Participation Type
Workshop
Session Title
Session 10.10 Education
Session Abstract or Summary
In keeping with the conference theme and my own experience teaching African-American protest, and environmental justice literature, I propose to lead a workshop titled, The Song as Text for Student Analysis, that features a Song Analysis Worksheet I developed and use. Students may frequently listen to songs, but unless they play an instrument, they may know little to nothing about how music, lyrics, and performance combine to form a unique text, or how to translate this knowledge once they have it into written language. The use of metaphor is an important part of this knowledge transfer. In this interactive workshop we will listen to a selection of songs, analyze them using a 4-page worksheet, and discuss our results. This workshop is designed for teachers of writing and literature (high school to college) who include, or would like to include, songs as one or more of their course texts. No music knowledge needed! The worksheet focuses on music, lyrics, and the relationship between the two and with other texts. I will provide worksheet copies, songs, lyrics, and a Resources sheet. Once back on their own campuses, participants are welcome to use or adapt the worksheet as meets their needs, or use it as a model to develop their own.
Presentation #1 Title
The Song as Text for Student Analysis Workshop
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Through hands-on practice, this workshop teaches participants how to use a Song Analysis Worksheet in their writing and literature courses where songs are among the assigned texts. Participants can then teach their students to use the worksheet I developed, and revise it as needed for their teaching purposes. Workshop abstract is the same as that above under Session Abstract.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Rhonda Pettit is a professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, where she is currently using environmental justice as a theme in her classes. She is the editor of the Blue Ash Review, and has published both literary criticism and poetry, most recently a chapbook, Fetal Waters.
The Song as Text for Student Analysis Workshop
Through hands-on practice, this workshop teaches participants how to use a Song Analysis Worksheet in their writing and literature courses where songs are among the assigned texts. Participants can then teach their students to use the worksheet I developed, and revise it as needed for their teaching purposes. Workshop abstract is the same as that above under Session Abstract.
