Hi guys! I am a life skills teacher and I try to use music to introduce lessons in my classroom pretty regularly(once a week or so). I play all genres and I have one stipulation - has to be appropriate for high school students (VERY limited cursing, no innuendo, no references to religion, abortion, etc...)

For example, if the topic was drug abuse, I would play "Under the Bridge" by RHCP, or if the topic was types of families (single parent) - "Just the Two of Us" by Will Smith or "Father of Mine" by Everclear, or positive self concept, "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World or "Everything to Everyone" by Everclear.

Can you help me? I am struggling with some topics:
*conflict, solving conflict, talking it out (fiance suggested "Beat It" by MJ)
*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly
*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships (Beyonce "Irreplaceable"?)
*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general)
*parenting (good, bad, etc)
*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept
*leaders, leadership, jobs and careers (She works hard for the money...haha j/k!)
*making a house a home
*fashion

I'd also like to find a webpage that helps search for songs by topic.

Any ideas are much appreciated Thanks for helping me be a better teacher for my students.

8/24/2010 9:35:43 PM

Also, any funny video clips or pictures are welcome.

I use the "mom song" William Tell Overture for parenting and the "Charlie Bit Me" video to get the kids talking about discipline and modeling appropriate behavior.

8/24/2010 9:38:04 PM

Quote :

"*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly"

Bills, Bills, Bills by Destiny's Child

Quote :

"*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships (Beyonce "Irreplaceable"?)"

that eminem/rihanna song...can't remember the name of it right now. G105 plays the hell out of it

8/24/2010 9:46:01 PM

hahaha I think bills, bills, bills is perfect! Thanks!

^hmm, is it Love the Way You Lie?

8/24/2010 9:50:06 PM

^yeah, that's it.

Quote :

"parenting (good, bad, etc)"

bad parenting...I think any Eminem song where he raps about his mom is a good one.

8/24/2010 9:51:33 PM

Yeah, I found one called "I'm Sorry Mama" but his are all too explicit.
:/

But thank you for the other ideas so far. I also found bills, bills, bills video clip. Perfect!

8/24/2010 10:03:59 PM

Quote :

"fashion"

sharp dressed man -ZZ Top

[Edited on August 24, 2010 at 10:26 PM. Reason : .]

8/24/2010 10:25:17 PM

conflict: i write sins not tragedies panic! at the disco
i don't know but why not: genius of love tom tom club
parenting: don't you want me human league
self concept: superman five for fighting
making a house a home: i will buy you a new life everclear

8/24/2010 10:27:30 PM

Quote :

"*conflict, solving conflict, talking it out *feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept"

both uses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh3wTPlPyPc#t=01m06s

8/24/2010 10:42:27 PM

*conflict, solving conflict, talking it out (fiance suggested "Beat It" by MJ)
The Beatles-we can work it out

*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly
Limp Bizkit-im broke
*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships (Beyonce "Irreplaceable"?)
Three days grace-I hate everything about you

*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general)
Kidrock-black chick white guy or everlast-what its like

*parenting (good, bad, etc)
Fresh prince-parents just dont understand

*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept
James Brown-I feel good

*leaders, leadership, jobs and careers (She works hard for the money...haha j/k!)
Bill Withers-lean on me

*making a house a home
Garth Brooks-two of a kind
Alan Jackson-Home
Kenny chesney-good stuff

*fashion
Calvin Harris-Colours
mocean worker-tres tres chic

8/24/2010 10:50:00 PM

Quote :

"*conflict, solving conflict, talking it out (fiance suggested "Beat It" by MJ)"

no idea

Quote :

"*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly"

Still Fly - Big Tymers is pretty much perfect for how not to manage finances

Quote :

"*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships (Beyonce "Irreplaceable"?)"

Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul

Quote :

"*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general)"

I got nothin....Wonder Why They Call U Bitch - 2Pac - too explicit. The song is about not being a slut, getting pregnant, and sleeping around trying to get a rich man.

