The Gryphon Gazette

By: Oscar C. ‘29

Have you ever wondered about your teachers’ music tastes? Or have you ever thought about your teacher’s perspectives on their own classes? In this article, I interviewed a numerous amount of teachers from all different departments, asking what song they think best describes their teaching style and why. Some teachers had a lot to say in their response, while others decided to keep it short and simple. Without further ado, here are the songs that best represent Crystal teachers’ teaching styles.

To start off, Ms. Kwon chose Brave by Sara Bareilles. She says that “the lines of the song directly celebrate honesty and vulnerability; essential in a learning environment where students need to ‘embrace growth challenges.’ I like to think that my teaching style reflects both structure and encouragement, so more people have the opportunity to share their voices.”

Following, Ms. Carbonell decided on Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. She said, “It embodies my teaching style: connection, joy in teaching and learning, and how a class is like a symphony where everyone is needed to create a positive environment.”

When asked about his choice, Mr. Gresalfi pondered for a bit, saying, “This is a tough but very interesting request!” He eventually chose I Zimbra by Talking Heads. Mr Gresalfi commented on one of his favorite songs, exclaiming, “I picked this song because it’s kind of frenetic and sort of like how I imagine I am in class; shouting a bunch of nonsense that few understand if they are paying any attention at all.” He also commented on the playfulness of the song, even “zany,” which is how he would like his classes to be (sometimes!). This music choice is also influenced by African guitar and drum styles, with lyrics adapted from a Dadaist poem by Hugo Ball.

Ms. Aguirre kept her response brief, choosing ENERGY by Beyoncé. This decision was marked by her desire for “ students to match her energy in class”. She also says she feels “hyped up when teaching”, making it the perfect song to represent her style. 

Next up, Mr. Bell decided to pick Let’s Dance to Joy Division by the Wombats. He said he chose this song to represent “how absurd life is”, as well as because of the irony it possesses. He also said he picked it because it’s a banger, and it takes “serious stuff less seriously”.

Following, when interviewed, Mr. Calabrese picked Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones. His choice was simple, picking this song solely because “he likes to make life harder for people”, referring to his humorous teaching style that we all know and love. 

Mr. Diamond, excited by the question, enthusiastically picked multiple songs. He first exclaimed Stand by You by Rachel Platten. He said, “I just love Platten’s music, and the song gets me fired up about being there for someone… I just focus on the phrases ‘I’m gonna stand by you!’ and ‘We can find a way to break through,’” indicating how his goal is to break through any misunderstandings until all of his students fully understand the math concept. Next, with unwavering eagerness, he offered Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. He expressed, “I like the upbeat nature and intensity of the song. I like to have an enthusiastic environment for learning, and I love the craziness of the falsetto.” His song choice demonstrates his unspoken classroom rules: “You gotta let go and not be afraid of being embarrassed with any questions or your own personality.” Mr. Diamond further related to Best of What’s Around by Dave Matthews Band. He  particularly emphasized the line “it’s not where but who you’re with that really matters”,  conveying his goals about building a community in each class period, with “students uplifting one another, expressing their sense of humor and uniqueness that make the class.” Mr. Diamond continues to express his ardor for music with Vienna by Billy Joel. He said he picked this song because “these few lines from the song are good advice to any student who is grinding too much or stressed, or over-programmed. I like to remind my students and advisees to just calm down and have a manageable course load and activity load. You’re only in high school and have so much time ahead,” a motivating, warmhearted message for all his students. Mr. Diamond closed out his many choices with Entertainer by Billy Joel as his last song. He relates deeply to this song, claiming, “In some respects, teachers are entertainers and need to be, or at least set up an entertaining and digestible environment/lesson plan to capture the attention of students, especially in a 70 minute period. Billy Joel’s remark in the song about feeling constrained to a time limit by his music producers relates to this idea of making things digestible.” He then quotes the lyrics, “It was a beautiful song, but it ran too long, If you’re gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, So they cut it down to 3:05,” emphasizing his point. With many choices, it cannot be denied truly diverse bunch of songs is the fitting choice to describe Mr. Diamond’s style. 

All in all, teachers picked varying songs from classical music to pop. Teachers were surprised by the question, and many had to deeply contemplate their answer. On average, the songs chosen were usually energetic and upbeat, displaying the enthusiasm teachers feel when teaching their classes. Overall, our Crystal teachers have a very wide range of musical tastes and individual and unique ways of teaching each and every class.