Okay class, settle down class is in session. Let’s get ready to start our first lesson. It looks like we have about eight students and music seems to be a topic you want to discuss. I will start with the first lesson, but I hope to hear your thoughts in the comment box, as well as learning from the lesson you present on your blogs, and if you don’t have a blog you can teach your lesson in the comment box until the wiki is up and running.
I don’t believe in lectures. I ignored them as a student, and I try to refrain from using them as a teacher. I believe in stories and conversations. I believe in discussions and an exchange of ideas. I will share a story with you here today, one that I hope you learn something from. I will give you some links, show you some videos, and then I will wait for you to respond.
Music, for as long as I can remember, has been my best teacher. My first memories of school are singing Simon and Garfunkel songs with Mrs. Marks my first grade teacher. At home it was the same, as soon as dinner was over, my family did not drone away in front of a TV. No my dad would blast Pink Floyd as I skirted around the living room, eventually begging to stay awake longer. My pleas ignored, I would lay in bed listening to the thumping sounds through the walls.
The first musician that I remember by name is Bob Dylan. I want to share with you my thoughts on Dylan, as musician, poet, social activist, revolutionary, and teacher.
I was in the third grade when I began to actually understand the words he was singing. It was at that moment, at the age of eight that my social consciousness was awakened. Lyrics like…
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
Yes, ‘n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
…made prefect sense to me as a child, maybe even more so than they do now as an adult. But it wasn’t until I was in the eighth grade that I began to study Dylan. I was a shy, skinny, awkward pre-teen without too many friends. After realizing that the popular kids were not the ones I wanted to be involved with, I drew within myself and began trying to figure out what the world was all about and how I would play a part in it. Twenty years later, I am no closer to figuring it out, but Dylan is still there as my guide.
My dad took me to Berkeley for a proper musical education. “You have to have this, “ he would say as he stacked the records on my spindly arms: Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, and of course Dylan. We bought an old record player that same day, and as soon as I got home I locked myself in my room and began my education.
The record jackets were better than any textbook, and the lyric sheets taught me more than any teacher I had in school. I gravitated toward Dylan because his songs told stories of people who were ot happy with their fate in society. As a fellow outcast and underdog, I related to the stories of union workers, African Americans, and peace activist. Coupled with the weekly political discussions my dad had with his friends at our house, Dylan’s music taught me that the world was not perfect and that I not only could, but should do something about it.
I learned more about American history from The Times are a Changin album, than I learned my entire twelve years in school. Songs like With God On Our Side, awakened in me a sense of agitation and thirst for knowledge, that I have yet to lose. He spoke negatively about wars I had been taught to revere; he questioned the class hierarchy I was being taught to worship in school. According to Dylan poor peopel had every right to a piece of the pie as the rich.
Years later as a grown man and teacher, I am amazed at the depth of my understating. I think that young people should be given more credit for understanding complex social issues and be given a chance to offer their thoughts. I would have loved to walk into my eighth grade history class and discuss the lyrics:
So now as I’m leavin’
I’m weary as Hell
The confusion I’m feelin’
Ain’t no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
But instead we were taught some gibberish about the civil war and how valiant president Lincoln was. The Times are A Changin is the epitome of Dylan’s distinct talent for being the voice of the voiceless. From the poor industrial workers, to soldiers, to civil rights workers, to the rural poor, Dylan weaves lesson after lesson.
I suggest spending some time exploring the lyrics and listening to his work. With the advent of the Internet you can do more research on names like Hattie Caroll, or Medger Evers.
I still remember sitting in my room, singing along to the title track:
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.
The Free Wheelin Bob Dylan is another must have for any Dylan Scholar. Besides Blowin in the Wind which I already mentioned, songs like Master of War are still anti-war anthems, determined to show the hypocrisy of war-mongers.
With lyircs like…
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do
…Dylan was the master of tying into teen angst and promoting the power of youth. With over thirty albums, I could write an entire book on his songs and many people have, but I recommend that you spend some time on his website, explore the lyrics, listen to his songs and do some reflecting. Unfortunately, you live in a time of instant downloads, so you cannot enjoy the thrill of watching a record spin and crackle as you read the words, but you do have the advantage of learning more and more about the artist and his work.
In closing homework:
- Find one song or lyric that you feel is still relevant to the state of the world today.
- Paste the lyric into the comment box and write a paragraph about your thoughts as a whole.
- Record and share a Dylan song on Youtube and/or your blog.
- Share some musicians that have had a profound affect on you politically.
There are numerous bands who sing about the world. Some are as obvious as John Mayer’s ‘waiting on the world to change’ or Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Where is the Love’. Welcome to the Jungle and Civil War by Guns N Roses are some very famous song (although some parts of lyrics might not be understandable for those who had not reached puberty yet), depicting the world. But the song I want to share here is “The Chronicles of Life and Death” by Good Charlotte. I’ll reproduce the lyrics here:
And money talks in this world,
That’s what idiots will say
But you’ll find out that this world,
Is just an idiots parade
Before you go, you’ve got some questions.
