How to Use Music in an ELA Classroom

Music might be the easiest way to get students to appreciate literature.  The voice of the singer often makes it easy to understand the emotion behind the words so the reader is not left guessing.  There are so many musicians that have their own unique style.  To name a few of my favorites:  Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Talib Kweli, The Grateful Dead, and Rachael Yamagata. 

Just as students close read a poem, they can think about the connections between all the moving parts of a song, how they work together.  Students can play a clip of their favorite song and talk about what the lyrics mean to them.  There is a story behind every lyric and everyone can usually tell a great story about a song and how it connects to a personal experience. 

Students don’t need to know the techniques of music and performance to speak about the power of a song and what they think makes it special.   Here are four ways students can talk about music:

Lyrics

Song lyrics contain many literary techniques used in poems and novels.  They often tell stories or contain a motif that students can interpret.  Just like a poem, they start by introducing an idea and then build on that idea as the song progresses. 

Music

Students can speak about the various instruments in a song and do some research if they don’t know.  They can also talk about solos or how the instruments work together to create a unique sound.  Students can also talk about how music evolves over time and the genres or bands that led to the creation of the song they decide to select.  Music rises and falls just like a stressed or unstressed syllable, like in “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. 

Voice

Sometimes it’s hard to clearly hear the exact words of a song but it’s still fun to listen to because of the voice and emotion of the singer.  I’m thinking of Pearl Jam, where sometimes it comes out crystal clear and sometimes just the music and the voice express the emotion.  Singers yell, whisper, or use the sounds of everyday speech and storytelling in their songs.  When I teach prosody, I try to get students to think of how an interruption in the predictable rhythm of a poem might correspond to the change of emotion of the speaker or the turn of an idea or image.  The singer’s voice works the same way.  They change how they sing the song to get the listener’s attention or emphasize a point. 

Performance

Artists enhance their songs with a music video or a live concert where the band brings a song to life with dancing, props, costumes, and special effects.  Think of Lady Gaga flying into the Super Bowl after singing “This Land is Your Land” or the mud fight during Green Day’s performance at Woodstock ‘94.  A student might want to present not on a song but a performance like Mick Jagger and Tina Turner at Live Aid in 1985 or Ariana Grande and The Roots performing Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” on “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” after her death.  I’ll never forget Beyonce’s halftime performance at the Dallas Cowboy’s game on Christmas or the Super Bowl halftime show with Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly, and NSYNC.  Or The Band’s The Last Waltz.

Historical context

Just like teachers do with literature, it’s also worth exploring the historical or biographical context of a song.  The song might be connected to the real-life experience of the writer or express some sentiment shared by an entire generation.  Songs like “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan, or “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are good examples. 

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