how leaders have gone back on their word by not fully supporting or following through with what they advocate for.

Second, I'd like to look at Gill Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not be Televised" (a personal favorite of mine. Note: the video is a memorial to Che Guevara)



A few lyrics:

"You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out."

"The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions."

"The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live."


This song is talking about how you need to be a part of a revolution in order for it to happen. Also, it is talking about the reality of revolution, that it's not a fad, it won't make you sexy, and it's not something to be entertained by. The revolution is something to be a part of and fight for.

Next, I'd like to look at Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back" (Audio Only)



A few lyrics:

"In the right light, study becomes insight
But the system that dissed us
Teaches us to read and right"

"Holes in our spirit causin' tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I'm inferior? Who's inferior?"

"We gotta take the power back"

"No more lies"

This song discusses the issues as to why there needs to be change - all power is institutionalized.

Last, I want to take a look at Tracy Chapman's "Talkin About a Revoluion" (audio and slide show)



Some lines from the song:

"Don't you know
They're talkin' about a revolution
It's sounds like a whisper"

"Wasting time in the unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion"

"And finally the tables are starting to turn
Talkin'about revolution"

This song discusses how the talk of revolution is just that, talk. In order for a revolution to happen, people need to be active and a part of the revolution. Instead, this song says people just wait around.

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These songs all clearly talk about change. They remind us that in order for change to happen, we must be a part of it. Waiting around for something to happen, for the TV to tell you what to do, or relying on those in power to change things will only allow revolution to be a discussion and not an event. Change is something people want, but in order for the change to happen it has to be made. I think these songs remind us of that, but again they only continue the conversation about revolution. In order for change to happen we must take that inspiration from these songs and do something about it. Music won't make change; people make change.

Post for June 25th - Two More Activities

Here are a couple more activities that use popular culture in an English classroom. These activities were designed ideally for a high school classroom, but I feel the ideas can be easily adapted for other grade levels, and subjects.

Activity #1 - Using Popular Music and Popular Culture to Explore Perspective

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is for students to look and consider different perspectives on an issue or historical event that is presented in a literary text. For this activity, I have used the novel The Things They Carried.

Preparations: Before implementing this activity, the teacher should gather a variety of news clips, music, articles, radio broadcasts, and film that pertains to the Vietnam War. Ideally, all the resources gathered should provide different opinions and viewpoints on the events of the war. These resources could also be gathered by way of student research depending on the time available for this activity.

Procedures:

• Students will watch, listen to, and analyze these different resources and viewpoints on the war.
  
• After viewing and listening to each resource, students will discuss and analyze what viewpoint the song, broadcast, or film clip presents. (An alternative to this would be students being assigned a specific song, news clip, radio broadcast, or film to watch, analyze, and present to the class)
• With this, the students will learn about the war (the events and situation), gain insight to the tension the war created, and learn about the different viewpoints surrounding the events of the war.
• Ideally, the above is done prior to reading The Things They Carried so students can pull from the knowledge they gained from the media research to better understand the messaged presented in the book.
• After or during the reading the book, students will discuss the perspective the text makes on the war and which media resources it most closely relates to.
• This activity may conclude with students creating a sort of media that takes a perspective on the War in Iraq similar to how the Vietnam Era media. Or students could write a paper that discusses perspective taking in the novel and its relation to the various perspectives on the war from the media.
  

I have put many possible variations into this activity, but I think many more could be made. This activity allows students to think critically about a text and the media at the same time, making it a very useful tool in the classroom.

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Activity #2 - Text Speak

Purpose: Text messaging is a huge part of youth culture. In text messaging, people generally use fragmented speech in order to make the sending and reading of text messages faster, resulting in the development of a different use of language. This text speak often appears in student writing causing much concern on what is appropriate or standard English writing. This activitiy helps students to understand the different types of Englishes spoken in their lives, when each is appropriate, and how to switch between the two. This activity was inspired by the article "Flipping the Switch: Code-Switching from Text Speak to Standard English" (Turner, 2009).