And you want answers
But now you’re old, cold, covered in blood,
right back to where you started from
But these are the chronicles of life and death and everything between.
These are the stories of our lives, as fictional as they may seem.
You come in this world, and you go out just the same.
Today could be the best day of,
Today could be the worst day of,
Today could be the last day of your life.
It’s your life, your life.
This song is a few years old, but still it has a point. It’s just simply saying that world’s full of crap like rappers always rap about. After hearing this song, I, for a few seconds, lost a purpose for living and breathing. Especially the part “today could be the last day of your life” gave me goosebumps. Man, that’s just too cruel to think about. Life is just random, its probability determined by a divine or unquestionably powerful force. Made me feel so weak and sick. Made me feel everything was so ephemeral. The song wasn’t touching with something abstract or temporary. It reflects human lives in all periods. Just like an idiots parade full of hopes and optimism.
Other ‘insightful’ artist I want to recommend beside Good Charlotte is Sonata Arctica. I wrote a review about them while ago, and their lyrics are beautiful, among the most beautiful lyrics I heard before. http://soojinl10.kiswrites.org/2008/02/17/album-review-unia/
Since I am no singer I can’t record myself singing. Nor I know Dylan songs well. Only Bob Dylan song I knew was ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ because that was remade by Guns N Roses. http://youtube.com/watch?v=vcWTTs8QVRc
Other artists I want to share, the ones played with my political views is Helloween and Tenacious D.
Helloween is a legendary German band who released their debut album more than 20 years ago. Helloween songs I want to share is I Want Out and Future World, both written by genius song writer Kai Hansen, now a leader of Gamma Ray. Every single words are a piece of jigsaw to the masterpiece. Since copy and pasting lyrics will take a lot of space i’ll just link them convently. http://tinyurl.com/3pnzbx and http://tinyurl.com/4jxkx5 Lyrics are pretty much self explanatory, I don’t think I’ll need to elaborate further.
And Tenacious D, is a very ‘cute’ band in America with Jack Black as its lead vocal. Their song Kickapoo, a very inappropriate song so I won’t link to anything (Shhhh it’s on youtube), is a direct challenge to the superiors. I was encouraged by them that all I needed to achieve personal freedom was skills and guts. Without any power in the common people group, the aristocrats seize everything. my view is rather a democrat (as in democracy) and at the same time, progressive?
here concludes the presentation of Soojin
@Soojin you said, “Since I am no singer I can’t record myself singing. Nor I know Dylan songs well. ”
Why not find a song and see if you can simply read the words like a poem, find some images and make a quick podcast or youtube video. It may help you get into his music.
Try a song called Maggie’s Farm…what can that song be about?
One of my high school students recommended this video, Ready to Fall, to me.
http://tinyurl.com/5ozde6
We watched it in our current events class and listed the environmental issues portrayed. Since many of the teens in our rural district are hunters, we had an interesting follow-up discussion.
The song was edgier than the folk rock – including Dylan – that my friends and I discussed in college, but the desire to explore and question the status quo remained the same.
“Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin’.
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.”
–Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan
This song speaks to the young generation’s obsession with music. Every generation, when it is young, has one. And music really does put us under a spell, and we will follow. We covet our iTunes libraries. We follow bands obsessively. We wait in long lines for new releases. We swap and trade. We knew bands before they “made it.” We wear their shirts. It speaks to the social state of the world. Perhaps there’s more to the song as well, but it’s late and my brain is beginning to shut down.
“When we’re young we set our hearts upon some beautiful idea
Maybe something from a holy book or French philosophia
Upon the thoughts of better men than us we swear by and decree a
Perfect way to end the war of ways the only way to be a…
Work of art”
–Philosophia, by Guggenheim Grotto
Again, the social state of youth! Youth tend to be idealistic. We soak up what we read and it influences our thoughts for a better world. Youth always knows best! Their plans are foolproof! (Well, in our eyes theyare…)
“Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you’ll know by.”
–Teach Your Children, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
When is this not true? It’s timeless. Teach your children well.
The music I listen to isn’t directly political. I grew up on world music, specifically, Putumayo. It’s a record label, I think, that releases world music. I listened to a lot of African and Latin songs, and I think that really affected my view of the world. I heard other cultures, so I grew up respecting them and wanting to learn about them. The music I listened to made me more of a global citizen from the start. Politically, it affects my foreign policy views, because I don’t think that the US should be going around imposing on the rest of the world. We’re not at all above the rest of the world, which some people think. Other cultures and ways of life are equal and have just as much value as our own. It may sound obvious, but some people don’t think like that.
