I am a huge Ted Lasso fan. One of the benefits of new shows overwhelming your life is you start to build connections with the other actors within the core show. Take Nick Mohammed a.k.a Nathan Shelley. In a Google search, tick tok scroll, or some other way of finding content, Nick Mohammed jumped out, not as the charming yet confused Coach Shelly, but rather as another character named “Mr. Swallow” on a show called 8 out of 10 Cats on the BBC. The first video that I watched was Mr. Swallow sharing his interpretation of Jurassic Park using the score. Enjoy.
Mr. Swallow is telling the story of Jurassic Park through the score, which was both engaging and challenging. It made me wonder if this technique could be used in the classroom for assignments, where students could create their own stories using music scores. With this in mind, I came up with three ideas for incorporating Songs For Assessment into the classroom in ways that aren't just choir projects.
NUMBER 1: Copy Mr. Swallow and Share a Story in a Score
Reading a novel in English class? Working through a process in Science? Mathematical practice? Historical Events? The list is endless, no matter the subject, this idea can be done. Students can find a score, even one of their favorites (I imagine video game scores might be popular), and then the students create their script to share their understanding of the content.
Example: Social Studies- The events of Pearl Harbor to the instrumental version of “Let it Go” from Frozen.
NUMBER 2: Singing Introductions: Students Present Themselves through Singing a Score
What is a student’s favorite subject? Themselves. Think about the various ways that students could share about themselves, especially if you gave them the choice of music. Students could bring their own personalities into the classroom by not only sharing the important highlights of their lives but in their favorite songs or genres.
Example: Introduction using the instrumental version of Taylor Swift’s song, “Shake it Off”
NUMBER 3: Students Create and Communicate Classroom Rules/Norms/Expectations through their Created Songs.
Empowering students to play an active role in shaping the rules and processes of the classroom is an effective technique to foster a sense of belonging and safety in the classroom culture. By incorporating music, such as a song, karaoke, or score, students can express themselves creatively and help to define the unique culture of the classroom, resulting in a fun and engaging learning environment.
Example: Bathroom Policy and Process to the song, “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America
We can Chase Innovation by…
Thinking about the silly, embarrassing, or unique, the students will remember those experiences more than any worksheet. I was able to connect with a student that I taught over 12 years ago, and he shared with me that he still remembered the class where we did a full immersion experience because it connected so well with him. Engagement is a superpower of the teacher that we can harness to continue to develop your student’s understanding!
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