"MusiC? Uh, MusiC. I Haven'T HearD AnY MusiC... Uh oh, YoU KnoW WhaT..." (5/19/11)

Ms. Lemmons must be on crack, right kids?"

 

See the part I quoted, in action! The video cut out the part where Miss Lemons asked about music being played.

Once upon a time, I was Jack Black. I was asked to fill in for the music teacher at Sunset View for a little over two months. When I was asked to do this job, I felt inadequate, unprepared, and just plain nervous. I'm not a certified music teacher and I knew that I would be teaching students from grades K-6! Though initally intimidated, I took the plunge and I took over as "Mr. Jack Black" or some female version of that.

How did it go? I know you're dying to hear the answer to this question and that you can barely contain yourself, but have no fear! I'll answer it for you right now! It went so well! I loved every minute of it! I was able to teach so many different songs to children of all ages. I held back laughter in moments when the students sang and were so focused in their efforts to keep rhythm and beat. Those moments definitely took place while the students sang, "Old Dan Tucker." That song NEVER gets old for me! I wish I had footage of the students singing that song while clapping their hands and stomping their feet!

One of my fondest music memories took place when I first started by teaching many of the students about crescendos and decrescendos in music. I was able to incorporate Disney movie clips into these lessons and show the students where these elements of music take place, as they literally surround us on TV, in movies, in nature, etc.. I asked the students to show with their hands, as a conductor of music would, moments when the music grew louder (i.e. crescendos) and softer (decrescendos) respectively. Watching them do this while I played the various clips for them made me smile. I love to see the concentration on a student's face when they are focusing. It's priceless and precious! After learning these concepts in my class, the students were given a challenge by me to watch a movie, TV show, cartoon, or even to listen to a song- any of which, showed examples of crescendos/decrescendos. In return for the challenge, they would earn a "Caught Doing Good" or slip of paper they write their name on, which enters them into a drawing to get a prize. SO many students took this challenge! I issued multiple challenges to the students in the two months that I taught them. A lot of them dealt with teaching their friends or family the songs we were learning in class. Whenever I gave the challenges, most if not all, of the class took them. They took their music home, which was awesome to me! I would literally have students coming into my classroom at the end of the day to ask me if I could write down the lyrics to songs like, "Frere Jacques" so that they could sing them to their family members or friends later that day.

Another fond memory I have from teaching the students was that of teaching the 5th and 6th graders about the Jazz legends that Stevie Wonder referenced in the song, "Sir Duke." It was so neat to teach the students about the iconic people, who made awesome music for us during the blessed Jazz age of music. I told the students I taught that they did not have to "love" the music I played for them and stressed how they should appreciate learning about it and so many of the important artists, as doing so would help them to become more cultured and knowledgeable about an important part of their country's past. I distinctly remember my last day with Mrs. Evans' 6th grade class. I played "Sir Duke" one last time for them since we had finished learning about the jazz artists and I put up the lyrics to it so that the class could sing if they so chose. By this time, this song had been played about four or five times for their class. I was so impressed when most of the students in the class sang it, and very well I might add. It was in that specific moment that a huge smile spread across my face and I felt of the great power music has to reach people of all ages. It is like a universal language that speaks to everyone, evoking a plethora of emotional and often, meaningful messages. Stevie Wonder echoes this very notion when he says, in the first line of "Sir Duke:" "Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand." I think "Sir Duke" has a catchy beat that makes you want to sing/dance and ultimately, just makes you happy to be alive. So many times in my life, I have felt so happy simply because I have heard a song that I love or that has an awesome message or beat! I love that music has the power to impact anyone and everyone who takes the time to listen to it!

Here is "Sir Duke!" Enjoy it! Trust me, Stevie will NOT disappoint! :)

A final memory I am taking with me from this whole "School of Rock" experience is how awesome it was to joke with the students and be my theatrical, dorky self in front of them. Whenever I taught them, I often broke out into my various accents in order to "spice" things up a bit where learning was concerned! I would use: southern, French, Irish, and British accents at various times along with some weird voices, which I am not sure I know quite how to classify! Haha! The students enjoyed those times and even made requests for me to speak with a certain accent each time I saw them, which just cracked me up! When school let out at the end of the day and I was cleaning things up/putting things away, I had so many students come to my room just to say "hi" and even had some who spoke in awesome accents to me! I am so glad that the students considered me to be approachable enough to come in and talk to me or even to give me a hug. It meant a lot to me to see those kids each afternoon and truthfully, I really miss that now. Someday, I will have my own classroom and I will get to interact with students on a daily basis. I remind myself of that often- someday, that day will arrive and hopefully it will come sooner than later. :)

What did I learn from this experience? I know you're jumping up and down in anticipation for my answer! I learned a lesson I have learned multiple times in my life. Most recently, I have learned this lesson in my college years as well as the beginning of my job as a substitute teacher. I learned that I have so much more potential than I give myself credit for. I can do things that I never dreamed possible and sometimes, it merely takes, doing those things and being thrust right into the middle of it all, for me to realize that I can do it. Never in a million years did I picture myself teaching music for over two months to the students at Sunset View. Yet, I did it and I loved it! Similarly, never in a million years did I expect to get a job at Discovery Ranch, where I will be teaching English/History to girls who are 13-18 years old. Yet, I will be doing this starting in June. Despite my feelings of inadequacy and doubt, which almost always precede my stepping into "unknown territory," I know that the experiences I am having; the students I am teaching; the realizations I'm making about myself- all of these things are molding me into a stronger, more confident, knowledgeable person. I think that what I'm trying to say was already stated in a far more eloquent way than I am able to express at this very moment: "...the things you're scared of are usually the most worthwhile." Who knew that the movie, "Chasing Liberty" would be so wise?!?

Though I didn't form a phenomenally-talented rock band with the students at Sunset View like Jack Black did in "School of Rock," I did have a ROCKIN' time instilling a love of music in them! I'm so grateful for this experience I've had in teaching music and for the teaching experiences to come in my future, as I know that each and every one of them will teach me SO much more than the students with whom I teach.