It s My Life, Bon Jovi Soundtrack of Your Life Presentation Mrs. Calvert Major Life Moments Song Choice Make a list of 6 major moments in your life that have contributed to who you are today. Examples: births, deaths, meeting someone, graduation, etc. Think of the your past, present, and future. For each of those moments, pick a song that you think accurately depicts why that moment is so important to who you are. Therefore, you will have a total of six songs in your playlist. Each song will be a slide in your presentation. You will include a YouTube video of your song or its lyrics. Choose songs that are appropriate to share in school (Clean Edits) so that they can be seen by me and the class. Restricted videos are not appropriate for this assignment.
Mrs. Calvert s Soundtrack Song Order Nobody Knows by Tony Rich Project (Friendship) Now that you have a list of songs, put them in the order you would want them on your playlist. No Rain by Blind Melon (High School) Papa Don t Preach by Madonna (College) Fighter by Christina Aguilera (Resilience) This can be done chronologically, or by what would sound good in terms of the music. I Believe by Blessid Union of Souls (Racism/Love) All the Small Things by Blink-182 (Teaching) Presentation Topic 1 Mrs. Calvert s Example This paragraph is basically a brief autobiography: Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you now? Etc. etc. Something that you like to do - a hobby Start with Dear Listener, Dear Listener, My name is Heather Calvert. Thank you for listening to the soundtrack to my life. I d like to tell you a little about myself. I am an ELA teacher at Heights Middle School in University Heights, Ohio and I love my job. I also a parent to two children, Michael (age 18) and Dylan (age 9). When I m not teaching, I like to hang out with my friends and my big family. I also love to read historical fiction and volunteer in the community.
Presentation Topic 2 Mrs. Calvert s Example This paragraph outlines your rationale or purpose in creating this soundtrack: What is this album you have created? Why are you completing it? (because it is an assignment is NOT an answer!) What do you hope to get out of this project? What do you see yourself doing with this later in life? This soundtrack is a compilation of music to accompany some of the most important events in my life. I created this soundtrack to my life because I believe music can express emotions better than words can. Sometimes hearing a song can bring back the feelings and emotions of a moment. Later in life, I plan to listen to my soundtrack and remember these moments just as vividly as I do now. My goal in creating this soundtrack was to show an accurate depiction of my life and my characteristics through music. What goals did you have for creating it? Presentation Topic 3 Mrs. Calvert s Example This section is made up of many smaller paragraphs. Song by song be sure to explain: What is the name of the song and the artist? Why is this song important to you? How does this song connect to your life? What does each song reveal about the kind of person you are and what you think is important in you life? The first song on my album is Nobody Knows by the Tony Rich Project. This song reminds me of hanging out with my best friend. I was in second grade when I met him. This song was on the radio a lot at that time, and we would listen to it a lot before classes in high school. Now, he lives in Arizona and I don t get to see him very often. The words in this song that relate to that are: I can say it so clearly but you're nowhere around--the night are lonely, the days are so sad--and I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had--and I'm missing you and nobody knows it but me because we are always counting down how many days there are until the next we see each other because I miss my best friend.
Nobody Knows Tony Rich Project Mrs. Calvert s Example #2 The second song on my album is No Rain by Blind Melon. This song reminds me of one of my most embarrassing moments in middle school. During my 8th grade year, I was dared by a friend to stand in front of the class and sing this song for a Guns N Roses poster. At that time, I had a huge crush on Axel Rose and would do about anything to get that poster! My social studies teacher, Mr. Winkler, gave me permission and I stood up in front of the class and sang the song. I have to admit, it was terrible! In any case, I was given the poster the next time. This is was one of the first times that I was a risk-taker in class. No Rain Blind Melon Mrs. Calvert s Example #3 The third song on my album is Papa Don t Preach by Madonna. This song reminds me of a time of my life in which I had a lot of transitions, especially into adulthood. I started attending college and made countless mistakes like the girl depicted in this song. Like the singer, I had a father that was supportive and helped me through my trials, which I still appreciate today. Without my father s help, I would not have been able to finish college and continue on with my chosen career. Therefore, this song really represents to me the power of love between a young adult and his/her parent even after becoming an adult and making decisions that will forever alter one s life.
Papa Don t Preach Madonna Mrs. Calvert s Example #4 The fourth song in my playlist is Fighter by Christina Aguilera. This song really resonates with me because of its refain: Makes me that much stronger--makes me work a little bit harder--it makes me that much wiser--so thanks for making me a fighter--made me learn a little bit faster--made my skin a little bit thicker--makes me that much smarter--so thanks for making me a fighter. To me, the singer is telling the listener that no matter what challenges you face in life, these experiences will make you stronger and a better person. Even though at times, I may feel that the situation is too much to overcome, I realize that resilience through life is worth fighting for and not to give up on the situation. Fighter Christina Aguilera Mrs. Calvert s Example #5 The fifth song in my playlist is I Believe by Blessid Union of Soul. This song really resonates as it represents my views regarding racism and love enduring through boundaries opposed by others. The singers in this song give a detailed description of how love has been hindered by someone s inability to see the true person and their merit regardless of skin color and prejudice. As I have experienced something similar in my life when having friends of different nationalities, I really identify with the singers viewpoint and willingness to turn the other cheek and not allow others opposing views to hinder their happiness in life.
I Believe Blessid Union of Souls Mrs. Calvert s Example #6 The sixth song in my playlist is All the Small Things by Blink-182. During my first year of teaching in 2004-05, my 7th grade students loved this song and always asked to listen to it the last five minutes of class when there was time. The students would sing along with the song as it played and particularly liked these lyrics: Late night, come home--work sucks, I know--she left me roses by the stairs--surprises let me know she cares. This song reminds me to remember all the small things in life and in the classroom and I will forever remember these students, who I still keep in touch with over 10 years later. All the Small Things Blink-182 Presentation Topic 4 This paragraph is your conclusion in which you should thank your reader for taking the time to listen to your soundtrack and offer any final reflections upon this project as a whole.