Songs to Teach Students

[Hey Adrien!]

My spring break is winding down and upon return we are offering a unique experience for students, the first of its kind at our school.

Between Tuesday and Friday, students have about two hours of standardized testing each day followed up electives that will run for the rest of the day.

For my elective, I'll be with two separate groups that will each have about six hours across two days to learn a song to be performed at a future assembly.

I feel pretty good with my plan for my 7th/8th grade group: I have eight students, six of them girls, who are really into Taylor Swift and Billie Ellish. It's a fun, good-natured group of kids. The group is mostly singers who can play piano, plus a kid who plays guitar. I'll probably play bass and then have some of the singers play assorted percussion.

It's the 5th/6th grade group I need help with. There's a bass player, a guitar player, a drummer and multiple piano players, so there's a full band right there. It's 10-12 year olds, most of which are interested in classic rock (I've gotten requests for AC/DC, Queen, Beatles, Nirvana and then some more current pop songs I'd like to stay away from).

I play a few instruments and have taught for a dozen years, but I've never taught music before. It'll be a fun experience for sure, but what relatively easy classic rock songs would you recommend to teach a group of eight students in six hours?

Genuine and absurd responses are equally appreciated.

 

[CL82]

Probably something off the Hendrix High Live and Dirty album. The Morrison vocals are particularly compelling.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

 

[Waquoit]

Some of those Deep Purple hits seems doable.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Classic ??? Marshall Tucker...Can't you see...Skynrd Sweet Home Alabama-same progression. Or the 1st protest song ever to chart....Eve of Destruction.

 

[storrsroars]

Gotta think the kids and the school administration would love this.

 

[husky429]

Gotta love SBAC!

 

[8893]

“You’re My Best Friend” from Queen.

“Hey Bulldog” from the Beatles.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Gotta think the kids and the school administration would love this.

Kinda related, "Unsatisfied" was a song I was considering.

Pretty easy song to learn and considering his vocals sound a bit like Cobain it could be a nice parallel to draw for them to get into stuff that themselves or their parents might not listen to.

Also, with nine people in each class, the production of the song would align pretty cool to almost a "wall of sound" effect of a lot of, say, keyboards playing along with the chords. Get the best piano player to play the intro...

 

[CL82]

“You’re My Best Friend” from Queen.

“Hey Bulldog” from the Beatles.

I think if I’m going Queen, I do “Crazy Little Thing Like Love”. There are a lot of distinct parts that you could do really interesting things with for a choir.

 

[Dove]

How about a fun ska song. Mighty Mighty Boss Tones?

 

[Kathy]

That would be interesting hear - seen them live a couple times.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

'There's a bass player, a guitar player, a drummer and multiple piano players, '
ezpz.
teachable moment. start out by writing 'keep your hands offa my stack, jack' on the board, and follow up with a brief discussion on our revolutionary origin ('no taxation without representation'), then, drop this very simple to deconstruct song.

pro tip: don't feed them cookies aforehand, lessn u have the fire department on speed dial.

 

[8893]

I think if I’m going Queen, I do “Crazy Little Thing Like Love”. There are a lot of distinct parts that you could do really interesting things with for a choir.

Also a great tune. I was also thinking “Somebody to Love” could be fun with a choir, but you’d really need a vocal superstar for that.

 

[CL82]

I mean if you want the easy one do Green Day Good Riddance. Pretty easy to sing and parents especially will like it. If you want to kick it up a notch do James Blunt Times of our Life. It’s more obscure but it could be really good with a choir and it’s easy to carve out solos or duets if you want to.

 

[QDOG5]

@Hey Adrien! This is how I picture you now Your project sounds like fun and it made me think of School of Rock.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

once had a group of summer camp 4th graders do that tune.
the scene:
parents visiting day talent show.
band sets up on stage, other singers file in behind them. smallest child in the whole camp, aboot 6 years old, walks to the front, calls out by name the owners, director, head counselor, and division leaders, and makes a speech kinda like 'rise up,
and account for urselves! all day long all we get from you is to sit up! be quiet! eat your peas, clean the toilet! stand in line! go to sleep! enough already! this is supposed to be our vacation!'
there's a video somewhere. prolly landed me on sum government watch list....

 

[Mister P]

The extended version of Green Grass and High Tides by the Outlaws.
A good 20+ minute jam session to end the school year.

 

[Improviser]

Maybe this old standby. Shouldn't offend anybody. Generally, a fun song they probably know already.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

@Hey Adrien! This is how I picture you now Your project sounds like fun and it made me think of School of Rock.

I guess I gotta come to work hungover one of the days:

“A hangover doesn’t mean I am drunk. It means I was drunk yesterday.”

 

[ClifSpliffy]

one more, easy to deconstruct musically. and now, a word from the 21st century -this century.


i garuntee the buy in by ur gang will be huge.
practice will be ezpz.
oops, prolly have to change a few words.

and now, the bus is here, and it's time to head to the Park City, where the Huskies will, in fact, be doin something.

 

[Improviser]

Here's an old song from a movie made into a play time and time again.

Google Search

www.google.com

 

[storrsroars]

Kinda related, "Unsatisfied" was a song I was considering.

Pretty easy song to learn and considering his vocals sound a bit like Cobain it could be a nice parallel to draw for them to get into stuff that themselves or their parents might not listen to.

Also, with nine people in each class, the production of the song would align pretty cool to almost a "wall of sound" effect of a lot of, say, keyboards playing along with the chords. Get the best piano player to play the intro...

I thought of "Unsatisfied" as well, but given current politics I went with the other... but Unsatisfied would be a great choice. Who isn't disaffected at that age?

Sidebar: While Grohl was a 'Mats fan, Kurt seemed barely aware of them. And he and Westerberg actually lived in the same hotel at the same time while purposely ignoring each other. But Courtney loved them.

As far as Queen goes, I always liked Taylor's songs the best:

 

[Improviser]

Don't Worry, Be Happy.

 

[Deepster]

I was never very musically talented but have great memories learning “ob la de ob la da” in 7th grade.

 

[JMick]

multiple keyboard players you say?

 

[JMick]

another classic to feature multiple piano/keyboard players

 

[JMick]

And if you want to go with the greatest pop song of all time, and hear an explanation of why it's the greatest pop song of all time



if you like music this is a seriously good listen

 

[August_West]

As a CT “school of rock” volunteer teaching assistant , this thread has been wholly entertaining. Thanks Hey Adrien, good job! I already know you know what to do with your kids. I love reading the by suggestions though . 90% of which trained adults couldn’t pull off . Lol.

Give ‘em material to have fun with. You already know what that is better than us. but if still stuck, pm me.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Overall, a tiring but fun week!

The 5th/6th group learned “Back in Black…pretty fun: I mostly held down the beat while one kid tried drums for the first time. The guitar and piano player were the stars.

My 7th/8th grade group of mostly girls learned “Style” by Taylor Swift and “Happier than Ever” by Billie Eilish. Pretty easy songs to learn and got to teach someone how to play bass. Played drums on those songs ones.

Exhausted, but a fun experience!