How I Used... Spotify

"You see, war is not the answer/For only love can conquer hate..."

- Marvin Gaye

I could write a whole post on the discussion we had today in music class (snapshot: Soul music of the 1970's was a response to turbulent times. How are those times similar to what may be going on in the world today? Cue potentially turbulent discussion that the students navigated maturely and respectfully.)

To end our discussion, we listened to "What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye - his response to what was going on in the world in the late '60s and early '70s.

I'm a huge fan of Spotify (and one of these days I'll spring for a Premium account). A new feature they've added is the Lyrics tool (lower right hand of the screen when you've downloaded the desktop version):

Click on this link, and your main screen will switch to album/artist artwork and the lyrics to the song playing. You can decide if you'd like one line at a time, but I opt for the scrolling option so students can read just before or just after if they'd prefer.

Reading Marvin Gaye's words from "What's Going On?" Was a timely and such an appropriate way to end today's discussion, and I was glad to use this tool for my students as they reflected on when music and culture intersect.