Discussion: ► COE 506 | Singalongs and Spotify: Campfire and 21st Century Technologies Being Used Side-by-Side to Integrate Songs as Primary Cultural Texts in the Humanities

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2014-09-05T15:03:25-06:00

Thursday, September 25: 4:00 - 4:30pm

Abstract:
As a musician working in the field of American Studies, I place a lot of emphasis on the importance of songs as primary sources with which to understand our culture, just as we use films and novels. This presentation will go into the use of very old practices, such as group singalongs, and new technologies, such as the music streaming service Spotify, to illustrate how educators can easily bring songs into the classroom in a meaningful and focused way, in order to give an evermore "authentic" reflection of our culture through our curriculum.

Description:
This will primarily be a presentation focusing on how teachers can implement singalongs and spotify in their curriculum, but, there will also be a participational element, where the group will be led in a singalong of a popular American song.

Singalong: First, I will discuss the benefits of this participational activity on the morale and academic investment of the class. Additionally, I will discuss how a teacher can place a song in cultural and historical context for the student before the group singalong in order for each student to have a good understanding of WHY it is important to sing this song.

Spotify: I will lead a tutorial of this streaming music service, but also address how its playlist messaging, and follower functions can be used as a tool that integrates assignments with social networking and provides a fun and entertaining way for students to become involved with the songs they are studying. Additionally, I will focus on how Spotify's immense library of songs, spanning numerous cultures and time periods, which encourages musical exploration, beneficial to teachers and students alike.

Presented by: Julian Saporiti, UW Lecturer (Honors Program, American Studies, Synergy)
email: jlsaporiti@gmail.com