Maybe "The Kids aren't Alright" - Offspring? (Verse #2, In particular)

What It's Like, as mentioned, would work somewhat for this

Quote :

"*parenting (good, bad, etc)"

Wrong Way - Sublime (Kinda sucks, but it came to mind)
(I also agree with any eminem song)
Maybe "Stay Together for the Kids" - Blink 182? (Sad song about Divorce..)

Quote :

"feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept"

I'm too sexy - ????

Quote :

"*leaders, leadership, jobs and careers (She works hard for the money...haha j/k!)"

I wanna be rich????...haha. That would also kind of work for "finances" requirement

Quote :

"*making a house a home"

I got nothin

Quote :

"*fashion"

Vogue - Madonna???
Sharp dressed man is a great call


[Edited on August 24, 2010 at 11:33 PM. Reason : ]

8/24/2010 11:07:54 PM

*fashion - Right Said Fred, I'm too sexy

8/24/2010 11:11:41 PM

*conflict, solving conflict, talking it out (fiance suggested "Beat It" by MJ)
Eagles by Third Day

*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly
Mo Money Mo Problems by The Notorious B.I.G.

*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships (Beyonce "Irreplaceable"?)
healthy: Lean on Me by Bill Withers, Jack & Diane by John Mellencamp
unhealthy: Landed by Ben Folds

*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept
No Rain by Blind Melon (show the video if you can haha)
Stronger by Britney Spears
Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

*fashion
Fashion Victim by Green Day

8/25/2010 12:58:14 AM

Quote :

"conflict, solving conflict, talking it out"

Do you really want to hurt me? by Boy George

8/25/2010 1:40:28 AM

*parenting (taking things for granted)
4am - Our Lady Peace

8/25/2010 9:44:30 AM

*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general)

Ben Folds Five - Brick

8/25/2010 10:03:07 AM

Teen Pregnancy: Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Making a House a Home: A House is not a Home - About a million different covers

8/25/2010 10:14:55 AM

Quote :

"*leaders, leadership, jobs and careers (She works hard for the money...haha j/k!)"

work - barrington levy

Quote :

"*parenting (good, bad, etc)"

my orphan year - nofx

[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 11:16 AM. Reason : parenting]

8/25/2010 11:07:22 AM

Teen Pregnancy: Runaway Love by Ludacris. It's not just teen pregnancy though. Discusses several topics in the first couple of verses, but the 3rd verse talks about a very young girl having unprotected sex and the father leaving once she gets pregnant.

Also, for Parenting: He Say She Say by Lupe Fiasco is all about a kid whose parents are separated. The kid struggles with school and things like that because he lacks a father figure.


[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 11:59 AM. Reason : add lupe song]

8/25/2010 11:54:02 AM

Quote :

"*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly"

Billionaire - Travi McCoy

Quote :

"*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept"

Express Yourself - Madonna

Quote :

"*fashion"

that Fergie song on the Sex and the City soundtrack; also there's a Lady Gaga song about fashion on the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack

Quote :

"*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships (Beyonce "Irreplaceable"?)"

Monster - Lady Gaga; Womanizer - Britney Spears

Quote :

"*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept"

Fighter - Christina Aguilera

Quote :

"*making a house a home"

You Bring Me Home - Leann Rimes

8/25/2010 12:10:32 PM

*parenting (good, bad, etc)

Staind - For You

8/25/2010 12:33:44 PM

Quote :

" fashion"

Someone already mentioned it, but that Fergie song is good ("Labels or Love" I believe it's called) and the Lady Gaga song is called... "Fashion"

Quote :

"feeling good about one's self... self esteem, self concept"

Try "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out" by Less Than Jake (ridiculous song title, I know)... The song is from the perspective of the singer and telling someone they have to let things go and move on.. Kind of saying to stop beating themselves up over something.

