Anything but Katy Perry
When I ask my students to choose a song to sing, I preface it with "You can sing anything ... but Katy Perry " and here's why....
I'll be the first one to admit that I cannot resist a good and catchy pop song. Infact, after studying music theory and ear training and analysis, sometimes all I want to hear is a piece of music that sounds good and feels good. With that said, I have a lot of contension with Katy Perry. Her songs are upbeat and catchy and are fun and perfect for the summer. However, they are a horrible horrible teaching trap.
Do you know how many 6 or 7 year old voice students I've had plead with me to sing a Katy Perry song ? Many, and frankly they are just not appropriate. I know this might make me sound like a prude, but music lessons can be a platform to teach many things - and choosing material to teach students can weigh heavily on what they take out of their lesson. I don't think it's appropriate to expose my young students (regardless of gender) to a body of language that is hyper-sexualized through innuendos that we assume they can only understand the surface level of.
This song is not about a birthday.....
"But when you're with me I'll give you a taste Make it like your birthday everyday I know you like it sweet So you can have your cake Give you something good to celebrate
......
So let me get you in your birthday suit It's time to bring out the big balloons"
And the only thing worse than hearing a 7 year old singing this song to themselves is when they ask you - becuase more often than you think they will ask, what the song means. I don't want to tell a my 6 six year old student what the song is actually about becuase it becomes a can of worms that you can't control in a 30 minute singing lesson. Also, in whatever way the parents of my students choose to explain or expose their children to music or media or ideologies of human sexuality is completely up to them. I would be mortified if a parent felt like I had introduced (although innocently in song form) an attitude including but not limited to sex, that wasn't in line with their parenting and becuase of that they discontinued lessons.
It's this kind of insight that drives me to become a more active participant it my students lessons. I really enjoy knowing them on the basis of respect and accountability that we have for each other and assuming that becuase these students are young that it doesn't really matter if they don't know what they are singing about is a reflection of how society percieves young minds to be shallow. In my experience so far lessons are a door-way to so many amazing concepts for young minds, that can and will devour information. Lessons like critical thinking can be applied very early on by talking about lyric-meanings and poetry, which I've seen lead to early composition and songwriting and insight. In this practical way, that is not over night, we can actually teach insight!!!!! Amazing!!!
Which is why the potential for a lesson, for critical thinking and analysis, for communication skills development is flushed directly down the toilet when a student wants to sing a Katy Perry song. I have no problem blasting her music in my car or dancing around with my girlfriends and the songs are really well formulated.... but in terms of lessons, there's no room for Katy Perry.