Using Music To Enliven The American History Classroom

Looking At The Post-Civil War Years Through The Life And Music Of Henry Clay Work

Abstract

In my early years in teaching during the mid 1990s, I became excited about the potential use of music in the classroom to enliven my teaching. I learned that popular culture was not only fertile ground for historical study but also an effective tool in aiding students' understanding of the past. As George Lipsitz has explained, students might not know American history, but they know Hollywood movies, television shows, and top-40 hits. Thus, when used effectively, clips from Charlie Chaplain's Modern Times, the sitcom Leave it to Beaver, or the Beatles' White Album help introduce issues of mechanization, postwar conformity, and the counterculture in terms students can comprehend.

As part of my own effort to bring popular culture into the classroom, I began mining the music libraries for contemporary songs to use in my United States since 1865 survey course. One early experiment was to play period music during the first five minutes of class to attract attention and stimulate participation for the lessons that followed. From there I began organizing mini-lectures and discussions around songs and artists to match the topics and themes of the course.