Return to current featured articles or search the Southwestern Musician archives.

Meaningful Music

By Chelsea Quinn
Published: May 2010
pdf Icon PDF Version Available

It happens every year—the time comes when fifth-grade students get to make their schedules for their first year of middle school. The opportunities are confusing and attractive; they can take art, drama, music, athletics, debate, foreign languages, and other unique courses as their elective credit. So how do we, as elementary music teachers, keep our students engaged and involved in music programs after they leave the elementary classroom?

Making music a meaningful experience is key to keeping students in school music programs. If music class is something the students can connect with and find a sense of belonging in, they are more likely to continue to be involved as they progress through school. But how do we do this? How do music educators ensure that students have meaningful experiences in the music classroom? One answer is through selection of appropriate repertoire that is engaging and relevant. Appropriate repertoire can include music from around the world, popular music played on the radio, or even music as simple as school songs.

Respect Their Culture
World music is becoming increasingly popular in the elementary setting. With increasing immigration to the United States and greater awareness of other cultures, music teachers are drawn to multicultural music—from British folk songs to African drumming to Middle Eastern lullabies. Yet something is still missing—there needs to be a link, something to tie these great songs to the students, rather than just presenting cultural music without personal connection.
We can create this personal connection by using songs from the various cultures of the students in the classroom. Not only will these students feel special and knowledgeable, but their peers will feel a connection to the repertoire through them. As a part of my elementary music methods class, I was able to observe a fascinating local elementary school, Mead Elementary.

Located in a large urban city in south Texas, Mead is home to a growing and unique group of international students. These international students include political refugees from countries around the world—France, Somalia, Burma, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and many others. Through a government program, over 600 families were resettled in the area, and most of their children attend Mead Elementary.[1] Over 22 different countries, and even more languages, are represented at Mead. In addition to the obvious language barrier, most of these children have never attended a school before, and there are vast cultural differences.

A school like Mead Elementary is full of students who love the opportunity to share their background with their teachers and peers. Showing the teacher and class something from their culture encourages students to have ownership over the music and to take pride in their heritage. In an interview with four Somali girls at Mead, the students were eager to share Somali music with me. The girls were thrilled to reveal their favorite Somali artists (mostly modern Somali hip hop artists),[2] by browsing on YouTube. I was amazed at how these students became so engaged when they felt connected to the music. Mead Elementary also hosted a talent show in which students brought in folk music from their native countries. The students were able to show off what they knew, and learn more about the cultures from which their peers came. Cultural music has the power to connect to students and speak to them in a way that no other music can.

Bridge the Gap with Popular Music
Using popular music is another key element in the music classroom. Teachers may shy away from this for many reasons: some lyrics may not be appropriate for the classroom, it might be difficult to teach musical concepts through popular music, and some teachers simply don’t believe popular music has enough musical merit for placement in the curriculum. Popular music, however, can bring students together in a number of ways more traditional classroom music cannot.

Popular music, for example, helps bridge the gap between classroom music and home music. At a Mead Elementary School PTA program, students sang a variety of popular songs. You could tell by the students’ enthusiasm that they were engaged in the music. Singing popular music that students hear on the radio can make the music classroom more engaging and spark higher interest; therefore, the students are more likely to be connected and interested. However, popular music doesn’t need to be used solely to keep students engaged. Popular music has a legitimate place in the music classroom—it can be used to teach musical elements, such as melodic patterns, harmony, and rhythm. For example, the popular hit “Lean on Me” can be used as a teaching tool for melodic patterns. The opening verses of “Lean on Me” are made up of the scale pattern of do-re-mi-fa, while the chorus is a descending scale pattern on mi-re-do. These essential melodic patterns can be taught using songs like this, making the concepts relevant to the students.

Using popular music also demonstrates the educator’s effort to relate to the students’ world. You can do this by having students identify songs that they want to learn rather than choosing the entire repertoire for the year yourself.

An uplifting example of using ­popular music in the classroom is the elementary choir of PS 22, a Title 1 school in Staten Island, New York City. You may be familiar with this YouTube sensation. The music teacher, Gregg Breinberg, focuses on teaching his choir students popular music, rather than traditional children’s songs. They may come from different backgrounds, but they all listen 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 different genres,” Breinberg told NPR.3 His method offers us an example of how popular music can have a place in school choirs—and how, if used well, can be a huge success with the students.

Support School Pride in Song
Your school song can offer an additional strategy to create meaningful experiences in the music classroom. Like most elementary schools, Mead’s school song is taught to students in every grade. Their school song is a point of pride for students. It is something that gives them a sense of belonging, and ownership—this is their song. Mead Elementary also has a song of the year (this year it is “I Believe I Can Fly”). In addition to the school song, this song is taught to every grade at the beginning of the year. Usually this is a popular song, something that all students can enjoy. This provides a unifying element across all grades in the school. Again, the students take pride and ownership, because it is their song for the year. Take advantage of these two opportunities to connect with all students.

Connect at a Critical Time
Middle school students are under a lot of pressure—in addition to the peer pressure that comes with being a teenager, they are in more structured academic classes and are going through TAKS testing. It is also their first opportunity to select an elective subject of their choice. At this age, they will want an elective they can enjoy, one that will engage them and that they can relate to. Students who enjoyed elementary music class and found it relevant and interesting are going to be more likely to continue their involvement in music throughout their secondary school experience. By using world music, popular music, and songs with which the students have ownership in elementary school, a critical connection can be made with these students, and they may develop a love of music that will stay with them through life.

References
1. Barron-Flores, Rebecca. “Meeting the Needs of Refugee Students.” Diverse Learning Communities Today, Vol. 1, No. 5 (August 2009).
2. Four Somali Girls. Cultural Music, Author Interview. November 6, 2009.
3. Adler, Margot. “Fifth-Grade Chorus Becomes A YouTube Hit.” Music Interviews and Profiles, 2009.

Chelsea Quinn is a music education major at Trinity University and winner of the College Division Essay Contest.