Procedures:

• Ask students different settings and individuals in which they communicate. Write these on the board. Such examples may be: school, work, internet, or home, and parents, teachers, siblings, or friends.
• With this list, as a class select a few situations of communication: text messaging with a friend, at home with a parent, tweeting on Twitter, at a job interview with a potential boss, at school with the school nurse, or in the classroom with the teacher.
• Along with the class, create a sentence that may be used in all of these situations, such as: "Hello. How are you today?"
• As a class, "translate" this sentence to fit each category. For example, while hanging out with a friend a students may say "Hey. What's up?", where as in a text message it may be "Hi. How r u?", or at home "Hi Mom/Dad! How was your day?". Then discuss how language is used differently in each situation.
• Next, discuss what assumptions a person may have if use text messaging language in a job interview, or if you use the type of language you use when talking to your baby brother in class.
  
• In small groups, students will practice this same activity. Choose a sentence that may be used in each situation, and translate it for 5 different social situations.
• Groups will share their senteces, and after a sentence is shared, the teacher will call out a different social situation for the class to translate the sentence into.
  
• Finally, as a class discuss when it is approprate to use these differet types of speak. Should you use texting language on any classwork? Why or why not? Why do we talk differently when interviewing for a job than we do in a classroom? Why do you talk differently around your parents than your friends? Then discuss how these types of speech cross over, and if some types of speech are innaproriate in different situations.
• A final activity could also be students reflecting on their own use and cross over of these different types of languages and what kind of effect that may have on their classwork, the way people understand them, etc.

This activity allows students to recognize that the type of lanugage they use in their culutre (text messaging, slang, etc.) is a valid form of language, but it also asks them to think about what language is apporpirate in certain situations. This brings in a part of the students' culture (text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, etc) and allows students to recognize the vailidity in their communcation, but also that there are certian expectations in different situations.

Turner, K. (2009) Flipping the switch: code-switching from text speak to standard English. English Journal. 98(5), 60-65

Post for June 21st - Activities Utilizing Popular Music

Rationale for the below activities:

The first activity utilizes popular music as a way to get students anticipating a text, and accustomed to some themes, ideas, or issues that are important in the text. Bringing in music seems to always spark interest in students. With this assignment, students get to choose from their personal collection of music. This allows students to make a preemptive personal connection to the text. This activity would be very useful with a challenging text as students would have a basic understanding of the themes, issues, and ideas before encountering them in the text. When encountering these things in the text, students will have the advantage of pulling from their experience in finding or hearing a song to enhance their understanding of the issue, theme, or idea in the text.

In the second activity, students will gain skills in interpreting text and understanding voice. Students will use the creation of music to interpret a poem read in class. In order to create a musical interpretation, students will have had to look closely at and analyze their chosen poem. By creating music based on the poem, students will also be engaged in high levels of thinking as they are synthesizing ideas. Students will also develop an understanding as to how the voice of poetry is dependent on the reader, where as music presents its meaning. This will give students a better understanding of what a voice is in a text, as well as experience in creating their own voice in a text.

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Throughout this course I have seen many benefits to using popular culture in the classroom. Below you will find two activities that incorporate popular music in two very different ways.

Activity #1

The purpose of this activity is to familiarize students with the ideas and themes in a text that will be read, and to help students become comfortable talking about the issues the themes bring up. I feel this activity would be best used along side a text that may be very challenging for students as this activity will give students practice and background knowledge to base their thoughts on.

The teacher will compile a list of the most important and/or difficult themes, ideas, and issues that appear in a text to be read. Students will choose or be assigned one of the issues, themes, or ideas (I prefer to give students the choice as it makes the assignment more personal). With their chosen or assigned theme, idea, or issue, students will then be assigned to find a song, from their collection, that best embodies or shows their understanding of the theme, idea, or issue assigned to them.

