As the 2nd anniversary of The Personal Playlist Podcast began to near (now last July), I started contemplating how I would mark the occasion. In the last year, I have recorded 38 episodes with diverse guests from different educational backgrounds and spaces. I have heard playlist of a range of musical genres, from classical to metal core. Nine of my guests were or will soon be published authors. Two of my guests shared their original songs on the show. My guests have been classroom teachers, administrators, people at the Ministry of Education, people building outside the blocks of education as independent consultants, edupreneurs, and innovators, and edupodcasters. My guests range from audiophiles to people who just enjoy listening to music.
I originally created this project for my Grade 7 class as part of a Tri-BOB- a three-part Building Outside the Blocks Project. It evolved from a Portrait of yourSelf (PS1) to the Personal Soundtrack (PS2) to Photo Synthesis (PS3). When Stephen Hurley of voicEd Radio was sure that I had a podcast in me, I was sure until the fateful day that I met him face-to-face for the first time. That is when I suddenly proposed a twist on my PS2 and called it The Personal Playlist Podcast- the P3. It was like magic.
Once the show began, people really took to the idea of sharing a nostalgic, identity and pick-me-up song, so my guests started to bring this format into their work lives. Consultants and administrators were using the song choices as ice breakers or at workshops, guests were talking to friends about their playlist as they planned for or reflected on the show, and teachers were using the project in their classrooms. It was a unique lens when Carol Salva brought the P3 to newcomers and ELL students who were able to share their journeys through their songs choices. Ramona Meharg's Developmental Ed Congregated Class couldn't wait to present their P3's, so they moved up their deadline. Arianna Lambert's students stayed in for recess to finish brainstorming about their songs. I had even presented on using music in the classroom in 2018 for MADPd with BOBbing Through the Music. When I found out that I would have a Grade 8 homeroom this year, I couldn’t wait to bring the P3, among my other BOB projects, to my students.
The essence of the P3, whether on the air or in the classroom, is that those three song categories help people frame their story. When I interview educators on the show, I begin with their bios. When students prepare their P3’s, they begin by exploring what music means to them. That wasn’t originally my idea. My second cohort of Grade 7’s going through this project when it was still the PS2, (they graduated from high school this week), started adding a point about what music meant to them. It was so organic, beginning with one innovator and then, it stuck. I took their cue and added it to my P3 outline. When you invite the whole learner into a learning equation, they own the task, so they often add to it in profound and meaningful ways. Here are some of the things that this year’s Grade 8’s said about music in their introductions (unedited):
Music can mean very different things to many people but to me, music is an outlet. If I ever need to focus, calm down, or I’m just bored, I’ll go on Spotify and play some music. Some people might dislike music and some people might love it. Personally, I love music and I find it very therapeutic.
- Emme
Music can mean different things to everyone. It can be a source of entertainment, a way of expressing yourself, or even a way of keeping you occupied. Music is not something everyone likes; However, in my case, I absolutely love music. I love the emotions, the fun beats and the meaningful messages within the songs I listen to. Music can also be used to modulate emotions, for example music can soothe, enrage or sadden someone depending on the songs they listen to. When I’m nervous, music makes me calm. When I’m down, music gets me all pumped up. I was originally introduced to music by my parents and school, and now I’ve developed that into my own style of music. - Rachel
Music means many things to me. Even though I don’t listen to music all that much, I think that music is great and is a good tool for studying and many other things. I only listen to music when I need to focus on something that is really boring, like a big project. Music affects me a lot, even though I don’t listen to it much, since I know that many people around me really enjoy listening to music daily, and I’m alright with that. But music for me is a tool to help me concentrate on tasks and relax. -Ryan Z
Music means everything to me. It isn’t only just a bunch of nice sounds satisfying your ears, it can have a lot of different meanings. I think everybody likes listening to music and I must say, it has made a very positive impact on the world. I started off listening to rock and pop music because that’s the stuff my parents would play on the radio. Once I got a bit older, my friends started getting me into hip-hop and rap music. That’s what I listen to now.
