NRHEG Star Eagle

137 Years Serving the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Area
Newspaper of Record for NRHEG School District
Newspaper of Record for Waseca County, MN
PO Box 248 • New Richland, MN 56072

507-463-8112
email: steagle@hickorytech.net
Published every Thursday
Yearly Subscription: Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn counties: $52
Minnesota $57 • Out of state $64

Yes, it’s true. For three years, I was a full-fledged Gleek. 

Every week, Michelle and I would sit down and make time to watch the hit TV show Glee. We watched it from the very beginning through last season.

Why did we watch this show religiously? It certainly was not for the stellar storytelling. 

Generally, the storylines were atrocious and unbelievable. Glee was set in a school that you wouldn’t want your children anywhere near. From a clueless principal to the cheerleading coach who actually ran the school, it was set up to be part humor, part tragedy.

So why watch this piece of garbage? Simple: the music. The covers these singers performed were amazing.

I love music. It affects people in so many ways. 

When I write, I must have music playing; it helps my mind operate more smoothly. My iTunes has gone from Aerosmith to Firehouse to AC/DC while I am typing this so far.

The music on Glee generally wasn’t original, and nothing beats some of the original versions of songs by Journey, Foreigner, and Queen. Still, some things in life need updating. 

I still like listening to the first versions of the songs performed on Glee, but the choral aspect the show gave those songs added something new and fresh to the music.

Studies show that music can help students retain knowledge. If you study while listening to a particular band or song, that music will link the information in your brain. If you can get that song going in your head again during a test, you are much more likely to remember that information.

I don’t have a lot of problems with letting students listen to music while they are working in class. If it helps them focus, all the better, as long as they have their earbuds in and their neighbors can’t hear it. This also keeps students from finding the urge to whisper with their neighbors and provides the silence that others require to exert their best effort.

That’s right – to some people, dead silence is like music. Some students get distracted by music, and others can only listen to a particular style of music in order to operate efficiently. 

I’ve known people who can only listen to music without words when trying to complete a particular task. I used to listen to AC/DC while doing math, and Queen is inspirational when I’m writing.

I’ve mentioned NaNoWriMo before. (By the way, I did reach my 50,000 word count goal for November!) When I had 10th-graders who partook in that activity for class, 90% of them would listen to music every day, and the stories they came up with were amazing. Many of them told me that the music helped them get the job done.

Music programs get cut across the country. If this keeps happening, who will create the inspirational music for future generations? 

Learning to appreciate different styles of music and perhaps make some music of your own are vital skills that cross many gaps. Look at our local music programs: NRHEG has a great band program and also has singers who perform at an amazing level. I’m not a big fan of musicals, but I’ll be in the audience when they put on Bye Bye Birdie later this year.

Michelle and I may not watch Glee anymore, but I still listen to the music. We just couldn’t stand the horrible stories any longer, but the show continues to produce beautiful versions of songs we know and love.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is obscurantism, which means opposition to the spread of knowledge, as in, “The parents’ obscurantism led to them never allowing their children to watch the news or read a newspaper.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!


You have no rights to post comments