
Above: This is the Soundtrack of Our Reading
- To read a more detailed description of the project, scroll down my column of posts until you find DAVID BOWIE
- To see student submissions, scroll down uur right-hand-side menu bar until you find JIMI
In our final week of instruction, I ask my students select a song for our classroom soundtrack. Like this:
Think back to the authors, short stories, and poems we have read. Think back to the music you have listened to. When you read, do you ever tap your foot? Does music ever spark an idea in your head? Can you come up with a song or an artist that blends music and literature? Joyce Carol Oates wrote one of her most enduring works of short fiction after hearing Bob Dylan on the radio. There are no specific rules to making your choice. There is no right or wrong. I want you to reach back into your musical archives, and choose a song that brings our textbook to our ears.
This assignment calls for equal amounts of Creativity and Critical Thinking. Our goal is to find a song or an artist that best represents the pain and suffering we have read about this semester. The music is the rhythm of our writing. The flow of our words convey who we are. From our discussions, I see that my students offer a wide variety of musical interests: Hip-Hop, Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, Musica Nortena… Here are a few songs off the top of my head that I would like to explore:
- “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” by the Beatles with “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates.
- “Black Gives Way to Blue,” by Alice in Chains with “The Death of Marilyn Monroe” by Sharon Olds.
- “Too Much Love Will Kill You,” by Queen with “The Bridegroom” by Ha Jin.
In several of my classes we read T.C. Boyles short story "The Love of My Life. ” High-school lovers Jeremy and China had planned out their entire lives to live together as one, but that was before the ran into “La Puerta Negra.” The Black Door, that’s a symbol for the disconnect that the rest of us saw coming. The song “La Puerta Negra” is about impossible love. As much as you want to be with somebody, as much as you love somebody, there will always be some type of pressure to keep you apart. Jeremy and China ran into it with a thud. These two were smart, handsome, rich and mature beyond their years. The feelings they had for each other were both intense and spiritual. But, I suppose their love was just too good to be true. In the story “The Love of My Life,” their love led them to mistake that would divide their lives forever. Their dreams would turn cold, dark and hard. That’s “La Puerta Negra.”
I expect my students to use the patterns of development and writing strategies we have practiced this semester: cause and effect, definition, compare and contrast, argument. And of course, they must not forget to document thier resources. They are to analyze the lyrics of their songs. Research the artists. Explain any message that might match to our reading.
Below I pulled a Bi-Lingual Song Lyrics/ Text Passage Comparison Chart from my files. It was fun to do. Some of my students might select a Spanish-language song for our Soundtrack. If they do, I encourage them include a chart like this in their submission.
Below is a student sample for what you might see on our semester soundtrack. Did you know that the founding brothers of Arcade Fire have deep musical roots? They play multiple musical instruments: violin, cello, viola, guitars, drums, bass, cymbals, French horn, accordion, xylophone and harp. They come from a heritage a big-band artists and singers. I didn't know that! This the cool part of the assignment - students have the oportunity to follow their own interests. I tell them to Take advantage Less of their INSTRUCTOR. More of THEM. Students perform better when they feel in charge and feelempowered to control their own learning process.