Almost every week, for three years now, I look forward to connecting with an educator through their playlist. Starting this podcast was a confluence of two things I deeply love: education and people's narratives. The P3's serendipitous inception is a story that have told and retold. There I was, sitting across from Stephen Hurley of voicEd Radio, meeting in person for the first time after months of being on the panel of OnEdMentors, and I finally say yes to his recurring question. I had never set out to become a podcaster, but it is one of the greatest additions to my life. Further, proposing this show based on a project from my classroom felt random, but it was a perfect choice for me and a gift that keeps on giving. Stephen was also my first guest on the show. The Personal Playlist Podcast is one of the highlights of each week. From the opening bars of my intro song, Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, I become engrossed in a person and honoured to capture and share their stories. I am so happy to celebrate its 3rd anniversary.
If you saw my TEDxKitchenerEd Talk, then you would know how much of this show is tied to my story as an educator and person. When I first created the project that has come to be called The Personal Playlist Project, I wanted my students to have a different way to share pieces of themselves, and music is something I truly treasure in the classroom. Last year, I paid tribute to my Grade 8 class by reflecting on their P3's, and I quoted several students in my talk. Getting to write and present Play It Forward was a special gift because I got to share why the P3 is powerful for students and the class community. I shared that, "Projects like this really make a difference because they give each person a place to tell their story, a space to be their real, authentic selves, and a time to shine." That is what my Building Outside the Blocks projects(BOBs) are all about. "We can use music to see and celebrate each individual learner while also building skill, autonomy, and community in intimate and meaningful ways. In minimal class time, we can broaden and deepen learning using people's lives and what matters to them. Music is a way in and a way out for people. It’s is an incredible opportunity that we can use in the classroom to invite every learner to see and be themselves, to share their stories, and to feel the power of connection."
It was during a recording of the P3 that I figured out how I would celebrate my 3rd anniversary. What better way to pay tribute to all of the guest on the P3 than by creating a playlist. One of the funny things about me is that some of my best ideas are things that just come out of my mouth, with no real thought or consideration. When I listen to my words, I realize that it's the exact thing I need to do. That's how the P3 came to be, and that is what I committed to do during Roman Nowak's P3 recording. As I went through each blog post on every P3 recorded until I hit 100, I was starting to feel a bit of remorse. I had blogged about each guest on the show, but as my school work and consulting practice got busier and busier, something had to give. At first, I didn't want to give anything up, but after a sanity talk with my family, I realized that they were asking for more of me, and I wanted to deliver. I gave up the hours of writing about each P3 guest when it hit a milestone number, but I feel the need to apologize to the subsequent guests for not getting to honour them in the same way. It was a process that really allowed me to be mindful of their every word and deeply committed to captured their stories they shared through their P3's. Then again, the show really has that covered. Now, I have organized those guests under the P3 category in my blog, so anyone can read about those first 100. That was also how I was able to recall at least 1 song from each guest that is now on the P3 Turns 3 Playlist on Spotify.
As I look back on the past 3 years, I continue to feel honoured that people entrust me with sacred stories. Each week, I get to speak to a different educator about whom the audience and I learn so much in unique ways because they are tasked to curate a 3 song playlist. It captures their past through a nostalgic song choice (a throw back), a piece of who they are through their identity song, and a song that picks them up, pumps them up, inspires or motivates. The freedom to choose a descriptor for the the last category yields many different types of songs that also give insight to the individual. I have listened to that Spotify playlist several times now, and I can conjure the image of each educator sharing their why for that song choice. Celebrating this anniversary is wonderful and it's extra special because, as Jack Johnson, Schoolhouse Rock, and mathematics agree, 3 is a magic number!
