WOODBURY — From the inspirational ballad “We Shall Overcome” (sung by many during what today are considered some of America’s most essential protests, like the Civil Rights Movement), to simply listening to music on the car radio, music takes part in the lives of many, including those at Woodbury Middle School.
Is music in today’s society all about making the trends? Has it really just come down to whether or not a song is worthy of being in your next post? Or is it something deeper than that? Away from social media or big events like the Grammys, something that applies on a smaller scale, to a tighter community: WMS.
“It impacts my life a lot. I mean, I’m in the school play, so that takes up a lot of my time. I do a bunch of singing gigs and stuff. It’s been a thing since I was a baby,” said Dakota Collett, one of the leads in the school’s latest production, Frozen.
Collett clearly includes music in her life on the daily, and she’s not the only one. So does Jim Spinner, eighth-grade history teacher.
“I pick different kinds of music depending on my mood,” Spinner said. “So if I’m a little bit tired or down, I’ll put on something upbeat. Or if it’s early and I’m mellow I’ll put on something mellow. It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the day, and it always makes me feel good. I listen to the words, and try to figure out the meanings of the song. And it brings me back to certain places in my life. There’s a lot of emotion when I listen to music. When everyone listens to music.”
Every Friday, Spinner incorporates music into his lessons by playing songs related to the current unit. During Black History Month, Spinner played the song, “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. He took a different angle, having students decipher the meaning of this song to get a deeper understanding of the curriculum, including music — not only in his life, but in the lives of the students — along the way.
“Music is a part of everything I do. It has been since I was in high school. I went to school to study music, and I spent at least half of my day playing and/or teaching music, which it’s fantastic,” said Jamie Odell, band and orchestra teacher.
While Odell also coaches the school volleyball team, her career primarily revolves around music.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” she said.
Chorus teacher Adam Snyder, shares similar experiences, teaching different grades of chorus each day.
“Without music,” Snyder said, “I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
