Opposing forces

After the viewing of the three videos by Lesile Gore, Fiona Apple, and Lil’ Kim, I thought to myself, wow things have and have not really changed all that much.

All three of the videos show different viewpoints of women talking about the dealing with relationships. While not too visual, the Gore song talks of missing a boy that left with someone else and her reaction to that information. The Apple song describes her reactions to a past situation with the video providing the ambience for her description. The Lil Kim song is a statement of her sexual conquests as a metaphor for her power with the video providing a polished image ready to sell.

My initial reactions to the videos were of interest. I had not seen the Gore video before, nor did I know that one really existed. The other videos, I had not viewed in quite some time. For me the Gore video was quite boring, but I do understand, at the time of the filming, the idea was to capture the performance than to visually tell a story. More or less, with the Gore video, my emotional response was meh with a shoulder shrug.

The other two videos were more engaging, in terms of the visual aspect and sending multiple meanings across with the imagery. Emotionally, I enjoyed the Apple video more the Lil Kim video. I found myself thinking more about the imagery relating to the song. Although, I do not agree with Zeltner’s play-by-play description of the video. His concept of “looking-at-you-looking-at me” is interesting, but that just was not how I viewed the video in relation to the song. With Apple’s lack of interaction with the sets while she was singing, it felt more like memories were going on the background as she told the audience (me) about what had happened between her and her lover.
The Lil Kim video was one that I had not seen the uncensored version until the assignment called for it. For this video, my emotional response was okay, here is a video that is again glorifying the use of sex as a means of power. What I didn’t really like about the video was the mixed message that was sent. The images of Lil Kim being something that is mass-produced, purchased, and used was very different than the power and control that she was boasting about the in the lyrics.

So where does this put my thoughts in terms of how things have changed but not? All of the songs are about relationships and who is in control of the relationship. When looking at the songs, I take the song before the video as that is generally the creative process. The Gore song is also about control but n more on an internal level, she will use her emotions to express herself as she sees fit. The only concerning construction within the song is that the male is in ultimate control, making Gore the victim. Nothing about the images in the video contradicts what she is saying; unless you count the scarves/handkerchiefs the dancers are holding. This is making a statement that women are in control of their emotions and not the emotion-decision making humans often shown in the media.

The lyrics of the Apple and Lil Kim songs put the woman in control of at difference stages the relationship. The Apple song is interesting in what it is portraying as a woman. She has power and has made decisions. Through the lyrics, it is clear that she does not like the outcome of her choices, but she is processing what she needs to do to figuring things out. The video provides images that either Apple has experienced or wants to experience. I think that is for the viewer to decide as it is not overtly stated. The only thing that is clear is a choice was made and now she has to live through it.

The Lil Kim song I think has more power as a song than what the video adds to it. The song itself takes the common use of sex as a metaphor for power used with male rappers and applies it to Lil Kim. The woman is in control and is able to make men do what she wants for her and about her. She gives the lyrical message that she is in complete control of all of her actions. However, the visual message contradicts the message sent through by the lyrics. The visual message of the video removes any power that she might have claimed by showing her as a toy to be bought.

While the messages expressed through the songs have moved from a reactionary state point of victim to a woman in control of her surroundings, the images in the videos have shown a progression of women being in control to a woman expressing control but the images of the video bringing her down to a mere gimmick.

Why teach pop music?

	Blackalicious - Chemical Calisthenics
	Found at skreemr.com

Music is seen as a very powerful tool. However, the use of pop music as a tool for meeting educational goals within the classroom is a touchy subject when presented to those in control of the curriculum used within a school. The use of a standard, regimented curriculum is viewed as an efficient way to present the needed knowledge to students, so the students can be productive members of society. The setting of a particular kind of curriculum and the standards to be achieved is formulated by many parties from outside the classroom, either at the administrative level or through an elected office. The need for efficiency in presenting information within a limited amount of time and funding gives the feeling that what a teacher presents in the classroom needs to always have a clear and direct relationship to the designed curriculum and the standards that are met.

Moving to a “back to basics” model of curriculum can be looked at as further limiting what is taught in the classroom. The first impression of “back to basics” in conjunction with school is a model of teaching that involves lots of memorization and quick recall of facts. With the increased speed and recall, facts are only bits and pieces of information held in the student’s head, to be spit out at the right time. There is a loss of context to the facts. The lack of a context for the facts limits the connection, personal or emotional, possibly forged by the student. This does not even address the time needed by the student to critically look at the absorbed material. While pedagogical strategies have changed and developed throughout the years, the wording of “back to basics” brings up images of call-and-response, choral reading, and rote memorization.

For a teacher to design a series of lessons that include the use of pop music while addressing the curriculum standards, a number of positive interactions can happen. Pop music can be used in number of different ways to help support and present the information and skills stated in the curriculum standards while also giving a personal reaction to the information. The content presented in pop music can provide a looking glass into the various social issues that are being faced currently or were being faced when a particular song was produced or recorded. This can provide insight into to what was going from a historical, political, societal, or a personal perspective. While from a curricular and efficient stand point, I would say that provides more than enough reason to include pop music, the true factor that pop music speaks to for students is the personal factor.

Without the personal factor or personal connection, the facts that are learned in the classroom have no bearing on the lives of the student. When a personal response is evoked, learning takes a turn from just absorbing and repeating to exploring and understanding. Music, especially pop music, produces an emotional response from students. Using this response as a jumping board, a teacher can draw students into the various facts and perspectives presented around and through the music. Providing that opportunity to dig deeper into what was going on, through the lyric, instrumentation, arrangement, or even album artwork. Even if pop music is simply only a hook to bring in students to a topic, pop music can help to bridge the gap between a stone, cold fact to be memorized and regurgitated and a personal, emotional experience that wants to continue to move forward and onward.