Colonial Rap-off a New Finley Tradition
Brad Reminick knows that getting young people interested in learning is at least half the battle a teacher faces. So, he looks for interesting angles to come at his students with at J. Taylor Finley Middle School.
Mr. Reminick recently worked with his seventh grade social studies classes to pull-off Finley’s annual Colonial Rap-Off as the sounds of songs and history filled the air in the school.
“Their assignment was to take an act passed by the British prior to the start of the American Revolution and put it to song,” Mr. Reminick said. “They chose from the proclamation of 1763, Tea Act, Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Quartering Act, Intolerable Acts, etc., or they could choose an incident such as the Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre or a similar event.”
Students received the assignment two weeks before the big event and early rounds saw them participating individually or in group performances during regularly scheduled classes. Mr. Reminick and class members chose the finalists for a later show, which held in the large group instruction room before a crowd of students and teachers.
An American Idol-type format was utilized with Mr. Reminick as the master of ceremonies. Team teachers formed the panel of judges. The stage crew consisted of numerous students, who also handled the sound and lighting. The show included 14 acts in all.
Mr. Reminick created the original assignment four years ago. “I was amazed by what I saw,” he said. “The kids were given three days and came up with such clever rhymes that I was blown away. I distinctly remember the performance of Brielle Blatt. I thought I might have caught onto something and ignited lot of interest in the students.” The following year there was a rap-off in class and Patrick Wolber, who is now a high school freshman, took top honors.
Last year the event moved into the LGI and two sets of winners were crowned; Nick Arleo for his “Feather Brain” rap about the tarring and feathering of British tax officials and Sara Totura and Lacey Schedler for an original song written by Ms. Totura and performed by both students while playing guitar.
“This year we had 14 acts in the finals and they were the very best we have ever had, to say the least,” Mr. Reminick said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them and the effort they all put forth. Not only were the acts terrific, the student body showed why Finley is one of the best places to work. They were so courteous and respectful.”
Kaitlin Dayton and Ruhi Shah won this year’s rap-off. The pair created a song describing an incident occurring the night of the Boston Tea Party. “The winning team this year was terrific,” Mr. Reminick said. “When they started to sing I think everyone was blown away. Their voices were beautiful and their lyrics were well thought out. The judges had a tough time picking the winner but in the end their song edged out the other finalists.”
Finley teachers, like their counterparts across the district, spend chunks of time reflecting on how to spark curiosity and stimulate interest in learning. They look for innovative “outside-the-box” ways of reaching students.
“Students know the words to every song you hear on the radio these days so when I created this project I was hoping it might help them remember some of the vast amount of content we cover in seventh grade,” Mr. Reminick said. “Next year we will try and build on the project and make it even better than this year!”
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