Gotta Keep Reading!

One of the best examples that I have found that makes an excellent connection between music and education is the rendition of the Black Eyed Peas song, “I’ve Got a Feeling,” to “Gotta Keep Reading.” When one listens to the rendition “Gotta Keep Reading,” it evokes a number of emotions including excitement as well as ties to our social and cultural life.
I played this video for my upper elementary students and they were entranced and of course wanted to watch it over and over. I ended up adding a link to it on my webpage so they could show their parents the video at home. I knew when I watched it that something about the song made it compelling. I could tell that the students were moved in an emotional way. But what was it that created this feeling?

First of all there is a catchy rhythm that hooks the listener and makes one want to dance. How simple yet creative it was, to incorporate a book as a prop into the video that the students danced with. Is it the words or the music that make this song compelling? In this case I believe it is a combination. I do not think the words to the song alone would be as compelling as they are to the rythm of this particular song. The creativity of writing a innovation of this song about reading makes it interesting to listen to the words. However it is the pattern and rhythm of the music that the listener enjoys. Although the words, “This book’s gonna be a good book,” are repetitive throughout the song, the notes increase going higher with the repetition, and then as the anticipation grows, then the words and rhythm change.

The social and cultural aspect of the video also draws in the students. When they view their peers performing a song of this type I think that it gives them a new respect for reading, which was the topic of the video.