- Andreus
To me music is more than just some nice sounds or some sheet music you get in music class. No, music is so much more. Music is what allows composers to bring audiences to tears. Music is what allows words written on a page to turn into pictures that can keep you mesmerized for hours. Music is what allows people to communicate with each other in ways that plain words could never compete with. Music can make us happy, it could rally us together, it could make us cry. Music is so incredibly powerful because music is emotion.- Nathan
After any project that I facilitate, students reflect on the experience of presenting and being part of the active audience during the presentations. I learn so much from these reflections. They are avenues to tell me what my students actually gleaned from the weeks or months of the project experience as well as insights into how to iterate the project going forward. Student wrote (unedited):
The P3 was an extremely good idea and it affected our class in a positive way. It demonstrated different parts of people's identity and I feel like I now know my classmates' way better. I really enjoyed watching my other classmates do their presentations and I loved singing along to their songs. Some songs that were chosen were so surprising and I never thought that it would represent a big part of them, but thinking deeper to the words and listening to what they had to say really made me look at them in a different perspective. I wouldn’t change anything about this project, and I enjoyed learning new things about my other classmates. -Diba
I really enjoyed the presentations because I could see what different types of music people enjoy listening to. I think music tells a lot about a person and that now we know what type music a person listens to is very good for me to know them better. And obviously I loved presenting this and being an audience member. Our class showed great energy and we all sang and it was a beautiful experience.- Adam B
I love that this project, among all of my projects, give students time for introspection and are catalysts for them to go on a self inquiry while also providing a unique lens on to the lives and interests of my students. I love it even more when they recognize those aspects in the project.
As I shared in the podcast, the student’s nostalgic songs, like those of the adult guests on my show, are often about their youth; they’re songs that remind them of events from their childhood or bring back special memories of loved ones. I selected the following student examples because they show the range of possibilities (unedited):
For my nostalgic song, I chose “Black and White” by Erin Bowman and Joe Philips because when I started watching the Pokémon anime this was the opening song of season 14 in the Pokémon anime. It was my favorite show to watch on TV. This song reminds me of the days I watched TV and why I like Pokémon so much now.
- Mark
Music can be memory of the past. When I was in China, I often watch my sister play League of Legends. Also in that time, both of my parents do not have time accompany with me, so basically, I raised by my sister.. She teach me a lot of things, like math, science, English and life philosophy. After we came to Canada, she got married and moved to Niagara, we don’t have much time to stay together. This is a song that let me remember of my past, me and my sister also my childhood story.- Belle
For my nostalgic song, I chose “See You Again” by Charlie Puth and Wiz Kalifa because I can relate to this song a lot. When I came to Canada, I had to leave most of my family, and I kept listening to this song because the lyrics to the song related to what was going on in my life.- Aida
The next category is the identity song. People select a song that says something about who they are or what really matters to them. In those identity forming years, this song is a great catalyst for students to ask themselves very high level questions in an ascertainable way. Here is another overall reflection on the project (unedited):
The last P3 was presented and I absolutely love this project! I really liked how we did not rush through the presentations and gave everyone a chance to express themselves and gave them all the time they needed. Every song choice had a meaning and story behind them, and we were able to clearly explain our song choices and didn't feel the need to rush. This project also gave me the chance to reflect on my past life, my present life and my future and I was given the choice to choose what song best reflects me and my life. I was able to express myself in a way that I felt comfortable doing and I felt confident to share another piece of my identity.
What I liked about watching other people P3 are that I learnt so much about my classmates and didn't expect some songs from specific people. Our class was willing to share yet, another piece of their identity in a completely different way. The class was extremely attentive, respectful and patient throughout all the presentations and that was just amazing! I really enjoyed how the class would sing along with the songs and put us all in a different mood depending on the song! I feel like while doing identity presentations we were all creating class memories because these presentations would cause us to bond by sharing our thought and just having loads of fun.
To be honest these presentations are fine just the way they are. This is because it caused everyone to look forward to the next day at school just to listen to these presentations and I personally don't think it gets any better than that.- Nilofer
There are other projects that give me this kind of insight into how my students perceive themselves, but by adding the joyful experience of music in the classroom, the P3 goes further and deeper than my other BOBs in some ways. Music is both a grounding point and a special window into my students, as class and for them as individuals. Here are pair of introductions to the identity song (unedited):
This song, my identity song, was the hardest to choose. It made me wonder for a long time about who I am, and how songs relate to me. To be honest, I think every song represents me, in a different way. Each person has lots of different personalities, including me. I have my calm side, angry side, sad side, cheerful side…… But a song that truly represents me? Now that’s hard to choose. I thought about it a lot, and realized that the person who knows me best is ...ME! That is why I chose the song I composed by myself when I was a bit younger. Every note in this song represents my enthusiasm towards this song. It represents the cheerful side of me, which is the personality I am most proud of. It’s short and simple, but I remember how proud I was to have established my first composed song. It still sounds good when I say it out loud: my song. Indeed it is. My song.
