I’m not a big fan of the Hip Hop culture as I have a negative view of lyrics that promote the lucrative aspects of being part of a gang, doing drugs and using violence against others. Furthermore, I do not like the misogynistic culture and how women are portrayed in most of the videos that we see on our mainstream channels. That being said, when I read the article, “Starting With Style: Toward a Second Wave of Hip-Hop Education Research and Practice,” (Petchauer, 2015), I have learned to appreciate the origin of the movement and how youth were able to use it to create something fun they were interested in, as well as promote social change.
For me, I found the skills of sampling and layering music very interesting and how it evolved from more traditional crafts like quilting. The explanation of flow and rupture was also informative as I think it’s fascinating to see how the culture and social movement uses it as a means of shocking the status quo. My daughter is a ballet dancer and conformity is essential with this style of dance. I like how Hip Hop promotes the “crooked line” and encourages creativity, individuality and innovation (Petchauer, 2015).
So what does this mean to me as an educator? How can I bring this movement and understanding of the need for social change into my classroom? First of all, as mentioned in the article, patience is key. In many inner-city schools, students have incredibly challenging home lives and we need to ensure we are a stable and supportive environment for them. We need to recognize the importance of equity over equality and give them what they need so they can do their best learning. This may come from breakfast and snack programs, as well as a variety of teaching approaches. I really liked the idea of how one of the schools tapped into the students’ interest in music and provided a recording studio for them with a project based learning approach. I also think the business model of hustling was fantastic! We need to find where students are in their learning and build upon it. As educators, we should not just be government “top down” teaching, but also, “bottom up” learning where students are driving our programs and we are co-learning alongside them. By offering them respect and using where they are coming from to help them learn will keep them engaged and hopefully pursuing education for a longer period of time.
As for Kanye West….I don’t know what to say. Whenever I see him on television, I change the channel. Even Obama said he was an “a**”. But now I can see that he is the “rupture” in the flow. He uses his voice and rants to get peoples’ attention and break the monotony of the status quo. So yes, I now have a better understanding of Hip Hop and how the movement can disrupt the flow and promote social change...but you still can’t make me like Kanye!
For me, I found the skills of sampling and layering music very interesting and how it evolved from more traditional crafts like quilting. The explanation of flow and rupture was also informative as I think it’s fascinating to see how the culture and social movement uses it as a means of shocking the status quo. My daughter is a ballet dancer and conformity is essential with this style of dance. I like how Hip Hop promotes the “crooked line” and encourages creativity, individuality and innovation (Petchauer, 2015).
So what does this mean to me as an educator? How can I bring this movement and understanding of the need for social change into my classroom? First of all, as mentioned in the article, patience is key. In many inner-city schools, students have incredibly challenging home lives and we need to ensure we are a stable and supportive environment for them. We need to recognize the importance of equity over equality and give them what they need so they can do their best learning. This may come from breakfast and snack programs, as well as a variety of teaching approaches. I really liked the idea of how one of the schools tapped into the students’ interest in music and provided a recording studio for them with a project based learning approach. I also think the business model of hustling was fantastic! We need to find where students are in their learning and build upon it. As educators, we should not just be government “top down” teaching, but also, “bottom up” learning where students are driving our programs and we are co-learning alongside them. By offering them respect and using where they are coming from to help them learn will keep them engaged and hopefully pursuing education for a longer period of time.
As for Kanye West….I don’t know what to say. Whenever I see him on television, I change the channel. Even Obama said he was an “a**”. But now I can see that he is the “rupture” in the flow. He uses his voice and rants to get peoples’ attention and break the monotony of the status quo. So yes, I now have a better understanding of Hip Hop and how the movement can disrupt the flow and promote social change...but you still can’t make me like Kanye!