Teaching with a Tune: My Journey of Learning and Inspiring Through Music

As early as I can remember, there was a song that was used to help us remember everything, from the Ay Bee Cee Dee E eF Ge song to the A is for Apple, B is for Ball, to the 2×1.. 2, 2×2.. 4... I'm sure you sang along at some point.

There was just a rhythm to everything, somehow these songs helped us remember all that were taught. Days when you are writing a test and you see the question but unconsciously you start to sing the song so you'd remember what you were taught.

As time passed by we grew from just using it to remember simple things like the alphabets to using it to memorize more complex concepts like the definition of the three (3) arms of government. As I wrote this, I smiled cos I remembered one of my favourite teachers Hajiya Jalo, she taught me government in my SS2 through SS3.

Hajiya Jalo had a way of making it easier for us to remember definitions and concepts of government. She would turn it into easy to follow songs that we would sing at the top of our lungs repeatedly until it had been hitched into our minds.

The nostalgia that hit me as I recall the shenanigans we pulled off which earned us the title "most notorious class in the entire school". We would play beauty symphonies only second to Beethoven's on our desk, sing songs that we memorized their lyrics, from the Sean Kingston's to Akon's to Shakira's...

It was a competition to see who had the lyrics scored and who sang most beautifully, this made us connected and feel like a family. Well, you would think the punishment from our form tutor would make us stop but we went even harder.

Fast forward to a couple of years later when I became a teacher too, I already understood the importance of using songs as it helps students better assimilate what was taught.

I particularly recall a school I worked with at some point where we had a special class every Friday for music and dance. Every Friday you would see the excitement on the face of the kids when it was break time and they saw me, they could barely wait till it was time for our music class and dance session.

I had the shy kids coming to meet me that they wrote a song and they'd like me to listen to and give my feedback. Boy Oh Boy... It was a beautiful experience I won't lie, I felt like I was part of something great.

The importance of GOOD music in our development cannot be over emphasized. I, in fact suggest that every school includes music into their curriculum as it not only helps them remember most concepts taught to them it also helps them become better human beings.

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