Korean kids hate New Wave

A few weeks ago, I began working on a powerpoint presentation on the history of rock music in order to use it in a lesson during the English Camp. It grew from five songs to eleven, as I kept thinking of songs or genres that just my students needed to experience. I was actually very excited this morning to finally be able to share some of this music with Korean students and hear their thoughts on Pink Floyd or Nirvana. 

My excitement quickly turned to aggravation during the first song, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets. The speakers in our school's new $50,000 'English Only Classroom' were awful. The bass sounded like a muffled fart, and anytime I turned the volume up past 6 the speaker fell from the ceiling. I looked to my co-teacher for some help and his response was "maybe you can just talk about the music." Screw that. These kids needed some Pink Floyd in their lives. I was determined to make this lesson successful. 

While "Rock Around the Clock" played on, I taped the speaker to the wall and cranked the volume as loud as I could without the fear of blowing anything up. After the song ends, I ask the students if they had any thoughts. "..........." Nothing. Ok, "Rock Around the Clock" is kind of lame. Maybe they just need to hear something more interesting. 

Next up...the Beatles. "Has anyone heard of the Beatles?" I ask. Again, nothing. I play "Lady Madonna" and, like before, nobody has an opinion. Finally, I call someone out (which I hate doing) and essentially beg them to say something about this song. ANYTHING. What is the response? "I don't like it." Why doesn't she like it? "It's too old sounding." Great...

My co-teacher comes up with a great idea, right as I'm about to explode with frustration. He decides to hand out blank sheets of paper to the students so that they can record any thoughts or feelings about the music while listening to each song. This works to a certain extent. Some of the students write down one-word responses like "fast singing" or "fun" while others use the paper to doodle for the next hour. 

Here the list of songs we listened to today:

Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock

The Beatles - Lady Madonna

Grateful Dead - Friend of the Devil (my co-teacher was upset about the title...)

Pink Floyd - Speak to Me/Breathe/On the Run

Led Zeppelin - Black Dog

The Clash - Guns of Brixton

Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Poison - Nothin' But a Good Time

Nirvana - Come As You Are

Blind Melon - No Rain

Radiohead - Weird Fishes

Almost everybody hated Pink Floyd. I think they liked Breathe but I made the mistake of playing On the Run as well. Anyone who knows this song can understand why an unassuming Korean student who casually enjoys today's K-Pop hits, would utterly despise this song. One student actually liked it. He described the song as "making you feel like you're hallucinating." Others described it as "mysterious" or "scary." My co-teacher told me that it didn't even sound like music. Finally, we were getting some opinions.

The most interesting thing about the lesson was the fact that the songs I expected people to really like were duds. I assumed that 'No Rain,' 'Lady Madonna,' and 'Black Dog' would be really popular. Most students thought they were "boring" or "too normal." The big shocker was the fact that these two prissy girls (who sit in the corner giggling all day with cell phones permanently attached to their hands) were digging the Clash. They said, "It has good rhythm. I want to dance." This comment alone made the whole mess of a lesson worth my time. Radiohead was a failure; "too sleepy" or "too sad" were the general responses. My co-teacher, a conservative Catholic, absolutely loved Nirvana. He told me that "the singer was obviously sending a positive message to his fans." I didn't have the heart to tell him that Kurt Cobain actually blew his own head off with a shotgun. 

As expected, Poison was a big hit. I showed the video for "Nothin' But a Good Thing," and if you haven't ever seen it, do yourself a favor and click on the link. The students really didn't know how to respond to Hair Metal. I think they were disturbed, yet strangely aroused. I guess that is similar to my feelings regarding K-Pop.

So another day of English Camps under my belt. I really can't do anything but count down the days until this is all over and I can fly to Tokyo, spread Sashimi all over my body, and drink inappropriate amounts of Saki.