What does this have to do with music? Up until today, that was the question I hated getting the very most while teaching.
I am a middle school band and general music teacher and just about three weeks ago, I got three brand new groups of students. While I love keeping my band students "full time", it's always nice to get a fresh start with a new general music class. The anticipation and excitement of getting to know a new group of dynamic personalities is something that I think is unique to the education profession. With new starts comes new ideas, which means last semester's not so successful lessons get revised or scrapped altogether. A unit I worked hard on over my winter break was inspired by a teaching tolerance lesson on the Southern Poverty Law Center's website. For teachers that don't know their work, please check out the many free resources they offer and will send you. . .again, for free! Tolerance is high on my list of necessities for schools, yet it's not officially a part of my music standards, nor is it part of any subject's standards, as far as I know. That never stops me though! Students read (with lots of vocab help) a New York Times op-ed that argues informal musical education, or emotional education, as it's referred to, is just as important as formal education. it was during this exercise that a seventh grader asked that title question; "What does this have to do with music?". It wasn't in the tone of, say, "Hey, do you want a coffee?". It was closer to an irritated "what are you doing here?" between two exes that run into each other at a party. I unfortunately got a bit defensive and let that one remark impact the rest of that day. I complained endlessly to my colleagues about how kids these days don't know how to make connections, blah blah blah. I just want students to understand that music absolutely has an impact on everyone, that absolutely everything can be related to the arts in some way, and that it can absolutely change their lives. Is that so much to ask!?
I know I'm over the top a bit about this topic, but it is my life's work. I was discouraged, and then today happened. Back in class again, we debated, discussed, and finally determined as a class that music is a powerful influence on emotion. We listened to several songs that included themes of hope and/or spoke of issues in society (John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change", Joan Baez's "We Shall Overcome", "Where's the Love" by the Black Eyed Peas, and Imagine by John Lennon, for example). Then we started discussing what are the issues they feel strongly about in their school, community, or world. Their assignment was to take one of those issues and re-write a verse or chorus from one of the songs above to describe the issue. It was amazing. They (mostly) finally got it, and overnight I was able to go from knowing very little about these students to hearing their most pressing concerns for society. As adults, we fixate a lot on issues. We have endless channels devoted to hearing about it 24/7, but we have to realize that our students do too, and they are not just spitting out what they hear. They are hearing, absorbing, analyzing, and making their own interpretation of the messes, violence, rudeness, and chaos we create in the world as adults. But they also hear the good things that happen and are so very hopeful. Today of their own volition, 8th graders wrote about police brutality, discrimination against LGBT youth, fears about intolerance towards immigration, . . .and yes, issues with where they sit at lunch (they are still middle schoolers, after all). These kids are asking questions, coming up with solutions, and putting it to music. I could not have been more impressed and once again, young people exceeded my already high expectations.
Finally it hit me. The young man that asked the question, he was just practicing something I preach all the time- don't automatically believe what people tell you. Ask questions in order to make up your own mind. I am glad he asked and next time someone does (and they surely will), I will have a different reaction.