When students find the song they are to do the following:

• Record or find the lyrics
• Write their idea of the meaning of the song
• Explain how this song fits to the designated theme, idea, or issue

After doing all this, students will then present by playing the song, displaying the lyrics, describing their interpretation of the song, and explaining how the song explains or embodies their issue, theme, or idea.

Activity #2

The purpose of this activity is for students demonstrate their interpretation of a poem read in class and also gain an understanding as to how music influences the meaning of written word.

This activity would be done while the students are studying poetry along side popular music. It is assumed that prior to this activity students have discussed how music creates meaning through the voice and sounds created, and how that is different from the voice of poetry. This activity will utilize movie making software such as iMovie and Garage Band.

For this activity, students will choose a poem from what has been read in class. Students will take that poem and put it to a beat/music using music producing software such as Garage Band. Students will record their own voice saying, singing, or rapping the poem over the beats they created. Students may also incorporate images or video to their song using iMovie software.

As studied in class, students will use the music as a way to make an interpretation of the text. They will use their voice in combination with the music in order to demonstrate their understanding of how music creates meaning. Essentially students are creating music using a poem read in class. After the completion of this song, students will present their work and write a reflection. The reflection will discuss what meaning they intended to bring forth as well as their experience in creating a song out of a poem.

Post for June 18th -

For this posting I am going to be talking about topics in relation to chapters 3 & 7 in Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction (Negus, 1996). I will write about each chapter separately below.

Part One: Chapter 3 - "Mediations"

My response to this chapter is inspired by the talk of how music has been constructed and mediated for radio broadcast. In this post I want look at other ways in which music has been constructed to be transmitted through different/new technologies: the cell phone and the mp3 player.

During the 70's and good rock song was key to a musician's success. In the 80's music video's became critical to being a distinguished musician. In the 90's Cds provided utmost portability and song selection, but that in combination with killer music videos ensured success. Now, the sale of ringtones are a way for musician's to become famous. Cell phones have much changed the way we are able to communicate. From first being able to converse with our loved ones on the go to having fragmented conversations by way of text messaging, and now to having instant access to the internet from anywhere there is reception. More specific to popular music, I want to look at how cell phones have become a mecca for the 10 second catchy tune - the ringtone.

At first cell phones had digitized rings of various tones to produce familiar and amusing tunes. Today, the ringtone is a booming market. With a cellphone, anyone can go online and pay to download a tune for their phone to play during incoming call. This alleviates the need for dull boring typical songs and allows a person to show anyone in ear shot who they are by personalizing their ringtone. This has now become a huge market. When listening to the ringtones available they take the very distinctive and catchy parts of a popular song (the hook) and make it downloadable to play as your phone's ring. This encourages recording artists and producers to construct songs that have a novel and catchy hook in order to make more profit, sell their tunes, and gain popularity. Just like music had and has the tendency to be organized "to suit the requirements of commercial markets" for the radio (Negus, 1996), one can say that music now has the tendency to be reorganized to suit the ringtone market. Creating music that affords to the creation of a ringtone will help a musician in their success and popularity.

Next I want to talk about the effect the mp3 player has on the transmission and adaption of music. Mp3's allow music to be extremely portable as mp3's are saved to a file and can be carried on a small drive that fits into your pocket or clips to your shirt. This allows music to be much more portable than Cds. The newest release of the iPod shuffle can hold 1,000 songs in the size of a Bic lighter, where as one would need to carry at least 100 Cds to have the same amount of music at their fingertips and big pockets to take it on the go.

During my student teaching experiences, many students immediately put their earbuds in during the mere 5 minutes of passing time to listening to music. This extreme portability and single-song downloadability has led to a need for music in smaller doses. As this need is there, people (musicians) will start producing to meet those needs i.e. singles.

It seems as the portability of music increases, the easier it is for people to access more music. If music is more portable, it is accessed more often, but in smaller doses. Musicians and producers will see these needs and do what they can to meet these needs.

Part Two: Chapter 7 - "Politics"

This chapter discusses how music alters in it's meaning and potential political message through its use in time and space. In this part, I want to talk about the messages songs can have.

