A chameleon is a lizard that changes the colors of its skin. People who like to change their looks are often referred to as chameleons. They are never satisfied with just looking “hot”; they change whatever they need to look “cool” at the moment. Rock star David Bowie’s career was based on innovation and experimentation. He was a master of reinventing himself. In 1969, he appeared on the scene with an astral hippie ‘Space Oddity’ song. He wrote about his sense of being adrift after a crushing breakup with is long-time girl-friend Hermione Farthingale. A few years later, he rocked the world with his new band Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. His new look and sound changed rock forever. He was glam rock. No, he was a soul singer. No, he was punk.
You never knew what to expect with David Bowie. When he died a few years back, we lost a true legend. He marked his 69th birthday with the release of his 25th album. This time it was a jazz inspired work called “Blackstar.” Many critics call it his most experimental, different album to date. Two days following the release, his family announced that he succumbed to two-year battle with cancer. He wasn’t your typical rock star. He was never satisfied to live in the past. He would always be someone looking for “Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes” (Get it?) That’s what made him so cool. For nearly fifty years, David Bowie was rock’s chameleon.
Jay's Soundtrack of Our Reading - Final Exam Project:
For the end of the semester things should get FUN and INTERESTING. I've designed a project to reinforce the reading and writing skills students have developed over the course of the semester. Including DEFINITION (see above). It will require students to combine their MUSIC with their READING. I ask them to select a song to best represent their Bus Stop reading. Here is what I ask of them:
1. Choose ONE Most Valuable Part of Your Reading : an idea, a scene, a character, a quotation, an event, a description, an author....YOU CHOOSE
- Choose a song that best represents your MVP - Your Most Valuable Part of your Reading.
- Think Hip-Hop - Gangstah Rap - Musica Nortena- Classic Rock- Heavy Metal - You DECIDE!
Prepare to MATCH your LYRICS with your Bus Stop TEXT
Write down on a STICKY (or two) WHAT and WHY or WHO and HOW. - How are you going to justify your song? Where did you find it? Why should we care?
- For the purposes of this assignment, I'm choosing David BOwie's "Changes" to represent Bus Stop character BO Decker - See my argument below.
2. Here is how to get started:
- Choose a song from your own knowledge and experience that will provide important meaning to your reading? To your Bus Stop MVP.
- Think about your song selection. What’s the MESSAGE? What is the artist trying to say?
- Write a song analysis - combine your knowledge of the artist with the message of the song.
- How does this song ADD MEANING to your READING? What is the Connection?
3. I ask you to ANNOTATE your SONG LYRICS in the same way you ANNOTATED your RESEARCH ARTICLES
4. Create a comparison of your SONG LYRICS with your TEXT PASSAGES - You will need to create a table:
- In the left-hand column you choose your lyrics - In the right-hand column you find meaningful passages from the text.
- By the time you see this assignment, you will already have chosen your song to represent your Bus Stop MVP.
- Here is how my submission appeared :
5. In the end, I ask my students to contribute their writing to our MVP Discussion - Most Valuable Part - of our reading.
My students appear to have as much fun as I do with this assignment. Who would have thought? They all have different opinions and perspectives for what they have read. Many of them isolate on parts of the play I didn't previously consider. There is no RIGHT or WRONG answer on this Final Exam Project. I encourage my students to express themselves in the way they best know how. THE MUSIC IS ALWAYS GOOD. It's a great way to CELEBRATE our semester. Here is my MVP:
My MVP comes late in the play. This is when Bo takes a leather jacket right off his own back puts it around Cherie’s shoulders. This was a surprise (to everyone reading the play.) Up until this point, Bo acted tough, but he didn’t know what it was to be a Man! he didn't know what it meant to be a MAN. Now he shows concerns for others before he thinks of himself. Now that is manly. I vote for the song "Ch-ch-changes" by David Bowie. I know David Bowie from the seventies. I listened to David Bowie when I was the same age many if not most of my students are now. I idolized him for his desire to be himself. He didn’t pay much attention to his critics. He followed his heart. In this way, he reminds me of Cherie. She went against all expectations they had for her back in Arkansas. David Bowie is often referred to as a “chameleon.” This is because he doesn’t sit still. He is always making changes to his life and his music. That’s why this is a cool song to play in the background when Bo hands Cherie his jacket. At the very end of the play, Bo gives Cherie the jacket right of his back. This is significant because up until this point the only one Bo thought about was Bo. Handing over his jacket is no small gesture. It shows that he is ready to take care of Cherie. He’s thinking of her comfort first.
This shows a big CHANGE in Bo compared from the beginning of the play. He was LOUD and MACHO. Now, through the help of Virgil and Cherie, he shows he can listen to others. He is more SENSITIVE and TENDER. His love for Cherie TRANSFORMS HIM.
This is going to be great. You will see.
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