Meaningful

A key to keeping students by Chelsea Quinn interested in learning

t happens every year—the time there needs to be a link, something to tie A school like Mead Elementary is comes when fifth-grade students get these great to the students, rather full of students who love the opportu- to make their schedules for their first than just presenting cultural music with- nity to share their background with their year of middle school. The opportu- out personal connection. teachers and peers. Showing the teacher Inities are confusing and attractive; they We can create this personal connection and class something from their culture can take art, drama, music, ­athletics, by using songs from the various cultures encourages students to have owner- debate, foreign languages, and other of the students in the classroom. Not ship over the music and to take pride in unique courses as their elective credit. So only will these students feel special and their heritage. In an interview with four how do we, as elementary music teachers, knowledgeable, but their peers will feel Somali girls at Mead, the students were keep our students engaged and involved a connection to the repertoire through eager to share with me. The in music programs after they leave the them. As a part of my elementary music girls were thrilled to reveal their favorite elementary classroom? methods class, I was able to observe a fas- Somali artists (mostly modern Somali hip Making music a meaningful experi- cinating local elementary school, Mead hop artists),2 by browsing on YouTube. I ence is key to keeping students in school Elementary. was amazed at how these students became music programs. If music class is some- Located in a large urban city in south so engaged when they felt connected to thing the students can connect with and Texas, Mead is home to a growing and the music. Mead Elementary also hosted find a sense of belonging in, they are unique group of international students. a talent show in which students brought more likely to continue to be involved as These international students include in folk music from their native countries. they progress through school. But how political refugees from countries around The students were able to show off what do we do this? How do music educators the world—France, , Burma, Iraq, they knew, and learn more about the ensure that students have meaningful Pakistan, Afghanistan, and many others. cultures from which their peers came. experiences in the music classroom? One Through a government program, over Cultural music has the power to connect answer is through selection of appropriate 600 families were resettled in the area, to students and speak to them in a way repertoire that is engaging and relevant. and most of their children attend Mead that no other music can. Appropriate repertoire can include music Elementary.1 Over 22 different countries, from around the world, and even more languages, are represented Bridge the Gap with Popular Music played on the radio, or even music as sim- at Mead. In addition to the obvious lan- Using popular music is another key ple as school songs. guage barrier, most of these children have element in the music classroom. Teachers never attended a school before, and there may shy away from this for many rea- Respect Their Culture are vast cultural differences. sons: some may not be appropriate World music is becoming increasingly popular in the elementary setting. With increasing immigration to the United If music class is something the students can States and greater awareness of other cul- connect with and find a sense of belonging in, tures, music teachers are drawn to mul- ticultural music—from British folk songs they are more likely to continue to be involved as to African drumming to Middle Eastern they progress through school. lullabies. Yet something is still missing—

Southwestern | May 2010 55 for the classroom, it might be difficult to ferent genres,” Breinberg told NPR.3 References teach musical concepts through popular His method offers us an example of how 1. Barron-Flores, Rebecca. “Meeting music, and some teachers simply don’t popular music can have a place in school the Needs of Refugee Students.” Diverse believe popular music has enough musi- choirs—and how, if used well, can be a Learning Communities Today, Vol. 1, No. 5 cal merit for placement in the curriculum. huge success with the students. (August 2009). Popular music, however, can bring stu- 2. Four Somali Girls. Cultural Music, dents together in a number of ways more Support School Pride in Author Interview. November 6, 2009. traditional classroom music cannot. Your school song can offer an addi- 3. Adler, Margot. “Fifth-Grade Chorus Popular music, for example, helps tional strategy to create meaningful expe- Becomes A YouTube Hit.” Music Interviews bridge the gap between classroom music riences in the music classroom. Like most and Profiles, 2009. and home music. At a Mead Elementary elementary schools, Mead’s school song is School PTA program, students sang a taught to students in every grade. Their Chelsea Quinn is a variety of popular songs. You could tell by school song is a point of pride for stu- major at Trinity University and winner of the students’ enthusiasm that they were dents. It is something that gives them a the College Division Essay Contest. engaged in the music. popular sense of belonging, and ownership—this music that students hear on the radio can is their song. Mead Elementary also has a make the music classroom more engaging song of the year (this year it is “I Believe and spark higher interest; therefore, the I Can Fly”). In addition to the school students are more likely to be connected song, this song is taught to every grade and interested. However, popular music at the beginning of the year. Usually this doesn’t need to be used solely to keep stu- is a popular song, something that all stu- dents engaged. Popular music has a legiti- dents can enjoy. This provides a unifying mate place in the music classroom—it can element across all grades in the school. be used to teach musical elements, such as Again, the students take pride and owner- melodic patterns, harmony, and rhythm. ship, because it is their song for the year. For example, the popular hit “Lean on Take advantage of these two opportuni- Me” can be used as a teaching tool for ties to connect with all students. melodic patterns. The opening verses of “Lean on Me” are made up of the scale Connect at a Critical Time pattern of do-re-mi-fa, while the chorus Middle school students are under a lot is a descending scale pattern on mi-re-do. of pressure—in addition to the peer pres- These essential melodic patterns can be sure that comes with being a teenager, taught using songs like this, making the they are in more structured academic concepts relevant to the students. classes and are going through TAKS test- Using popular music also demon- ing. It is also their first opportunity to strates the educator’s effort to relate to the select an elective subject of their choice. students’ world. You can do this by having At this age, they will want an elective students identify songs that they want to they can enjoy, one that will engage them learn rather than choosing the entire rep- and that they can relate to. Students who ertoire for the year yourself. enjoyed elementary music class and found An uplifting example of using ­popular it relevant and interesting are going to be music in the classroom is the elemen- more likely to continue their involvement tary choir of PS 22, a Title 1 school in in music throughout their secondary Staten Island, New York City. You may school experience. By using world music, be familiar with this YouTube sensation. popular music, and songs with which the The music teacher, Gregg Breinberg, students have ownership in elementary focuses on teaching his choir students school, a critical connection can be made popular music, rather than traditional with these students, and they may develop children’s songs. They may come from a love of music that will stay with them different backgrounds, but they all lis- through life. 0 ten to the radio and can relate to popular music. His choir has recently received a lot of publicity. Their videos can be seen on YouTube and they have been featured on National Public Radio as well as on local and national news stations. “I try to teach them there is more to music than what they hear on the radio, and to be open, so they are exploring all these dif-

Southwestern Musician | May 2010 57