Negus (1996) says, "any political content of a song has to be understood in terms of processes of mediation during which it can undergo change and be connected to various political agendas." This means that a song's meaning is never stagnant and is always connected to some political agenda - it cannot be a political statement on it's own. This also means that the meaning of a song can and will change over time as it becomes connected to new political issues. The meaning of a song depends on the events of the time.

I think a lot of what Negus says is true. The way we interpret texts (music) depends on our personal experiences and the time in which the text is being read. In interpreting texts, I also think we need to always consider the history and context in which the text was produced. Doing so will contribute to the overall meaning of the text (song). On the other hand, looking at the original context and intentions of the text may tint our interpretation of it's current message to match that of the past. I think it is the way we relate the song and its original meaning to our current lives that helps it to create meaning. We must consider the past of the song in order to understand how its meaning has changed over time.

I feel I understand a lot of what Negus is saying, but then I think about songs in which have a very distinct political message such as this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QagaKuFeA4w

This song in combination with the video is clearly connected to a specific political time/events. By Neagus' terms then, does this song have a political message? Perhaps it is the video that brings meaning to the song. But seeing the video now, when the administration it is criticizing is past, does it hold the same meaning? Personally to me it does. I wonder if 20 years from now that will be the case. In 20 years, will the song, or rather remix, need a new video in order to connect it to the current political world, or will the song/video in its current entirety be sufficient?

I'm not sure I have the answers to these questions as I have struggled with this reading, but I do think a song's meaning is very multi-faceted. A song will mean something to the individual, and if the individual can rid himself of his own assumptions, he can see where the song has meaning in politics. The song also has meaning in it's original composition, but that is often times unknown. Finally, the song has meaning connected to the time/place from where it was originally heard, and any time/place it is hear thereafter. Music is always connected to the world in which it is played.

Post for June 14th - Representations of Teachers in Movies

As a teacher, I find films about teachers to be inspiring. Even with this inspiration, I often feel a little regret for films about teachers as the representation of teachers does not touch on all the realistic dynamics of the profession. Movies often show teachers with only one class, when realistically teachers have multiple classes and multiple preparations to make. Teachers are often shown as being the only person responsible for the students' education, when it is extremely important that family and other caregivers are involved in a student's education. Films often fit teachers into a specific role such as "savior", "caretaker", or "jailer," (Shannon and Crawford, 1998). Commonly aspects of teachers gives audiences a limited view of the teaching profession that may result in unrealistic ideals for the teachers of their children.

To look into this idea more deeply, let's take a look at the film "School of Rock." In this film Jack Black plays a character, Dewey Finn, who begins as a aspiring rock star in need of money to maintain rent and the relationship with his brother. In an attempt to make money, Dewey pretends to be his brother, Ned Schneebly, and goes to a school as a long-term substitute teacher. As a teacher in this film Jack Black's character is portrayed as a "savior" so to speak. Dewey comes into a classroom full of very obedient grade hungry 4th grade students at a rigid private elementary school. Even though Dewey comes into this job only for the money, he recognizes the student's obsessive need for grades and gold stars. Because of this, Dewey sees himself as being needed to break these students of their reliance on grades and find the joy of learning again. In the end, Dewey is a "savior" in that his students learn for the intrinsic value, rather than to gain a gold star or an A.

In order to be a "savior" Dewey incorporates popular music into the classroom. When Dewey decides to "save" these kids from their impending focus on grades, he takes these students' focus away from an typical academia and revolves their learning around popular music. Unbeknownst to the students, they are learning valuable skills along the way. The use of popular music is essential to Dewey being a "savior" in that it is what he know and loves. Without the enthusiasm he had and was able to bring out in his students, he wouldn't have been able to break students of their grades-are-everthing mentality.

