Music and Film class fine-tunes analytical skills

Students in LRHS’s first Music and Film class have become more observant not just in their abilities to describe music or scores, but also in themes present throughout cinema.

The class, taught by math teacher Thomas Pulliam, is serving as a substitute for traditional band this semester while band teacher Jennifer York finishes maternity leave.

Rather than simply fill a hole in a schedule, however, the class has been highly productive and has encouraged deeper thinking.

Pulliam explained, “A goal of this is to show that music is its own character in a film. A part could be very sad, but then you add in specific instruments, timber, etc. to evoke that feeling stronger.”

To achieve the goal, students analyze movies (often on their own time), construct three-dimensional word definitions, identify foreign instruments based on descriptions, or reflect on cinematic themes.

Due to time constraints, modifications have been made to the traditional curriculum.

“As this is just one semester, I am trying to pick parts that would be interesting to students and not as common,” Pulliam said.

So far, this has included a unit on post World War II European films as well as a unit on the transition of silent films to sound.

Students have been actively engaged in the course. Megan Buriak reflected, “I like how we get to experience a bit of history through music and film.”

As a result, Jack Anderson explained, “The material that we cover in the music and film class really provides the class with different perspectives on life and society.”

Several students report heightened analytical skills.

“I like the class because it delves deeper into the background of a movie instead of just the main plot,” noted Spencer Gering.

He continued, “I think I notice the music and different camera angles in films a lot more after being in the class.”

Similarly, Cole Cameron said, “The class has changed the way I watch movies because I can recognize the theme of the music and hear how many times it repeats itself.”

Examples of films the students have analyzed include 1948 British drama, “The Red Shoes,” 1947 Italian classic, “Bicycle Thieves,” 1962 drama, “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” and many others.

“‘The Phantom of the Opera’ was a big hit,” Pulliam recalled, adding, “We ended up watching that after school one evening, as students wanted to see it without interruption.”

Most recently, the class became emotional over the 1989 drama with Robin Williams, “Dead Poets Society.”

Cameron explained of the film’s meaningful effect, “The Dead Poets Society impacted me because it had real world problems that can happen today and deals with the fact that conformity is not always the answer.”

“The Dead Poets Society really had me step back for a moment and think about my friends and the school that I attend,” said Gering.

Referring to Williams’ famous whispered line, “Carpe Diem,” Gering continued, “It really portrayed the idea of nonconformity and making the most out of your life.”

Buriak reflected a deep level of thought from the film and its music, “It made me think about how we still have conformity even though it’s been almost thirty years since the book came out.”

She continued, “It also made me really think about how I’m lucky to have parents who support my career choices and just want me to be happy.”

“Most all students had something to add to the discussion,” explained Pulliam. As a result, the students are opting to independently read the novel by N. H. Kleinbaum from which the movie is adapted.

Consequently, Pulliam added, “It’s a nice cross-curricular opportunity.”

Apart from the reading of “Dead Poets Society,” upcoming projects for the Music and Film class include 1945 crime film “Mildred Pierce,” of which students will use songs like “He hurts me but I still love him” or “I can’t live without a man” in order to “delve into how movies and the music helped shape women’s roles post World War II,” plans Pulliam.

Overall, in its debut semester at LRHS, the Music and Film class has been successful. Anderson reflected, “Before taking this class, I had never realized that movies were more than just entertainment.”

He concluded, “I have learned to analyze and interpret the meaning behind the events portrayed, and really visualize the message that the producers are trying to get across.”