Artists in the Classroom (11-12)

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” - Pablo Picasso

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Music for our piece
Above is a list of the music some of my 4th and 5th grade students are interested in using for their dance piece this semester. When we start talking about music, lyrics especially, really great conversations start to take place that are centered around the questions: - What makes some music OK for school and some music not OK for school? - Who decides on what’s OK and what’s not OK? - Who should be deciding? - Why is this particular song not OK to use for our piece even though every single one of us knows the lyrics and listens to it at home? It’s also a great opportunity to address the fact that much of the art that people connect with / find value in / consume wouldn’t be deemed “OK for school” by most educators. It’s a big, pregnant, ooey-gooey topic that I’ve only touched on with a handful of classes…still trying to find my way through it myself…

Music for our piece

Above is a list of the music some of my 4th and 5th grade students are interested in using for their dance piece this semester. When we start talking about music, lyrics especially, really great conversations start to take place that are centered around the questions:

- What makes some music OK for school and some music not OK for school?
- Who decides on what’s OK and what’s not OK?
- Who should be deciding?
- Why is this particular song not OK to use for our piece even though every single one of us knows the lyrics and listens to it at home?

It’s also a great opportunity to address the fact that much of the art that people connect with / find value in / consume wouldn’t be deemed “OK for school” by most educators. It’s a big, pregnant, ooey-gooey topic that I’ve only touched on with a handful of classes…still trying to find my way through it myself…

Filed under Music For Our Piece Jakey Toor Jakey Toor