CREATIVE LESSONS:

Music Videos on YouTube

Creating music videos on YouTube is an excellent way to engage students in learning.

Benefits:

1. Students get to explore their creativity through a multidisciplinary approach. In Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, this approach tackles all the intelligences.

- visual (video images)

- verbal/ linguistic (interviewing or being interviewed)

- logical/ mathematical (video editing and synchronisation)

- bodily/ kinesthetic (acting)

- musical (finding the right piece of music)

- spatial (cinematography)

- interpersonal (working in groups or pairs)

- intrapersonal (problem-solving)

- naturalist (being outdoors)

2. Lessons can be methodical, systematic and thematic, depending on your scheme of work for the week or semester. For example, the theme of this Unit can focus on ‘People in your Neighbourhood’, or ‘Travel’. The mode of investigation and video capture can take many forms, from interviewing passersby, to acting in a drama or scene, or from documenting facts from an objective point of view to a personal viewpoint on a topic.

Let’s take a look at some samples I have done:

A. Elmo (1 min)

This video is short. Using a finger-puppet to mime the words of the song, not only does this cater to children of very young ages who can identify with Sesame Street’s Elmo, but it also caters to graduates who are optimistic and idealistic, hoping to change the world. The lyrics expound on this idea of ambition.

B. Home (3 mins)

This video is more lengthy than the previous one as it is adapted from Michael Buble’s song ‘Home’, depicting home-sickness and loneliness of a character (well, that’s me!) living in New York, and missing his loved ones back in Singapore.

3. Broadcasting seems to have taken on a trend that is hard to suppress. So instead of falling behind traditional chalk-and-talk methods, show your students that even old dogs can learn new tricks. We do live in an Information Technology world, and you don’t have to worry too much – your students probably know how to do this anyway. All they need is a little bit of competition and fun amongst themselves.

Now, get the cameras rolling.

Enter your email address

to subscribe to

Mister Ed’s Monthly E-Zine:

Books I Am Reading

Teacher Man: A Memoir

(Frank McCourt)

Teachers as Cultural Workers

(Paulo Freire)