Untangling Hip-Hop for the Classroom

Music is one of my passions.  I obtained my undergraduate degree in voice performance in the naive hope that someday, classical music can again be related to current society, rather than be a merit badge for the well-to-do or the exit tune for cheesy cartoons and commercials.  This article speaks of a teacher who shared his youth with that of the hip-hop culture, and continues to make connections with his students through this medium.  Now personally I'm not a fan of this style of music; too much violence and repetitive sounds for my tastes (though ironically I love hard rock).  Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I can still appreciate what it means for students who do connect with it.  Music is something that transcends all boundaries, and should be used much more often than it is in the general education classroom.  This is especially true of current music, since the majority of students listen to it, watch it, and enjoy it on a very regular basis.  Creating connections between the content of a lesson plan and some type of music shouldn't be too difficult, given the wide range of possibilities to choose from, both lyrically and instrumentally.  One of my goals is to weave music and its emotionally stimulating abilities into my class whenever appropriate, and I love that the author of this article is on the same wavelength.  A massive part of being a successful educator is knowing your student, and their music is such an identifying piece that it's a no brainer to me that it should be celebrated in a class environment.  Sadly, music programs seem to be first on the chopping block when budget cuts come around; it seems the sounds of the boardroom drown out the music of the past, regardless of the tones.