Monday 12 November 2012
Using music to prompt, as a stimulus and for analysis.
Using music to
prompt, as a stimulus and for analysis.
When using music alongside, on class entry and during novel studies and
poetry I have found it really useful to get students in the frame of mind of
the lesson ahead. Some examples from recent lessons include:
9P5 Low level literacy group. Focus: Young people, their reputation and
media stereotyping. We analysed Plan B’s ‘Ill Manors’ which is a modern and
highly thought-provoking song. We had previously discussed the reputation of
young people, the Riots of 2011 and the impact the Olympics and media. I
started with a conference from Plan B star for TEDx (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhtAfIw4qJY
) which is really interesting in which he talks about such issues facing young
people. We then analysed the song and considered if this was a fair
representation “hoodies, robbing, council housed and violent”. The political
messages in the song I considered to be high ability however this set 5 class
were able to gain an understanding as I suppose it effected them.
Another lesson
using music as a stimulus was Professor Green’s ‘Jungle’ in which we analysed animal
imagery in the lyrics. The comparison of Hackney as a jungle really interested
the year 7’s as they were looking at performance poetry and listening to
Professor Green was a singer or poet as we discussed that they could identify with.
“London aint cool to cruise through where the hunters pray, Looking
lunch today, and your chains looking like fresh fruit to a hungry ape. They'll
eat on you, then laugh about it like Hyenas do, so stick to breezing through,
like cheetahs do or be a piece of food.”
Many of the students reflection after the lesson was that they had never
truly listening to the lyrics in this way and said how clever the language was.
This lesson was adaptable from my set 1 7x1 to set 5 7Y5.
Songs which work with novels and poetry
From this website I have found a list of poems and novels in which they
suggest songs that would go alongside the study. Which I will use in my research for my SIG.
William Golding, Lord of the Flies is paired with "It's the End of the World As We
Know It" by REM
Harper
Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird with the song “Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday
Mary
Shelley Frankenstein" with Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by
Green Day similarly I used this song for personification in poetry which the
kids enjoyed.
http://www.corndancer.com/tunes/tunes_db.html
SIG research Creative Arts in English
For my SIG at Wildern I am researching using music in English lessons to embed creative arts across the curriculum. During my research I have found
an article that was interesting to back up exploring music in English lessons
to develop wider understanding of context.
Professor
Finds Place for Teens’ Music in English Class
Discussing song lyrics in the classroom can
help students connect in multiple, complex levels with traditional literature,
Goering explained. Because of the importance of music to adolescents, the
method can engage some students who otherwise would not be interested in
literature and challenge the ones who are. For the students in Siloam Springs,
he put lyrics on a big screen from the song "Broken Plow" by Chris
Knight, who wrote the song after reading John Steinbeck's The Grapes of
Wrath, according to Knight's Web site. Then, Goering asked them to compare
those lyrics to "Email my Heart" performed by Britney Spears.
"If you're a fan of Britney Spears, I
don't mean any offense, but that song is mostly a string of clichés, don't you
think?" Goering asked the teens. "It doesn't give us a lot to think
about."
Goering, who recently released his first CD of
original music, hosts a Web site at http://www.littunes.com for teachers to share
links between literature and lyrics. He describes this connection as musical
intertextuality. Last year, nearly 6,000 visitors were recorded at the LitTunes
site, according to Goering. Subscribers to the site's newsletter number almost
750 people with representatives of all 50 states.
"The
Soundtrack of Your Life," one of the most popular lesson plans on the
site, leads students in reflective writing and personal narrative. Goering gave
the Siloam Springs students a mini-version of the "Soundtrack" lesson
plan that is designed to be completed in four 50-minute class periods.
Basically, students choose eight major events in their lives and then list
songs to accompany each event.
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