Music can be a powerful tool in the classroom. I think that anyone reading this probably has fond memories of music in one way or another; it can bring back memories, set a mood, and aid in learning.
Coldplay is a band that is popular all over the world. Their music is easy to sing and catchy, and their world tours also contribute to their popularity.
Viva la vida is probably their most popular song, but I don’t know that many people have actually analyzed the lyrics. (In case you don’t remember the song, click here to see the music video.) It’s actually a song about an all-powerful king that lost control of his kingdom. He was widely revered by his subjects, but a revolution led to him being overthrown and now just a commoner. The song has references to the Bible related to Saint Peter, and looking at the album art it seems to be related to French history.
Listening the first time
Back in the time of in-person classes, I would provide students with an envelope. Inside the verses of the song were cut up, and they had to listen to the song and put it in the correct order. For online classes, I did the same thing by using a Google Doc. The verses are put into a table randomly, and students have to cut and paste them to put them into the correct order.
Working with the song
Once we check that students have put the verses in the correct order, we listen again and focus on the meaning of the lyrics. I ask students to indicate any words or phrases that they don’t know, and we go through the meanings. At this point student probably are starting to understand the story.
For the next step, I then asked students what the king’s life was like before and what it’s like now. This lends itself nicely to the stark contrast in his circumstances, and it also helps students understand the structure used to and would to talk about a past habit.
Going beyond the song
Once students understand what the song is saying on the surface level, they can they explore more deeply. They can do research and see what Jerusalem bells are and who Saint Peter is. They can also look at the album art and learn about revolution in France and its connection to the song and the other songs on the album.
If your students aren’t that advanced, this can lead to a nice conversation about what everyone used to do when they were younger or even what they used to do before the pandemic. Combining that with things that people didn’t use to do gives a nice context to help students learn and master the structure used to.
If you’re interested in seeing the page that I use feel free to visit this post on www.freed.com
Have you used anything like this in your classes? If so, leave a comment below.
