Chance the Rapper, Lupe Fiasco, and 10 Other Songs that Will Inspire Your Students
Some logic statements for the teachers out there:
1.) Your kids love music.
2.) You love your kids.
3.) Therefore, you love music.
Even though this conclusion isn’t sound logically, it couldn’t be more accurate. Kids are obsessed with music.[1] Put a good song in front of them and they’ll have in memorized by the next morning. Put a great song in front of them and they’ll be texting you about its importance in their lives many years later.
It took me a while to learn this lesson. When I started teaching I never thought to play and discuss music with my kids. Now, I can’t think of a better way to build culture / connect with kids on another level / create the mood in my classroom[2] / talk about current events / inspire while being inspired / have fun / all of the above.
My proposal?
1.) Find a song you love soon / tonight / right now. (I put some suggestions below!)
2.) Print out the lyrics and give them to your kids. (Major key alert as DJ Khaled likes to say.)
3.) Play the song for / with them. (Feel free to do this twice.)
4.) Share what you love about the song. (Make sure kids share what they love too! I’d even have them share first.)
5.) Repeat as regularly as you can. (Also, ask kids which songs they want to hear to see if they have any good suggestions. They will.)
Here is an example of this:
Below are 12 legit songs that you could try. One for each month in no particular order. I’ve included my favorite lines too, which I think get to the heart of each song.
1.) Lupe Fiasco — The Show Goes On
So no matter what you been through / No matter what you into / No matter what you see when you look outside your window / Brown grass or green grass / Picket fence or barbed wire / Never ever put them down / You just lift your arms higher
2.) Big Sean — One Man Can Change The World ft. Kanye West, John Legend
Used to look up at the stars and be like ain’t too much that’s different / I be shinin’, they be shinin’, get your one shot don’t you miss it / What you know bout’ wakin’ up everyday like you on a mission?
3.) Macklemore — Wednesday Morning
Greatest gift I ever learned is helpin’ someone else / You feel fully fulfilled ’cause you forget about yourself
4.) Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Cast of Hamilton — My Shot[3]
Hey yo, I’m just like my country I’m young, scrappy and hungry / And I’m not throwing away my shot
5.) Angel Haze — Battle Cry ft. Sia
Sometimes you have to hurt for the ’cause to be reached / But one day you’ll be stronger than all that you beat
&
Money cannot buy / All the love that’s here tonight
6.) The Script — Hall of Fame ft. will.i.am
Do it for your people / Do it for your pride / How you ever gonna know if you never even try?
7.) Chance the Rapper — Blessings (Reprise) ft. Ty Dolla Sign, Raury, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Anderson Paak
I speak of wondrous unfamiliar lessons from childhood / Make you remember how to smile good
8.) Common, John Legend — Glory
Selma’s now for every man, woman and child / Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd / They marched with the torch, we gon’ run with it now
9.) One Republic — Good Life (Remix) ft. B.o.B
They say the best is yet to come / But I swear it’s already here / Just open up your eyelids
10.) Andra Day — Rise Up
All we need, all we need is hope / And for that we have each other
11.) Logic — 1–800–273–8255 ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid
But you gotta live right now / You got everything to give right now
12.) Auli’i Cravalho — How Far I’ll Go[4]
I can lead with pride, I can make us strong / I’ll be satisfied if I play along / But the voice inside sings a different song
And a few bonus songs because you’ve read this far (why not??):
The Black Eyed Peas — Where Is The Love?
Yo’, whatever happened to the values of humanity / Whatever happened to the fairness and equality / Instead of spreading love we’re spreading animosity / Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
The Black Eyed Peas — #WHERESTHELOVE ft. The World[5]
Love is the key / Love is the answer / Love is the solution / They don’t want us to love
Read more, learn more, change the globe
I’m proud of who I am / No more monsters, I can breathe again / And you said that I was done / Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come
Ben Platt and the Cast of Dear Evan Hansen — Waving Through a Window
On the outside, always looking in / Will I ever be more than I’ve always been?
There are going to be other great songs that you play too. Share them in the comments section below! I’m always looking for good music.
I’ll leave you with these three final thoughts. All from kids I taught in 5th grade who are now in their last years of high school. In March I put up a picture of “The Show Goes On” on Instagram and they had this to say:
Tahliyah: “I was just bumping this yesterday lol I’ll never forget this song.”
Makeda: “The Anthem!!”
Quamir: “Was motivation back then still is now.”
Word.
To slightly remix Shakespeare:
If music be the food of students, play on.[6]
— — — — —
[1]As are most people.
[2]During the warm up to start class I like to play high energy songs such as Chance the Rapper — All We Got and Krewella — Alive to build momentum. During the more reflective parts of class I like to play instrumental songs such as Explosions in the Sky — Your Hand in Mine and Coldplay — Life in Technicolor so kids focus more on their work than the words.
[3] “I’m ‘a get a scholarship to King’s College” is also an amazing line.
[4]Don’t sleep on this song. Moana is a badass.
[5]I might play this video too the second time through.
[6]A shout-out to Twelfth Night: “If music be the food of love, play on.”
Originally published at blog.kippnj.org on September 6, 2017.
