For the last school months, the third year have been singing Call Me Maybe, California Girls, Bad Day, It's My Life, and We are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together. And now we are going to sing Bad Reputation (by Avril Lavigne) for this month. These songs are not just random songs that students hum to themselves during break times. These are songs that the Japanese English Teacher chose to be studied and sang in the classroom.
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| Avril Lavigne and her "Bad Reputation" photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/renato_rei/2382172659/ |
Some Japanese English teachers (JTE's) use songs as warm-up in English classes. They use songs as a mean to "expose" students to English not knowing that they are exposing the students to much more. At the beginning of each month, a new song will be introduced in class. The students will be given lyric sheets with a translated version in Japanese. The lyric sheets also have a brief profile of the artist. The students will listen to the song for the first time. After that, I (the ALT) would be reading the lyrics so the students would know how to pronounce them. Then the students will listen again and sing along with the song. And everyday, for a month, they will start the class with the "Song of the Month."
(More on Japanese Schools, here.)
(More on Japanese Schools, here.)
I silently find the choice of songs ridiculous. When we started singing California Girls, I tried to talk to the JTE. She said that students like Katy Perry. I told her that Katy Perry has other songs. I would have loved to add "wholesome" songs but I don't think she would understand. In the end, we all sang California Girls with all its sexual innuendos. And everytime the lyrics "Sex on the beach..." would play, the boys would look at each other knowingly. And the teacher? She just keeps on looking at the lyric sheet singing mindlessly. I don't think she even understands the song. I would cringe if she did and still insist on playing it.
Then there's the "Call Me Maybe" month. The boys got curious and told me they watch the official video of MTV. They asked why "Call Me Maybe." I directly told them it was about flirting and they were like "Hontoni? Really?" And after that, they would giggle everytime we sing the song. I mean, what do they expect me to say? The least I can do is inform them.
Then Taylor Swift began playing for a month with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." One of the boys asked the JTE why they are singing the song. It was so gay he said. The JTE just said that his classmates like Taylor Swift. And the other boys rolled their eyes blurting in their minds "Hontoni? Really?" One of the boys asked me again what it was about. I told them it was a break-up song. They can't relate to it when even having a crush seem to be a repulsive idea to them (or so it seems.)
And now this month, the JTE would subject us to Avril's "Bad Reputatation." She can't even sing it since the rhythm is too fast. The boys asked me again what the song is about. I told them that the song is not caring about what other people say even if you have a bad image. And again they were like "If that's the case, why are we singing this song again?" Japanese are known for protecting their images and caring what other people say so I can understand their reaction.
Well, what the boys don't know is that I am also asking the same thing "We are in the school so why are we singing these songs...again and again?"
Then there's the "Call Me Maybe" month. The boys got curious and told me they watch the official video of MTV. They asked why "Call Me Maybe." I directly told them it was about flirting and they were like "Hontoni? Really?" And after that, they would giggle everytime we sing the song. I mean, what do they expect me to say? The least I can do is inform them.
Then Taylor Swift began playing for a month with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." One of the boys asked the JTE why they are singing the song. It was so gay he said. The JTE just said that his classmates like Taylor Swift. And the other boys rolled their eyes blurting in their minds "Hontoni? Really?" One of the boys asked me again what it was about. I told them it was a break-up song. They can't relate to it when even having a crush seem to be a repulsive idea to them (or so it seems.)
And now this month, the JTE would subject us to Avril's "Bad Reputatation." She can't even sing it since the rhythm is too fast. The boys asked me again what the song is about. I told them that the song is not caring about what other people say even if you have a bad image. And again they were like "If that's the case, why are we singing this song again?" Japanese are known for protecting their images and caring what other people say so I can understand their reaction.
Well, what the boys don't know is that I am also asking the same thing "We are in the school so why are we singing these songs...again and again?"