Dewey's use of poular music seems counter to the many types of teachers Shannon and Crawfor (1998) identify. A typical "savior" teacher, like in Dangerous Minds, saves the students by focusing them on traditional acadamia. Jack Black, on the other hand, is still a "savior," but completely neglects the prepared curriculum. Breaking away from the required curriculum and utilizing popular music denies the idea of "jailer" because Dewey continaully encourages the students to "stick it to the man" and be a part of the counter-culutre of hard rock and punk music. Using popular music in his classroom is more liberating to his students than it is confining.

Even though Dewey Finn assumes a role Shannon and Crawford (1998) identifiy as common in movies about teachers, his use of popular music and the way he "saves" his studnets is very counter to those roles. The use of popular music in this film is essential to the creation of Dewey as a "savior" but also to the denial of the other roles.

Post for June 7th -- Sexual Objectification and Power in Popular Music

In watching Leslie Gore’s “It’s My Party”, Fiona Apple’s “Criminal”, and Lil’ Kim’s “How Many Licks” music videos, we see very different representations of women: being an object of affection, being sexually submissive, and being in control by adopting a typical objectified image. In all cases, women are being objectified, but the most recent video, Lil’ Kim’s “How Many Licks”, in an attempt to give women sexual power, demonstrates the inevitability of women being sexually objectified.

I have to wonder if it is worse for a man to objectify a woman, or for a woman to objectify herself, and other women. In watching Lil’ Kim’s “How Many Licks” I want to think that she is making a point by taking control of her sexuality and blatantly requesting sexual deeds. Lil’ Kim takes charge of her sexuality by not holding back into submission as in “Criminal”, but by taking a more male approach and blatantly asking for it. In many contemporary pop music songs, men are often portrayed as objectifying women as sex objects. Their music videos often show scantily clad women bumping and grinding and flaunting their barely clothed bodies to give an image of sex as power; that women need to be scantily dressed and sexually promiscuous in order to gain any power. Lil’ Kim’s video simply emphasizes this. At first I had a very positive view of her video thinking way to go for her take charge attitude. I first thought she was trying to say I can do it like the men. Well, in fact she can; she objectifies herself like men objectify women. In the video she is seen in the contemporary typified image of objectified women – barely clothed and dancing in motions that resemble sex.

In a song where a woman is blatantly asking for sex, one would think the woman holds the power, but in this video the women still need to be scantily clad and dancing promiscuously in order to gain any control over their sexuality. The way she and the other women are dressed in the video presents a very common image seen in popular culture today. Such an image is one designed to appease men. Even though Lil’ Kim is demanding to be sexually pleased, the power is still in the hands of the man as she must have the sexually objectified image of a woman in order to get what she wants. This does not paint a positive picture for female sexuality. Either you are submissive and controlled as portrayed in Fiona Apple’s video for “Criminal”, or you have a pseudo-power over your own sexuality by adhering to what culture considers sexy. In both situations, it is men who are still in control because they cause the submission, or they will only accept a sexual request when the woman assumes the objectified sex role. I give Lil’ Kim props for not holding back, and even though the video is critical of the many sex object roles women play (i.e. the different Kim’s being built like Barbie dolls), the “normal” Kim we see in the video isn’t much different. This is giving the message to women and young girls that you must be sexual in order to gain control; sex is power, but you can only assume power in a sexual image.

This makes me wonder what is considered proper now, but it also makes me wonder if being a “proper” woman is another objectified role – that fitting into that proper mold means you can’t gain power and you become a submissive sex object as in “Criminal”. I think this paints a very confusing picture for youth today. What is a woman’s role? How do they have power? What should be expected of their relationship with men?

As shown in these videos, popular music doesn’t do much to give men an alternative scenario either. Men appear to be the ones who objectify and determine how the women will gain their pseudo-power. This gives youth the image that men need to objectify women to have power and control over female sexuality.

These images seem to be a vicious circle. If men are always the ones to objectify and be in power, women must assume the roles the men set in order to have some sense of power. In these images, female power is determined by the male. This paints an image that women can’t gain power if there isn’t a man to determine how she will be objectified, and a woman must objectify herself in order to be given that “power”. These videos make it seem inevitable. This is all the more reason why popular culture should be studied in schools, so the youth can make sense of these images, criticize them, and make their own choices rather than following the messages they receive.

