A while back I came across the video below of Jamila Lyascott speaking on how teaching her students (learning to be educators) how to critically think through the lens of hip hop has lead to a deeper understanding of their own thoughts and it struck a chord with me. The use of hip hop in a classroom has long been used as a parody or a joke made by teachers to be ‘down with the kids’ or endearingly cringey. I’ve learned that it’s since been used as a tool for memorization or relatability as teens are more likely to enjoy learning and spending time on material that is presented to them in a familiar and likeable format. But as Hip Hop has been the genre to singlehandedly dominate the music charts for the last few years I think it is important to learn about hip hop itself, especially in a music school. There is so much to learn about Hip Hop and rapping, the history of it is fascinating. Some people see it as merely the genre of music that promotes violence and drugs, but it is so much more. The harsh truths behind it, the story telling that goes into it and the political and racial relevance present in so much of the  genre are very valuable things to learn about, I believe equally as valuable as the history of classical music that we spend so much time on in schools. Hip Hop heavily relies on authenticity and originality which invokes creativity and a desire to be unique and real in a way that no other genre of music accomplishes. As a relatively new way of music (only coming to its creation in the 1970s) there is so much experimenting possible and so many ideas that have never been touched on, there is no better time to learn about it in schools. And Hip Hop as not only music but a social and political movement could inspire so many music students in a way that classical music never could. Of course I can appreciate teachers that incorporate rapping and cyphers (as Jamila references) in their assignments every once in a while but the real life issues (poverty, violence, racial injustice) that hold such an important role in Hip Hop resonate so clearly in the world right now and would do so much good having its own full course. The desire for this knowledge is there, the important teachable content is there and Hip Hop shows no signs of going anywhere. We need to make this happen.

 

https://news.psu.edu/story/571062/2019/04/24/academics/new-hip-hop-course-puts-fresh-spin-learning