Disclaimers:
1. Yes, I’m a product of the 90s
2. Yes, I know this is frivolous
3. Despite #1 and #2, I still assert that this is relevant
25 years ago Nirvana released arguably one of the Top 5 greatest live albums of all time: MTV Unplugged. I remain just as mesmerized by their albums now as I did when I was a flannel-clad teen. That got me thinking…
As a kid, my feelings on the band and its albums were more surface level. Nirvana is so awesome! But as an adult World Language teacher, I now assert that Nirvana should be studied by pre-service teachers. Here’s why:
1. Loud-Soft-Loud
Nirvana had great hooks. (This is where I pause, gaze into the ether, and recall those familiar sounds of “Lithium” that made my teenage heart skip a beat.) But they also had a signature style. Though they weren’t known for inventing the loud-soft-loud style (Pixies?), they became the band most well-known for using it.
Every great teacher I’ve ever known knows how to teach in a loud-soft-loud way. It’s about riding that wave of child-fueled excitement and letting your class get louder and louder–as long as they’re involved–but then knowing how to bring them back down. To do that, we have to use all of our “instruments”: the volume and speed of our voice as well as our student proximity and environment.
2. Get out of your comfort zone
Butch Vig, the drummer for Garbage, Wisconsin native (Go Badgers!), and record producer has an impressive résumé, but producing Nirvana’s Nevermind may be his chef d’oeuvre. It’s well-documented that Kurt Cobain wasn’t a fan of multi-tracking his vocals, and he balked at Vig’s suggestion of it. But after the savvy producer reminded the singer, a huge Beatles fan, that John Lennon multi-tracked, Cobain agreed to do it on Nevermind. I’m not saying that’s what made the album the massive commercial success and cultural phenomenon that it was, but it was part of the fabric of the record.
And isn’t that a lot like teaching? There are some things that we don’t want to do; some teaching styles, activities, or technologies we don’t want to try. Maybe it’s because they’re new or because we’re philosophically opposed. Maybe it’s because a teacher we don’t care for does it or because we’re just exhausted. Whatever the reason, we refuse. But when a teacher who is revered by staff and students alike suggests you try something out, do it. It may or may not end up being something you love, but the possibility for magic is there. Sometimes someone with a different view might see the big picture in a way that we don’t.
3. It’s not all about content knowledge
The words strained and gravelly don’t often come to mind when describing a great voice. One could easily dismiss Kurt’s vocals as both, so how is it that his became the voice of a generation? How did the music Nirvana created generate a following that rivaled that of any sports team? For obvious reasons, Bob Dylan is the best person to address that point, but it boils down to a simple fact: you don’t have to be/have a good singer if you write great songs.
The same principle applies to language teachers: you don’t have to have native-level language if you know how to relate to kids. Kurt didn’t need a voice like Steve Perry or a range like Chris Cornell because his genius was his writing. That is what fans found captivating. Likewise, as a language teacher, the most important piece of our practice doesn’t lie in ACTFL proficiency test scores. We should continually work on our language, but our ability to connect with kids is, and will always be, the #1 most significant part of our jobs.
If you remain unconvinced, watching “Smells Like Teen Spirit” should seal the deal. When genius writing with a loud-soft-loud approach mixes with Butch Vig’s professional touch, you guessed it: the apathetic kids are ALL IN. I could do without the weird, anarchy cheerleaders in my classroom, but kids 100% into their environment at school? Color me convinced. I want to teach like Nirvana played.
End-of-Semester Sale:
10% off all products at Le Yogi Francophone TpT store on Monday, December 2, and Tuesday, December 3, 2019!