Post for TR June 4th - Rationale for Using Popular Music in Classrooms

The basics in education are important, no doubt, but students are growing up in a time where one can continually be connected to the world, and all it has to offer, from the touch of a finger on a small portable device. This means students can bring their culture, music, interests everywhere and anywhere, even in school. It is a reality that students have iPods, mp3 players, and other mobile devices on them at all times that play their music, connect them to popular culture, and the world. Since students are constantly connected, and obviously interested in popular music, why then shouldn’t educators jump at the opportunity to use these interests to intrinsically motivate students in traditional, subjects? Why shouldn’t educators use student’s prior knowledge of popular music as a way to improve the “basic skills” and meet the standards our education is based on? Here I will discuss how bring youth culture into classrooms will help students to achieve the standards and move beyond.

Educators have a great opportunity. They have something students are already extremely invested in on a daily basis – music. Right before us, students don’t hesitate to pop in their ear buds during passing time. Often times I hear students discussing new music and comparing/debating about whether or not the new X-men movie is worth seeing. Listening to these conversations between students, an educator can see the high level of skills students are already using. Students are using argumentative language without even knowing it. This Arguespeak, as Gerald Graff (2003) calls it, is something that students do naturally with mediums they are most comfortable with, music and popular culture. Students may not be completely aware of the skills and high level of thinking they are engaged in, but that’s where educators come in. We can jump on this opportunity to show students what they already know, how to argue about music, and how they can use those new skills towards literature or how to use those skills in writing argumentative essays. In this case, the popular music provides a middle ground for students to learn the academic language of what they are doing, and understand how what they are doing is a high level of thinking.

As students are already familiar with music, music can also be used to introduce students to issues, themes, and events that occur in literature to help improve their comprehension of various texts. Music often tells stories, expresses the voice of a generation, shows different point of views on events, expresses emotion, and much more. In schools, we can use music to introduce students to historical eras, to prompt students to think about issues and themes in literature, and to helps students see different viewpoints. In this case music acts as a scaffolding mechanism. Students can use a medium they are well accustomed to in order to discuss issues and themes and build a knowledge base before applying the themes to literature and other texts. Jumping into a text with this prior knowledge will help students in better comprehending a medium that is not as big a part of their lives as we hope.

During my student teaching experience I used music as a way for students to gain a better understanding of a theme – identity. During this time students read a memoir about a boy growing up with an identity crisis as his mother was white and he was black. To help students think deeply about identity and bring the unit to a personal level, I incorporated popular music. Students were to bring in a song of their choosing, play the song, explain what the song means, how they connect to the song, and a way it relates to the book. This allows students to bring the topic of study to a personal level, make a connection between the song and the book being studied, and use analytical skills. This activity proved to be very motivating for students as it gave them the opportunity to bring in their own culture and learn more about one another while learning more about the topic being studied. This activity also helped students get a better feel for the unit topic, identity, as they used music to form their own identity. Doing this activity allowed following discussions on identity to be more involved as students had personal connections and a prior knowledge base to draw from. Had I not done this activity and jumped directly into discussion about identity, I feel students would have had a difficult time grasping an idea as big as identity as they had no personal tangible experience from which to base their discussion.

As you can see, popular music has a place in the English curriculum. Popular music is something the students are already interested in and can be a way educators help students to be interested in traditional academia by introducing themes, ideas, historical events, etc. with music. The students’ natural desire to argue about the best new music can easily translate to making arguments about literature and as a way to formulate student writing. Music can also be an important scaffolding tool as students can explore issues in a medium they are already interested in and familiar with. Incorporating music into the English classroom will help students in having the motivation and interest to develop their skills and meet the standards that are set.


Graff, G. (2003). Clouding the issues. Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind. Yale University Press.