Turklish TEFL

Creative Use of Music: Song Stories

After sickness, a major workload, and a much needed holiday, we’re back

Often in the classroom I see music only used for the odd gapfill, but there are lots of other ways to use music and I’d like to showcase a few in this series.

One thing I really like to do is use stories in the classroom – stories about my life, interesting stories, collaborative stories, ghost stories, stories from the students, etc. There are a lot of songs out there that tell stories as well. The music really adds depth to the story and allows for a lot of extensions.

One that I really like to use in class is “Long Black Veil” sung by Dave Matthews Band (but which is originally a Johnny Cash song).

Note: You can always use Grooveshark for free streaming music if you have an Internet connection.

Long Black Veil

Level: Int & Up

Objective: 3rd conditional
I wish/If only for regrets
Extended speaking in monologue form

Song: Long Black Veil by Johnny Cash or Dave Matthews Band. Cash’s version is easier to
understand but Dave’s version is sadder and gives the idea of a love story better.

Plan: Tell the students that they are going to listen to a story. Do auxiliary vocabulary (Auxiliary Vocabulary – a slayer, a scene, a grave, a scaffold, eternity, a veil, an alibi, to wail, to moan). Ask students to guess the content of the story using the words. The words are quite evocative and students often come up with some good murder stories.

Play the song once. Ask the students to identify the mood. Then, ask the students to compare their
original ideas about the content to the mood and what they understood from the song.

Give the students the lyrics and let them read and follow along with the song.

Do the comprehension questions quick with the class to make sure everyone is on the same page. I’ve found that generally about half the class won’t realize the condemned man wasn’t the killer or how you know this unless the questions are done. Afterwards, ask them what they think about the story. In Turkey, students will often bring up Ask-i Memnu and make comparisons, so you might want to add that into your lesson plan somehow.

Ask the students to think about how the man felt before his execution and the woman afterwards (try to elicit “regretful”). Tell them to choose the man or the woman. If possible show them a clip of the famous scene from Hamlet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsrOXAY1arg&feature=fvst. If not possible, explain the concept of a monologue and demonstrate. Tell the students that they will need to write a monologue and perform it in small groups or for the class from the perspective of one of the lovers. Review “S+wish+past perfect”, “If only+ S + past perfect”, “S + regret + v-ing” if necessary.

Alternative:

Ask them to explain to their partner what they would have done if they had been in that person’s position. Their partner then needs to relate their partner’s opinion to the class.

Hand out the cut up of other famous lovers. Have the students prepare and perform a monologue for the class based on these new situations.

Long Black Veil

Ten years ago on a cold dark night,
someone was killed ‘neath the town hall lights.
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed,
that the slayer who ran looked a lot like me.

Chorus ~ She walks these hills, in a long black veil.
She visits my grave, when the night winds wail.
Nobody knows, nobody sees, nobody knows, but me

The judge said, “son, what is your alibi,
if you were somewhere else, then you won’t have to die.”
Well, I said not a word, though it meant my life,
for I’d been in the arms of my best friend’s wife.

Chorus*

Now the scaffold is high, and eternity is near.
She stood in the crowd, and shed not a tear.
Oh sometimes at night, when the cold wind moans
In a long black veil, she cries over my bones

Chorus ~ She walks these hills, in a long black veil.
When the cold winds blow, and the night winds wail.
Nobody knows, nobody sees.
Nobody knows, but me.

Comprehension Questions:

1) Where and when does the song take place?

2) Why is the singer on trial?

3) Was the singer actually the killer?

4) Why didn’t he say he was innocent?

5) Who is the woman in the long black veil?

Famous Lovers

Romeo and Juliet – Madly in love, but their families are feuding and hate each other, so they are forbidden to be together.

Antony and Cleopatra – Powerful rulers of countries. They are in love, but Rome is scandalized by Antony’s marriage to Cleopatra. Rome does not trust Egypt and does not want them to be united.

Scarlett O’Hara & Rhett Butler – Scarlett realizes she loves Rhett, but it is too late. Rhett no longer loves her.

Lancelot & Guinevere – Guinevere is King Arthur’s wife, but falls deeply in love with his best friend, Lancelot.

Bonnie & Clyde – Two bank robbers and murderers that were constantly running from the law.

Sheherezade & King Shahryar – King Shahryar married a women and then killed her the morning after the wedding, but Sheherezade told the king a story every night, but would not finish it until the next night. The king always wanted to hear the end, so he let her live.

Samson & Delilah – Samson loved Delilah, but he was attacking her land. Her people wanted her to find the secret of his power, so they could kill him.

Here is the downloadable lesson plan.

Here is a list of other songs that tell a story. There are tons more out there, but I tend to like something with a bit of a bite .