English teacher Heidi Bowman has been sharing her knowledge and techniques to improve learning with the students at Woodbridge High for the past two years
Throughout this time, she has created methods to help her students engage more during class and focus on their assignments. Bowman implements music for each of the lessons she teaches.
“I use music all the time in the background. I pull music that doesn’t have words so that students don’t try to sing along and get distracted. I match it to the unit or ‘the vibe’ of the text,” Bowman said.
She uses many different genres for the class, especially according to the setting of the current book they are reading. “Lord of The Flies,” which takes place on a deserted island, inspired her to play ocean waves in the background. Another example is “To Kill a Mockingbird,” where she plays the blues during work time. She finds these methods to be impactful as it allows students to feel more comfortable in the atmosphere and build a stronger connection with the book.
Bowman furthers her love for music by sharing certain songs she matches with notable experiences from her life.
“It’s [‘Time of Your Life’ by Greenday]…it’s beautiful, and they played it at our graduation the year it came out,” Bowman said.
Students also share their love for music whether it is for a game, to do homework or simply just to relax. Sophomore Dyllan Harris explains what she enjoys listening to as a varsity athlete in both soccer and flag football.
“If I listen to sad music, it really brings my spirits down, but that fast paced music really gets me going,” Harris said.
It is typical for athletes to listen to fast, upbeat and happy songs. This type of music evokes a feeling of excitement, which is essentially what allows Harris to prepare for her games. This contrast with slower tempos, which leads the listener to feeling melancholy and down.
“I associate the song ‘Roxanne’ with my really good friend because she plays it every single time I’m with her, and she just loves to dance to it,” Harris said.
Through music, people can connect with each other and bond over favorite artists and songs. It also provides the opportunity to understand the feelings of others on a deeper level.
Junior Preston Lin enjoys music of all kinds, ranging from rap to indie.
“I like ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’ by The Smiths because it’s very calming and I could fall asleep to that song,” Lin said.
The slow and tranquil tempo of the song allows him to relax and spend his downtime peacefully.
At school, however, Lin expresses his taste for more upbeat songs, such as rap.
“At school I enjoy listening to Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, mainly rap,” Lin said.
School has a completely different environment than home, as everybody is there all at once, and there is a lot more social communication.
Lin expresses how he feels more comfortable listening to rap at school due to the ongoing amount of noise and activity. It allows Lin to feel more immersed in the mood of school.