And sure, I’ll record. The Times They Are A-Changin’, Peter, Paul, and Mary style (because that’s the version I know :p). I love this song too, and it’s timeless as well, because the times are always a-changin! The waters are me have definitely grown – just look at everyone interacting right here.
http://wahasweden.blogspot.com/2008/05/times-they-are-changin.html
Well this is where thing go slow for me. I like the music I listen to but to bad it’s in Urdu or Hindi. I mostly live in that world, and that world’s songs meanings are mostly meaningless. They are romantic or grief songs. Not really much of the big world idea. But I do have one. It’s not about a big issues but it’s about how girls are cheated. How they are abused. The lyrics won’t make sense, or won’t relate, but the video is great.
The singer I’m talking about is Najam Sharaz. His song “Khwabon Ke Rishte” was shot in India but is a Pakistani song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA6u1dbeppE
The story is about three girls who are cheated by boys. The first by her boyfriend, the second by a random stranger and the third by her brother in law. In the society it is made in this is a big deal. The video was made to warn girls that this could happen to them, because it happens to many girls. I’m having a problem finding lyrics and translation but the video will explain a lot of things. I really like how it’s made and the message is clear.
Like I said, I really don’t listen to that many songs. The ones that I listen to are in Urdu or Hindi and well I would say are meaningless. I hope you like this one. Especially the fact that it’s in another language. You might just learn something. I will try to find the translation, but I guess the video is more powerful then the actual words.
Leila
No More Sorrow, Linkin Park (Album: Minutes to Midnight)
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oeUc0FwaI0
Are you lost, in your lies
Do you tell yourself I don’t realize
Your crusade’s a disguise
Replace freedom with fear you trade money for lives
I’m aware of what you’ve done
[Chorus]
No, no more sorrow
I’ve paid for your mistakes
Your, time is borrowed
Your, time has come to be replaced
I see pain, I see need
I see liars and thieves abused power with greed
I had hope, I believed
But I began to think that I’v been decieved
You will pay for what you’ve done
[Chorus]
No, no more sorrow
I’ve paid for your mistakes
Your, time is borrowed
Your time has come to be replaced
Thieves and hypocrites
Thieves and hypocrites
Thieves and hypocrites
[Chorus]
No, no more sorrow
I’ve paid for your mistakes
Your, time is borrowed
Your time has come to be replaced
No more sorrow
I’ve paid for your mistakes
Your, time is borrowed
Your time has come to be replaced
Your time has come to be replaced
Your time has come to be erased
-
I thought about this long and hard. I wasn’t sure if I was going to use a Linkin Park song… there are a number of reasons for this. There has been a lot of ridicule for America and it’s decision to enter the Iraq war. In but a few months a new president will step up, and whether it is Clinton or Obama, or McCain, we can hope that the President will keep his/her promise and end the war. I am not, however, saying that we should underestimate the wrongness of what has been going on for 7 years now.
So yes, here it is. It is not a slow or sad song. It is fast paced, almost angry. But it is the lyrics that strike close to the heart.
Some other artists that have affected me:
-REM
-The Cranberries
-The Scorpions
-Stone Sour
There are probably a lot more… definitely, in fact. Some Hungarian artists but those wouldn’t mean much, and the rest, I cannot remember.
I am ashamed to say I will not attempt to create a video with me singing. I want to take this opportunity to learn a lot, but my voice is currently breaking and trust me you do NOT want to hear me singing.
Aron
@Aron
Why do you say the Hungarian artists wouldn’t mean much?
[...] topic as Jabiz is exploring the topic on his new ‘Intrepid Classroom’. See the blog here, and the Ning here. Check out the conversations that have been happening there, it will [...]
I stumbled over this thread because of the cocomment 31 days challenge, and am glad I did.
A teacher at our campus sponsors a Dylan Day each May–we gather together with students in the library all day long and simply sing, perform, drum, and strum Dylan songs.
Classes perform some of them together as a group, teachers sing a few, students who have graduated come back and perform, and current students play or sing.
So it seems like kismet that I stumbled over your post a week ahead of our Dylan Day.
I didn’t know that much about Bob Dylan before that, but he has a pretty amazing range. And having heard his songs performed on bongos, in raps, chants, in quartets–it really has shown how incredible a range the songs have.
Maggies Farm is one of my favorites, actually, and also Forever Young, and Two Cups of Coffee for the Road. But I think I like them so much because when I think of them I can hear the students who sang them, sometimes years ago now.
Music has that way of resonating, doesn’t it?
Thanks for the memories
[...] also talked about the song “The Chronicles of Life and Death” by Good Charlotte. See comments for more on that and an album review by a band called Sonata Arctica. Thank you Soo Jin for your [...]
I looked again at my music, and found some political inspiration! Reflection in a blog post: http://wahasweden.blogspot.com/2008/07/commodore-our-brothers-blood.html