Despite the fact that songs are
great instruments of entertainment, they can come very handy when teaching
various forms of literature. I remember the first time I analyzed poetry in my
sixth grade class using music lyrics. This made poetry fun and exciting to
learn. What most students do not realize is that songs are a form of writing,
and a form of poetry. Analyzing and scanning songs is a very similar process to
doing so of a poem. It is just the form that is different.
I
would use songs in my classroom when teaching a unit of poetry. I would have the
students listen to and read song lyrics as if they were doing so with a poem. In
these lyrics they could identify literary elements such as similes,
personification, etc. During this process, I would be achieving the standards
that connect my content area to the real world. The students would be
identifying content area based vocabulary in common day songs. Lyrics can also
be a useful tool when teaching rhyme scheme. Most lyrics rhyme and therefore,
are a useful tool in identifying the rhyme scheme. Also repetition occurs in
every song, there is always a refrain, or chorus, that is repeated throughout
the song.
Another
use of song in my classroom can be with student creation. Instead of having
students write poetry they could write song lyrics. Those students who wish to
perform them can also do so. This will give them a chance to give their creation
a personal touch and perform it. Most students do not connect to poetry units
because the poetry is either outdated or they are intimidated by its
complexity. Approaching poetry in this way will give the students an opportunity
to personalize their work in a form that many of them enjoy. Performing it will
also allow those who are musicians to shine in this unit of study.
I love the idea of introducing songs as a form of poetry; students do not even realize that they are learning. It is a great way to teach students that the outside world is not discrete from school. Students could have heard a song multiple times, but never picked up on a hidden message or figurative language used. I have actually taught a lesson using a song and it worked great! I had them work with the song first and then I introduced the song; they were able to compare and contrast their finds, such as tone. Also, teaching a song is a great way to engage students because they can relate to the songs they hear, as appose to giving them a poem that they have already read and will continue reading in future English classes.
ReplyDeleteI like your way of involving another content area with English. I would have enjoyed learning poetry this way as well. I always struggled in English class when it came to writing an original poem. I think if my teacher had introduced music lyrics and incorporated rhyme scheme with that, I would have enjoyed the topic more and it would have been easier for me to write my own poem. You mention how you would have students write song lyrics instead of having them write poems. I like this idea, but you could also have groups of students work together and create a video of their performance. If you have them do this, you are also incorporating some form of technology in to the lesson as well.
ReplyDeleteI remember, in my Language Arts class in 8th grade, we would listen to songs or music of some kind on a regular basis, with it having some kind of connection to the assignment(s) at hand. I found this to be a very interesting approach to teaching lessons, and I personally learned quite a bit from this method of teaching, so I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of this. Great post, Ana!
ReplyDeleteAna, as a music major, I love this post! Integrating music into English lessons like this is a great way to boost up the excitement level of lessons. I especially love your idea of giving your more musical students a chance to shine through writing and performing their own lyrics. Analyzing song lyrics with literary elements is also great to have the students learn through material more closely related to the era that they live in.
ReplyDeleteOn Inter-Activity #5 for this class, I remixed a music major's canvas in order to make it so students select songs to create a soundtrack for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet based on the theme of communication barriers. Music is a great way to get students engaged in poetry. Many students do not have the motivation to get into poetry, so we need to try to provide a gateway for them. Music is that gateway. I think that you came up with some very good ways to use music in the classroom, but I think that soundtracks would be another great way to put music into the classroom. It is also great that we can use music to meet several Common Core Standards. Despite the fact that these students are learning according to Common Core Standards' mandates, they are having fun learning. I think that what you are getting to is that we need to put the fun into education. Technology in the classroom can help us to make education fun. However, we need to make sure that the technology in our classroom has a sound pedagogical framework behind it in order to ensure student learning. Great post. I love music. I am a metal head, and music is the other half of my life besides teaching!
ReplyDeleteWow! What an interesting idea! This would be a fantastic way to help students who are not savvy with poetry. It would give an added layer to learning meter and rhyme. It would be a fantastic way, when sharing poems, instead students would share poems and lyrics. It would be a very interesting and fun class to sit in on.
ReplyDeleteAna, I have always loved the idea of using music in an English classroom! I totally agree with you, using music lyrics can be a great way to teach students about certain devices that are also used in poetry. It is important, however, to make the distinction between lyrics and poetry clear to students, as they are not the same thing. For my canvas remixed I actually used a music major's canvas to go with my own lesson on Langston Hughes. That is a great example of a poet whose poetry is highly influenced by music; it is almost impossible to talk about Harlem Renaissance poetry without also talking about jazz and the blues. So yes, music has a very unique place in an English class!
ReplyDeleteAna, I loved the post! English was never my subject as a student. It was always so boring and it was very hard for me to get interested in it. I would just shut down and tell myself: "I don't want to have anything to do with this whole reading and writing stuff" especially when it was poetry. My teachers never did anything like integrating music into our classes. Its a great way for students to get excited about doing something "intimidating" like poetry in the classroom. There are so many useful programs like Finale or Garageband, for example, that can allow students to put together pre-recorded tracks with their own lyrics to the music. Or they can actually compose the music themselves and put lyrics in the music like a real vocal score. Poetry would work very nicely with this. They can put their poetry to some smooth music, or if its a "horror" themed poem they can put it to some dark and devious music.Technology can really make learning fun if used appropriately.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea! Bringing music into the classroom definitely livens up the space no matter what subject. I think in an English poetry lesson, this is very appropriate. Pointing out that songs are poems and noticing the repetition are all very relevant. This is a good way to connect poetry to "real life", since that is what students are always searching for.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! integrating music will not only brighten up the atmosphere for the students but for the teacher as well. When the students are able to relate to a lesson it makes them want to learn and when they are engaged and enjoying the lesson it makes the teacher happy to know she is doing a good job. I never enjoyed poetry, I always thought it was so weird and complex. I think if my teachers did this I would have grown up with a different perspective on poetry.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! I think we as teachers can really learn something from each other and help our students learn as well by stepping a little out of our comfort zone into cross curricular territory. I think your students can only benefit by including music into the classroom. Good job to you
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I always struggled with english in school and I had one teacher use garage band to mix songs that compared grammatical structures between songs. I really was able to learn more about grammar in a fun and new way and I still remember that lesson until this day!
ReplyDeleteThe entire last paragraph of this resonated an idea I love to bring up. When discussing poetry students always say they don't like it or they can't remember it. Before I fell in love with poetry I used to say the same exact things. Once I was asked if I knew any songs or nursery rhymes I was blown away. Everyone has poetry memorized. Songs, lullabies, and nursery rhymes are all forms of poetry. Once it is understood that these poems are among us it is easier to academically attack them. Allowing students to create music is an amazing way to connect popular culture with academics. Also you are building cross content relationships with Music and English.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! When I was in AP Lit in high school, we did something called Music Monday. We listened to a song an analyzed the lyrics as poetry. It was not only a fun academic experience, it was a good way to get to know our peers and see the kind of music we all liked and listened to. I will definitely use music in my classroom as much as possible!
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