At this point, it is an overstated, but perhaps not quite well enough understood, truism that every teacher across the country has been affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Perhaps this is none more true than for music teachers. We’ve changed what we teach and how we teach to engage our students in an unknown virtual world. The pandemic has isolated students from one another, and there have been several published studies stating that depression and anxiety among K-12 students has skyrocketed since last March. With the power of music, we have the ability to not only address these debilitating conditions with students, but to teach students how to reflect on their social-emotional state, and to use music as an outlet and a powerful vehicle towards healing.
I was fortunate enough to maintain a somewhat regular class schedule. Currently I teach three levels of Music Technology: 8th Grade (semester based course), Music Technology 1 (open to grades 9-12, full year) and Music Technology 2 (open to grades 10-12, full year). Previously I’ve taught Symphonic Band, History of Rock and History of Hip-Hop. This year, I had the opportunity to develop a new course, Music Technology 2. This course provides students with the opportunity to expand upon their songwriting skills and work towards using music as an outlet for expression. This course also provides students with a deeper understanding of music analysis and promotes class wide discussions. Students are asked to complete a weekly journal assignment, in which they select a song of their choosing and reflect on their emotional experience while listening to it. Students are asked questions such as:
- “How are you feeling today?”
- “How did this song make you feel?”
- “Is there an overall dominant genre or artist that you’ve been listening to on repeat? If so, what is it?”
- “Please describe the music’s ‘vibe’ or overall feeling in a few words… “
- “What level of listening intent are you experiencing?”
With these questions, students can begin to understand and reflect upon their listening selections. Ultimately, they begin to label feelings and identify their listening choices based on emotional state. This provides a “check-in” of sorts, allowing the student the opportunity to state how they’re feeling that day. This frames their listening as a healing tool, and students are validated for their individual musical tastes. Being able to read and understand the personal process for selecting a particular song is incredibly insightful. I use this information to guide my curriculum, discuss music, current events and learn more about my students.
Helping students identify the overall emotive effect of a song by reflecting and journaling has also helped other class-based activities. As an active practice, I allow my students to share music for class discussion and analysis. I call this segment “Hip-Hop Honor with O’Connor.” Students submit a song of their choice to me monthly via Google Classroom, and I select one song a week to take a deep analytical dive. I research the song on websites such as Genius (a lyric analysis website) and search for interviews of the artist. Traditionally on a Friday, I present my research to my students, providing them an opportunity to talk about their experience with the song and reflect on the artist’s development. We also analyze the production (especially sampling) and compositional elements of the song. This practice builds a relationship of trust between myself and my students. Students know that I take this process very seriously, offering students the opportunity to reflect on the analysis of the song and offer their input.
These are only a few examples of ways I implement activities in my classroom to meet the social and emotional needs of my students and connect with them through their music. Next month, look for a blog post about a specific genre of music that grabbed my attention after having ongoing conversations with my students: emorap.
Meaghan O’Connor-Vince teaches 8th Grade Music Technology, Music Technology 1 & 2, History of Rock and Roll, History of Hip-Hop, and Jazz Band at Barnstable High School in Hyannis, MA. She holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Education from the University of Rhode Island, where her principal instrument was saxophone. Meaghan also holds a Masters in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. You can find her full curriculum and contact information at: www.musicoconnor.com.