8/25/2010 12:38:48 PM

*conflict - Beat it is a really good one for this, I'd say stick with it

*money management - Money - Pink Floyd. The opening of the song has cash register sounds and coins and stuff so this should work well

*healthy relationships - Self Esteem - The Offspring. Whole song is about a bad relationship. Both Don't Speak and Spiderwebs by No Doubt would also be good.

*teen pregnancy - Brick - Ben Folds Five. The song is about abortion though so it may be a little touchy for high school

*parenting (good, bad, etc) - As someone earlier mentioned, Parents Just Don't Understand by the Fresh Prince is really good for this one.

*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept - Feels Just Like it Should - Jamiroquai, maybe?

*leaders, leadership, jobs and careers - Can't think of any

*making a house a home - Our House - Crosby/Stills/Nash, or Our House - Talking Heads

*fashion - Not so much about clothes, but more style, The Offspring - Pretty Fly for a White Guy (I hate to bring up The Offspring twice but both songs kinda fit)

8/25/2010 12:49:31 PM

*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly
Mo money, Mo problems... WIN
*healthy relationships, or unhealthy relationships
I'd say "The Good stuff" is a good one
Superman, or Stan, by Eminem (Stan definitely covers an unhealthy relationship)
*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general)
"There Goes my Life" Kenny Chesney

[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 1:01 PM. Reason : Too Hot (apparently By "Kool and the Gang?") Is a good relationship one, STD related]

8/25/2010 1:00:03 PM

a lot of good suggestions here. I'm not sure i get "Beat It" for conflict resolution and talking it out though. I like beat it, but it's mostly about non-violence. And it specifically encourages the people to walk away (just beat it) instead of engaging in violence. There's not even mention of a desire to truly want to resolve the conflict so much that fighting (and risking your life in doing so) isn't worth it to prove your point.

If you take it out of the context of physical violence, it's simply suggesting to walk away from conflict. Walking awat form a fight is one thing. But you can't walk away from conflicts your entire life. 99.999999% of conflicts have nothing to do with physical violence. So unless you teach kids who are prone to getting into fights to resolve their differences, I don't see beat it as a good fit for any other aspect of conflicts and conflict resolution, and especially "talking it out."


I'd use Schism by Tool for the conflict resolution/talking it out one.

schism is specifically about a relationship falling apart. the person knowing things once worked and thinking that they can again. it addresses the tendency to want to blame the other person and not yourself. theres a part (I think) that addresses how good can come out of facing the conflict head on by talking it out and going through that "dance" instead of just creating distance. And it specifically addresses the importance of communication.

8/25/2010 2:10:15 PM

Quote :

"*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly Mo money, Mo problems... WIN"

I came in here to post that.

8/25/2010 2:15:39 PM

I still say "Still Fly" by Big Tymers is a good example of how not to live economically

8/25/2010 7:07:56 PM

You guys ROCK. I feel so lame that I am not able to give specific replies to each response but after the first day back, I am pooped. I will do as many as I can and then finish the rest tomorrow. Thanks so much for the suggestions so far!

Quote :

"No Rain by Blind Melon (show the video if you can haha)"

I totally forgot about this one...it's the little girl in the BEE SUIT right? I love this one...THANKS!

Also, I need to check the lyrics on some but there are a lot of great ideas. I think any eminem song is going to be out just because of language. Maybe Ludacris too.

Mo money mo problems would be perfect if it didn't say "nigga" about 18 times.

I have Bens Fold Brick but I have never played it. It's too touchy with the abortion topic...we aren't even allowed to talk about abortion.

Love sharp dressed man by ZZ Tops! It's perfect for the discussion of formal attire. Thanks! Pretty Fly for a White guy is good too - I can easily bleep out "lily ass".

i write sins not tragedies panic! at the disco - Nice in theory but too risque:/
Genius of Love - ahahahahah I love this song but I think my students would be like WTF?
Don't you want me might work for dating instead of parenting.
self concept: superman five for fighting - PERFECT and I have this song - bonus points!
I like everclear I will buy you a new life.

