I don’t usually past about class activities, however, I am making this exception because I’m enjoying the fruit of the activity. On the first day of school, I asked my students to create a playlist of tune to represent how they would like their school year to go. As I tend to do, I put together a playlist of my own as an example to give students a little insight into who I am as a person and some of my musical taste.
Here is my list:
- Golden by Jill Scott from Beautifully Human cause that’s how I want to feel this year.
- South Bronx by Boogie Down Productions from Criminal Minded, because that’s where I’m from, and I’m proud of that fact.
- Mi PC by Juan Luis Guerra from Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual, cause I’m Dominican and his music reminds me of these roots as well.
- Cold Sweat by James Brown & His Famous Flames from Cold Sweat, need no explanation…it’s Jame Brown!
- Doctone by Branford Marsalis from the album Requiem, mainly because it reminds me of being a graduate student. I was constantly afraid of being discovered as a fraud and when I was most doubtful of myself this record was the soundtrack to finding my center and getting myself together during that time.
- Giant Steps by John Coltrane from the album Giant Steps, because it’s an amazing piece of art and it’s what I want for my students. I want them to make significant moves toward their goal this year.
- The End by the Airways was a tune introduced to me by a student, and it reminds me that I learn as much from them as they from me.
Some of the tunes picked by my students were cool, here are a few of them:
- Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
- High Hopes by Panic at the Disco
- What Ever It Takes by Imagin Dragon
- Work Song by Nat Adderly
- Holy Ground by Taylor Swift
- I’m Still Standing by Elton John
- Alien boy by Oliver Tree
- Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles
Hope you enjoy these tunes, I just added them to a class playlist and revisit them with students in a few weeks. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Ed Castro's Blog 
One response to “Class Activity”
This is awesome. These are like mini anthems that remind us of who we are and that we can okay when we need a reminder. I’m with you, especially on the Living My Life Like It’s Golden – thank you Jill Scott!