Recently I decided to include more music into my lessons. I started this with my American Literature courses (the College in the High School and mainstream classes), and my students have reacted quote favorably.
Initially, I used The Who’s “Baba O’Rily” and “My Generation” with Anne Tyler’s “Teenage Wasteland.” Not only do the lyrics match the short story quite well, but the pacing of “Baba O’Reily” matches the story as well, especially the abrupt finish.
With The Grapes of Wrath I included “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” My favorite part of Guthrie’s folk song is the last two (often forgotten or excluded) verses: Read the rest of this entry »
