Category Archives: Music

Why I am a champion for #geniushour #20Time #geniustime

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#geniushour #20Time #geniustime

Throughout most of my educational journey my creativity was stifled.  I will never forget when I drew a picture on a homework paper to illustrate an answer and was reprimanded for that. 

When I first starting teaching my administrator forced me to use a textbook that my students could not comprehend.  He got upset when I had my class write their own book with illustrations.  Luckily the principal thought that was a great idea.  When I realized my students did not know anything about the world I wrote a complete socio-economic-historical curriculum of the neighborhood where I taught.  It got nice feedback from my principal and the local politicians.  However, when I was transferred to another school (I was lowest in seniority in my subject area) the assistant principal said, We don’t do that in this school.  Years later the entire school district used my community curriculum. 

Very early in my teaching career I realized it would be a wise idea to put the curriculum to music.  My students knew all the song lyrics to their favorite songs.  Unfortunately I did not have any musical talent.  I really blew it by not having some of my students (The Fat Boys) put the curriculum to rap songs. 

When Billy Joel’s song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” first was released my students and I came up with a fantastic lesson to go along with it.  NBC News got wind of it and wanted to come into my school to film me do the lesson with my students.  My principal refused to let them come.  Maybe it was because our school led the city in assaults on teachers.

I did have one superintendent for a short while who encouraged my creativity.  He let a couple of us write complete curriculums, with lesson plans and student workbooks for the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th grades.  When the next superintendent came in he refused to let us finish the 6th grade curriculum. 

As a result of my experiences I was determined to make sure I did not stifle my students’ creativity abilities.  During the first week of school I had my students fill out a survey of their interests and abilities.  Throughout the school year I referred to this when we did our work.  If a student liked to draw, write poetry, or was musically talented they could put that to use in their assignments.  I wish I taught now with all the wonderful tech tools there are .

Please give your students some time to pursue their passions  #GeniusHour #20Time #geniustime as it should be incorporated into your busy schedule. 

Music to My Ears

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I have been busy recalling stories from my teaching career in which I saw just about everything as an inner city teacher for a book that I am writing.  Somewhere in the depths of my mind music played a role in all of this.

First, I have to admit that as a result of music I flunked out of college.  Yes, it is true that when I was about eight years old my parents enrolled me in a music class at City College in New York.  I just could not handle the recorder so I dropped out of that school.

When I started teaching it was obvious to me that my students had no trouble memorizing song lyrics but not the work that I wanted them to achieve.  I really wished that I could put the curriculum to music but alas my musical ability prevented this. I always tried to keep abreast of the songs and stars that my students followed.  My students appreciated the fact that I knew the songs and current expressions they used.

One year I was asked to coach the salutatorian.  When I met the young man, who I did not teach, I told him the next time we met I wanted him to have a list of the top 15 popular songs.  He gave me a strange look but he did come back with that list the next time we met.  After examining the list to make sure there would be no offensive things in the titles I told him to work in as many of them into his speech.  Graduation that year was in the auditorium of Brooklyn College as we had a large number of graduates.  The main speaker was a top news anchor on one of the most watched New York City news shows.  Outside the auditorium my wife was wheeling our son’s baby carriage and talking to some of my students who also brought their babies.  The salutatorian gave his address and each time he uttered a song title that he had embedded he got a standing ovation.  The auditorium rocked when he concluded the speech.  The news anchor who had to give her address after his gave him a wonderful compliment but her speech was a dud and could not even come close to the salutatorian.  I guess it was a good thing I was transferred (because of seniority) from that school after that.

You’ll have to read my book to find out about my experience with some of the Fat Boys I taught, an amazingly talented young man I helped discover who set a world’s record in track and cut records  and a music teacher who played “When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” when firefighters tried to extinguish a blaze in his classroom.