A Way
Forward:
Advocating for
Arts and Literacy
in the Curriculum and
Enhancing Education through Music.

October 4, 2012

LitTunes founder Chris Goering delivered the 2012-2013 Klemmer Lecture at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, on October 11. The lecture, “Reversing the Educational Apocalypse: An Arts and Literacy Way Forward,” addressed issues currently at play in the arena of public education, including the toxic presence of corporate America in the classroom and the value of arts and literacy to the vital task of educating children.

We invite you to read the entire article on the Washburn Review web. It was written in advance of the lecture. Here's the link:

Expanding the Definition of Text
Leads to Innovative Modes
of Instruction, Inspiring
New Approaches to English and Writing.

Fall 2011

Heidi Stambuck's feature in Research Frontiers, a bi-annual publication of the Office of University Relations at the University of Arkansas, provides an excellent overview of the guiding principles, underlying concepts, and innovative educational initiatives related to Chris Goering's work with literacy education. Heidi writes:

"The two assistant professors of secondary education at the University of Arkansas focus in their research and instruction on two areas previously not given much credence as teaching tools in junior high and high school classrooms. For Connors, it’s the genre described as multimodal texts such as graphic novels that incorporate visual elements. For Goering, it’s song lyrics and music popular with teens, including rock, country and rap.

"Connors and Goering both teach in the English education program of the College of Education and Health Professions. They also share a common belief in expanding the definition of what is valued as text.

"Sean Connors studies the way adolescents understand and interact with graphic novels, the more sophisticated successor to comic books. Chris Goering examines how students’ writing improves when English teachers ask them to analyze their favorite song lyrics and relate the lyrics to their personal history and other, more traditional forms of literature."

We invite you to read the entire article on the Research Frontiers web. Here's the link:

LitTunes Is Featured
in 'Songs in the Key of Lit,'
a Lesson Plan on The Learning Network
of The New York Times Education Section.

November 4, 2010

"How can music help illuminate literature?  And how can literature teach us about music?"  With those two questions, Amanda Christy Brown and Holly Epstein Ojalvo launch an innovative and robust lesson plan that is nicely attuned to the goals and mission of LitTunes. 

Published by The Learning Network of The New York Times, "Songs in the Key of Lit: Ways to Use Music to Study Literature" directs teachers to look at connections between the music of French composer Satie and Plato's Dialogues as the starting point for lesson development.  The Sate-Plato connection is one of several ideas put forth in a wide-reaching and smartly organized survey of the concept of teaching literary works with the aid of popular and classical music. 

The thoughtful teacher will quickly see that Brown and Ojalvo are providing flexible guidelines and foundational concepts to inform the creation of custom lessons encompassing a multitude of disciplines and genres:  English language arts, music, drama, fine arts, and communications.  "Songs in the Key of Lit" also features links to related resources.

Among those related resources is LitTunes, which is featured under the subhead "AROUND THE WEB."  Thanks, teachers Brown and Ojalvo!  We are honored to be included in your excellent lesson plan and join you in the pursuit of academic excellence for our students.  Please click the graphics below to visit the web page, "Songs in the Key of Lit . . . ."

LitTunes was launched in 2007.
We invite you to come back often.
You are warmly invited to participate, too.
Contact Chris Goering by E-mail at chris@littunes.com

LitTunes is a part of the CornDancer family of developmental websites. CornDancer has participated in the World Wide Web since the summer of 2000. Submissions are invited. Contact webmaster at webmaster@littunes.com