Cop killer - no.......

The Beatles-we can work it out - This is a good one but I can't find it online to play it...I can't access youtube...any ideas?

Limp Bizkit-im broke - Too much cursing but a good idea!

I love three days grace and have this song on my ipod...so maybe

Kidrock - eek - this just sounds bad!....black chick white guy....and no to everlast(great song though...great content)...too much cursing again.

YES! PArents just dont understand is great! I will use that one!

Bill Withers-lean on me would work better for dealing with crisis and stress! Good one.

YES, yes, YES!
Garth Brooks-two of a kind
Alan Jackson-Home
Kenny chesney-good stuff

Calvin Harris - never heard this song before but I like it..Colours! Great.

Still Fly - Big Tymers - I love this song. I might can play the first bit and the chorus and then stop before we get to all the talk of ninjas and sex. What does pop my feather mean? Head on the inside....hmmm...

Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul - SWEET.

Stay Together for the Kids - We discuss divorce as part of crisis and I LOVE THIS SONG! GREAT IDEA! I'm going to go broke buying things off youtube.

I'll start at begonias tomorrow....If anyone has these songs and could think of a way to share them online with me, I need some help. I can show videos as long as they are not blocked by the server. Any ideas??

I can access tww...lol...If we embeded youtube vids on here would they still be blocked if youtube is blocked? The filters are so stupid.

8/25/2010 10:06:51 PM

Quote :

"What does pop my feather mean? Head on the inside....hmmm..."

No idea what "pop my feather" means, but pretty sure it's not sexual or dirty.

"20 inches (rims, obviously)...pop my feather. The bird man dead? I fly in any weather"

I think he's just talking about how awesome he is

The "head on teh inside" I think he's still referring to his alligator seats.

Pretty sure that whole verse is just about how pimp his car is...

8/25/2010 10:58:06 PM

I do the same thing in biology and science classes. Except i try to keep it all 80s

Plant chromatography- true color- cindi lauper
pressure- queen
stars - lucky star-madonna

I got the idea from an economics professor at nc state. I almost changed my major to econ because of that guy.

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 11:40 AM. Reason : look at britain]

8/26/2010 11:39:54 AM

*money management, going in debt, or even some rap song about spending money irresponsibly
- Fabolous - Throw it in the bag

*parenting (good, bad, etc)
- 2pac - Dear Mama
- Blink 182 - Stay Together for the Kids

*leaders, leadership, jobs and careers (She works hard for the money...haha j/k!)
Working in the Coal Mine

*conflict, solving conflict, talking it out
Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore


Those are the ones that I thought of that haven't been mentioned yet. I'm gonna keep thinking about this though cause this is kinda fun. Also, if you need to stream any of these, you can probably find/stream them for free at http://www.grooveshark.com it has damn near everything.

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 11:50 AM. Reason : just thought of a jobs one]

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 11:51 AM. Reason : another one]

8/26/2010 11:48:14 AM

Quote :

"Someone already mentioned it, but that Fergie song is good ("Labels or Love" I believe it's called) and the Lady Gaga song is called... "Fashion" "

YES! thank you for naming the Fergie song. the music was playing in my head but i couldn't remember the title of the song.

8/26/2010 11:52:25 AM

*parenting (good, bad, etc) - He didn't have to be - Brad Paisley
*feeling good about one's self...self esteem, self concept - It's a great day to be alive - Travis Tritt, Another day in Paradise - Phil Vassar
*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general) - Red Rag Top? - Tim McGraw
*fashion - Boots on - Randy Hauser
*making a house a home - Memories - Miranda Lambert

8/26/2010 5:19:00 PM

parenting- daughters-john mayer

nuff said

8/26/2010 7:47:54 PM

Quote :

"*teen pregnancy (costs of pregnancy in general)"

Prince - Pussy Control

8/26/2010 8:45:38 PM

teen pregnancy - "Runaway Love" by Ludacris (third verse)

8/26/2010 9:58:34 PM