Eight or nine nights each week for the past several months my family and were caught up in the American Idol phenomena. 38 million Americans watched the show\u2019s season finale. I am encouraged that it is still possible to bring generations together around a wholesome event. In addition to being wildly entertaining, American Idol offers many lessons for educators.<\/p>\n
All sorts of kids have talents we have yet to discover<\/strong> Hard work pays off<\/strong> Learning occurs best with an audience<\/strong> You need to be well-rounded<\/strong> Cooperation is valuable<\/strong> Achieving ones goals is not a zero-sum game<\/strong> There are no makeup tests<\/strong> Talent trumps superficiality<\/strong> Education is growth<\/strong> You need to be able to take a punch<\/strong> A life in the arts is full of rejection, not often so lovingly offered. Students need to recognize the difficulty that lies ahead while not abandoning their dreams or desire to bring beauty to the world.<\/p>\n You learn by working outside of your comfort zone<\/strong> Master as many genres as possible<\/strong> Respect history<\/strong> Production values don\u2019t matter<\/strong> Teaching is storytelling<\/strong> You care about great characters<\/strong> You must be graceful in defeat<\/strong> Young people are willing to vote<\/strong> Americans are ahead of the media on race<\/strong> Originally published in the August 2003 issue of District Administration Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eight or nine nights each week for the past several months my family and were caught up in the American Idol phenomena. 38 million Americans … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[446,430,435,428,526,434,429,431],"tags":[650,441,1393,642,1392],"class_list":["post-952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classic-stager","category-creativity","category-featured","category-general","category-leadership","category-learning","category-project-based-learning","category-teaching","tag-american-idol","tag-education","tag-learning","tag-music-education","tag-teaching"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe extraordinary drive and talent of the young adults participating in American Idol should remind us of the untapped potential in our students.<\/p>\n
\nThe American Idol contestants worked their tails off to prepare for each week\u2019s show. Teachers involved in the performing arts know how hard children will work to prepare for a performance and similar opportunities need to become the norm in other subject areas.<\/p>\n
\nAn audience for one\u2019s work gives that effort greater purpose. It not only motivates the learner, but also provides occasions for authentic assessment.<\/p>\n
\nAmerican Idol contestants needed to sing, dance and speak articulately. Only folks possessing the whole package would advance.<\/p>\n
\nNothing is learned in isolation. While American Idol was a competition, the finalists were required to perform together. This cooperation gave the performers greater respect for one another and taught valuable life lessons for the future.<\/p>\n
\nI believed the \u201cidols\u201d who said that participating was reward enough, even if they did not win the competition. The television show sustained this community of practice by having the \u201closers\u201d in the top ten return frequently for choreographed ensemble performances. Some of the \u201closers\u201d have embarked on successful careers due to this exposure and their willingness to give it their all regardless of the situation. Clay seemed genuinely happy for Ruben when he was named \u201cThe American Idol.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nYou get one chance at the plate and have to hit it out of the park every time. When Clay forgot the lyrics to a song in the final rounds, he had to recover with grace and move on.<\/p>\n
\nI was impressed by how often the viewers rejected \u201csexier\u201d contestants for those with more talent. This is all the more remarkable when viewers are picking a pop \u201cidol.\u201d Perhaps folks aren\u2019t as shallow as we thought.<\/p>\n
\nThe contestants actually improved each week. That demonstrates their willingness to incorporate advice, experience, talent and risk-taking in order to improve their future performance.<\/p>\n
\nResponding to the audience may enhance all human expression. Some of Simon\u2019s critiques were brutal, but honest. The successful performers respected that criticism. learned from it and responded in productive ways. This helped them improve.<\/p>\n
\nWhile it was clear that some idols were better dancers than others, each contestant did their best to improve in areas outside of their comfort zone.<\/p>\n
\nThe requirement that contestants perform in a number of different genres leveled the playing field while causing the singers to stretch. You don\u2019t have to like everything asked of you, but you must do your best. Flexibility and versatility are extremely desirable virtues.<\/p>\n
\nWhile you can hardly consider Bee Gees or Neil Sedaka relics, millions of American youngsters were introduced to their songwriting talents. Great songs are timeless. The American Idol contestants benefited from the wisdom dispensed by these elders.<\/p>\n
\nEducational software and television producers believe that kids won\u2019t watch anything without the latest in 3-D special effects. Great storytelling or music trumps production values. The American Idol set was ghastly and the background videos were distracting.<\/p>\n
\nPart of what made millions of viewers tune into each show was the compelling use of storytelling that held your interest, recapitulated what you may have missed and introduced you to the lives and work of various musicians.<\/p>\n
\nThe biographical profiles of each finalist and footage of them clowning around allowed viewers to identify with the contestants and get behind their favorites.<\/p>\n
\nPerhaps the most astounding part of American Idol was that seconds after being eliminated, that youngster needed to put on a happy face and belt one more song out for the audience. This demonstrated a remarkable level of graciousness, professionalism and poise.<\/p>\n
\n\u2026but apparently only if they like the candidates.<\/p>\n
\nI was frankly considered that America would not choose an overweight African American as their American Idol, regardless of his talents. The selection of Ruben Studdard proved that Americans were a lot hipper and talent than the national media whose magazine covers screamed, \u201cWas American Idol Fixed?\u201d following the final episdoe.<\/p>\n