inside Rhodes

Today I was browsing through my music and stumbled upon one of my favorite pieces. It’s a song by Schubert orchestrated by Berlioz. The song tells the story of the mythical Erlkonig monster through a frightened son’s eyes.

I used this piece in my English class this summer to demonstrate characterization and how it extends far past literature into music, art, and social constructions. I remember prefacing the music by saying, “Now, this is a ‘classical’ piece of music. But, don’t be too quick to judge. Give it a shot and you might enjoy it.” These were simply words out of my mouth: I knew that they would moan and groan as soon as the piece began.

But, middle school students always have surprises up their sleeves! As the piece played, I helped them understand the German text by pointing out how the vocalist changes his voice to portray the scared son, the unbelieving father, and the creepy Erlkonig. When the piece ended, the students weren’t bored. Rather, they were excited about “how cool” the piece of music was. One of my students even gave me a blank CD later in the week because she wanted me to burn her a copy to listen to the piece on her own time.

This may seem medial to some…but for me, this was magic. Seeing my student’s faces light up at music that wasn’t familiar to them and seeing them apply this interest to the subject matter at hand gave me confidence in the classroom that I didn’t have before. I had found another way to connect with students…another way to build a community of teachers and learners for the greater good.

After this experience, I began incorporating music on a daily basis. We used the different themes in Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” to foster a discussion of themes in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I played rap beats in the background during individual work time. We discussed symbolism by looking at the music of Stephen Sondheim. I used Renaissance polyphony to help the students imagine what culture and life was like in Shakespearean England.

Hearing any of the pieces I used in class this summer puts me right back into the summer with Breakthrough Manchester. I miss my students and fellow faculty members, but these memories help me reflect on my experience and remember the inspiration that the summer offered me.