[For this year’s
Valentine’s
Day series, I wanted to share and briefly discuss a handful of my favorite
songs, leading up to a special weekend post on a legendary singer/songwriter on
whom my perspective has significantly and happily evolved. I’d love to hear
about your favorite songs or artists in comments!]
On the difficult
and crucial skill this favorite song models.
Each of the prior
times I’ve taught our English
Studies Capstone, I’ve brought in a few favorite texts of mine for the last
class. (I imagine I’ll do the same this semester, but it’s too early for me to
be thinking about May quite yet!). Partly that’s because the class is very
individualized, and so I like to end by sharing a bit more of me after having
learned so much about all of the students in the class. But it’s also and
especially because each of these texts helps me highlight particular skills
that I think English Studies features and that will serve the students well as
they move into their future professional, educational, and personal settings
and stages.
One of those
favorite texts is Dar
Williams’ “After All” (2001). There’s a lot that I love about Dar’s
beautiful song, including the most pitch-perfect and moving final verse I’ve
ever encountered. But I’m particularly impressed with it as a model of both
self-analysis and of wedding such self-reflections to evolving perspectives on
our family and heritage, our relationships, and our place in the world. Asking
such questions about ourselves is a lifelong process, I believe, and one that
greatly benefits from examples and guides. I know of few that are more
beautiful or more inspiring than “After All.”
Next favorite
song tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Favorite songs or artists you’d share?
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