March Madness...

The month of March is full of basketball. I have to say, the "Madness" is everywhere. I recently went to a few high school district and regional basketball games. It was interesting to listen to the music that is played while the players warm up. It isn't slow music. It's fast, upbeat music...it doesn't matter much what the lyrics are...the intent is to get the players and fans pumped up and ready to win...the beat, the volume, and the repeating hook all work together to make this happen. This is what teachers need to do, too...get students pumped up and ready to learn. How do we make this happen?

When I think about music, I realize that it can evoke many emotions. There is some music that I like and some music that I don't. Sometimes, I don't even give certain music a chance to affect me because I don't care for the genre. I am immediately turned off by country music. I'm not sure why...I sort of wish I could delve into that and figure out what it is that turns me off...is it the guitars, the cowboy hats, or fringe on coats...I'm just not sure. It doesn't really matter all that much...but it DOES make me think about how this can happen in a classroom, too.

Students do not like everything that teachers like. I think we need to keep this in mind when creating projects and assignments. It is good to expose kids to many different genres and varieties, to provide a well rounded experience.

Something that I might try with my class, is to have them listen to a song and then have them write down the main idea. I want to see if kids are listening to the lyrics and paying attention to what is being said. I know that I'm not always listening. I might know what the hook is and can sing along...but tune back out when listening to the next verse. I think this could be what some kids do with regard to reading comprehension. They start reading a story and then get caught up in their own personal connections or thoughts and before you know it, have been reading without actually paying attention to the words and what the story is about. I find myself doing this sometimes when I read aloud to my class. I'm more focused on how to pronounce words and use expression than I am with the content that I'm reading. (This is also a lot like music...with how our notes get louder or if they are emphasized more...drawn out words...inflection, etc.)

I think it would be interesting to also listen to songs without the words first...and ask kids to write down how they feel or what they think the song might be about. Then, listen again with the lyrics and compare and contrast how their thoughts and feelings changed or remained the same.

Because music can be so powerful on feelings and emotions, I think playing some music before teaching certain subjects might be a good way to get kids fired up to learn. I need to find a song that kids like...and play it just before I teach Science or Writing. I think using music to make a positive association with learning could be the key to success.