- Mary (I had never seen a student share their own original song before.)
For my identity song I chose “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. This song is about not being afraid to be you even if that means going against the wants of others. In particular the three parts in the song where the singer goes:” first things first, second things second and third things third”, are what I feel best describe my present. Speak out, if you don't say anything, nothing will change, don't let others say what you can or can't do, be in control of yourself, and don't believe the things other people say to try and discourage you. These are all things that I feel that this song describes and that I relate to and agree with. - Nathan
The pick-me-up song is one that is often referred to as motivational or inspirational. Even before I instituted this project in my classroom, I have used the pick-me-up playlist idea as a source of positivity and self help for my learners and for the entire school community. When I ran whole-school experiences, we created Google Docs for each homeroom class to get students to add their pick-me-up songs and have them played on the PA system to start their school days. This was the YAA Playlist for our You Are Awesome thrust for self-esteem. In one of my LTO classes last year, I help them create a Self-Esteem Toolbox (S.E.T.), and the S.E.T. playlist was part of that. I have always believed that music is a way in and a way out for people. Here are some of my Grade 8 student’s insights on this category (unedited):
For my pick me up/motivational song I chose the song, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. This is a song that I always listen to when I know I need to get something done or am doing something competitive because it motivates me to be the best I can possibly be. - Daniel S
For my motivational song, I chose My Pace by Stray Kids because every time I hear this song, I always get pumped up.The beat of this song is really hyper and clear so it really pumps me up and make me want to dance. Using racing as a metaphor, this song talks about not comparing yourself to others and you’re good just the way you are. This really spoke to me because I would often compare myself to other things and people.- Rachel
These overall reflections, and all of my students' work, tell the story of a meaningful project that helps to build a variety of curricular and learning skills while also helping students build a class community, while connecting with each other and themselves. Here is a student’s final reflection on the P3 (unedited):
The Person Playlist Project was a phenomenal project that I am glad I had the chance to take part in. This was a tremendous project because I had the opportunity to learn more about myself while also learning more about my peers. The process leading up to the end result was the most enjoyable aspect for me. Choosing songs for the categories was not a burdensome task but I must admit that out of the three, the identity song was the most challenging to pick. As I was searching for a song that resembled my identity the most, I realized that this process helped me learn more about myself. Also while I searched for my nostalgic song, sudden sparks of distant memories flashed in my head as I uncovered songs that I haven’t heard in years. I can confidently say that this was simply one of the most fun projects I have ever completed.
Listening to others presentations was an engaging and delightful experience. As I said in my presentation, music is very powerful. Music can portray a message and meaning and it can even describe a lot about someone. The presentations were fascinating because many presenters had many deep reasons for choosing their songs and various anecdotes. It was a great experience to hear these reasons and anecdotes and now that the presentations are over I know more about my peers. With this new understanding and connection, I feel as if we can work more effectively in a collaborative environment. Finally, having one or two presentations a day made it enjoyable and P3 presentations became something I looked forward to on a daily basis. - Hirad
The P3 is something I created, but it does as much for me as a person and educator that it does for my students and guests. We all learn so much about each other. For almost two months, we listened to songs of different genres and in different languages. As a tribute to my first public school homeroom class, this second anniversary of the P3 is really a celebration of the power of student voice and music in the classroom. That’s why I applied to present on the P3 at this years TEDxKitchenerEd. It’s a powerful and high yielding classroom tool. I'm so grateful that I got the chance to share.
Feel free to send me an email at noa@buildingoutsidetheblocks.com, dm me on Twitter @noasbobs or find me on instagram @buildingoutsidetheblocks if you want the outline and rubric.I really hope that you’ve enjoyed the past 2 years of episodes, educators and insights. You can check out and listen to the shows through voicEd, Spreaker, or my website.
Music is about many things more than sound. Through this project and podcast, it’s the gateway to the narrative of people’s lives and interests. It's a powerful tool for the classroom that welcome anyone to try, tweak or share a taste of with their students. Here's the outline. I'd love to hear what you do with it.
