I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I can't let Sean Sweeney have all the fun in class (see here and here). I do, however, have to credit Sean with giving me the push I needed to actually do this with my class. Thanks!
The Setup
I told my students that before the Fray was "The Fray", they were called The Phray and their lead singer was a math teacher. He wrote a song called "Solve to Save Your Life" but when they were signed they changed the name of the band and made some adjustments to the song on account of "math songs don't make the top 40, baby." It took some searching to find the archive of the old song, but I did it. I also told them that OneRepublic had a song called "Rationalize." We'll see if that one surfaces.
So with no further ado: The Phray performing their hit single, "Solve to Save Your Life."
If you want the lyrics.
We'll be releasing the official video soon.
Reflection: This really isn't my thing. I was debating whether or not to scrap the whole thing even though my 4 yr. old can now solve equations. The thing that really hit me was that me leaving my comfort zone allowed some of my students the freedom to do the same. I made some connections with kids where I may not have otherwise been able to. I also learned that playing guitar for 1.5 hours over 3 periods may cause tendonitis. Advil anyone?
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6 comments:
I doubt I will ever be brave enough to pull that off in a classroom. But that was one of the best math parody songs I have ever heard! Woot.
Hi Josh
Thanks. But, I'll tell you what, I would have never thought I could get up there and do that in front of my class either. When I went through the song the first time with the classes, it was solo and some of the kids had that "I'm embarrassed for you" look. But once they got the hang of it, 90% of the students had an absolute blast. So, if you even have an inkling that you would want to do something outside the box, don't let fear stop you. I wish I had learned that 15 years ago.
I.love.it.
What a great parody! Did you re-do the lyrics yourself?
Thanks Jessica. Yeah, that's my handy work. It was about 6 weeks of singing in the shower. My kids helped me out and can now solve equations.
Oh my goodness. I don't know what's cuter, the kids singing in unison or them waving cell phones.
You really made me want to pick up the guitar again w/ this one. =)
We had a blast, that's for sure. Glad it could inspire.
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