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Dear Mama By Tupac Shakur is perfect for this poem.  In this poem by Hughes, a mother is speaking to her son.  On the other hand, in Shakur's poem the son is speaking to the mother.  Even though the narrators in the poem differ, I think the messages are a similar.  Shakur is praising his mother for her honesty, transparency, struggle and love.  Indeed, Hughes mother is speaking with love, honesty an transparency too. I think the two artists compliment each other well.  

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Dear Mama By Tupac Shakur is perfect for this poem.  In this poem by Hughes, a mother is speaking to her son.  On the other hand, in Shakur's poem the son is speaking to the mother.  Even though the narrators in the poem differ, I think the messages are a similar.  Shakur is praising his mother for her honesty, transparency, struggle and love.  Indeed, Hughes mother is speaking with love, honesty an transparency too. I think the two artists compliment each other well.  

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb1ZvUDvLDY

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The line that I first thought of directly mentions teachers: "So I sing a song for...Young teachers, student doctors." But after reading the rest of the lyrics, so much of this song directly relates to the narrator/student's experience. The student felt like an underdog/unheard, but the teacher encourages them and Alicia Keys mirrors this: "One conversation, a single moment / The things that change us if we notice / When we look up, sometimes" and "Keep on keeping at what you love
/ You'll find that someday soon enough / You will rise up, rise up." I just love this song!

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I love the diversity of this list! You all pulled out the most critical themes and did such a wonderful job of thinking deeply about the connections between the song and poem.

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I love all of these selections! From country to rap, you all really pulled out some incredible connections. Beautiful work.

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I chose the song “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus  because it reminded me of the struggle of trying to accomplish their own goals, all while being torn down by outside circumstances. The poem mentioned the line “I’se been a-climbin’ on,” which made me automatically think of this song. Both represent the struggle people go through to accomplish their goals. Both talk about the challenge of their life and how things continue to try and bring them down, but they continue to fight to “climb” their “mountain.” They serve as a reminder for those listening (the son in the poem and us as the audience for the song) to persevere.

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As soon as I started reading the poem, Yusuf Cat Steven's song, "Father & Son", jumped back up in my memory bank. I remember the first time I heard the song on the car radio not knowing the title. I loved it right away and realized it was a father trying to give advice to his son. His son didn't want to hear his advice. It's different than the poem, because the son's perspective is also shared in his song.  I believe they both show the love of a parent who is trying to help their son from making a mistake.

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After reading this poem, the first song that came to mind is "Bridging the Gap" by Nas. I use this song in my hip hop as poetry unit I do with my 11th graders. It reminds me of the poem because there are these pivotal moments between father and son where the father steers his son in what he believes to be the right direction:

"I mighta ended up on the wrong side of the tracks
If Pops wouldn't've pulled me back"

"coulda ended in Spoffard, juvenile delinquent
But Pops gave me the right type'a tools to think with
Books to read, like X and stuff
'Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia"

In this case, the father's own experiences being from the South were formative in shaping the experiences of his son who was raised in NYC. It makes me think a lot about the Great Migration and the Civil Rights movement and how some of the challenges Nas' father faced were probably not all that different than those the speaker's mother faced in the poem.

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Nas - Bridging the Gap (Video) ft. Olu Dara

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I chose the song 9 to 5 because it's about the speaker being persistent in her desire to climb, even though she believes it will be a long time before she actually finds success.  The speaker also discusses all of the things that "get in her way," the inequity of her situation because she's barely getting by, "it's all takin' and no givin'."  However, her final piece of advice is to keep working hard because "you got dreams he'll never take away."  This song is particularly interesting because it was released in the 80s when women began to infiltrate the corporate workforce.

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I chose the song Brave by Sara Bareilles because both the song and the poem felt like someone is trying to come out of their shell and speak up about something, or just allowing your voice to be heard. In the poem, the teacher encourages the student to find their confidence and grow brave to speak. The song also talks about speaking up, and encourages you to be brave and use your voice to speak out.

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"Bring on the Rain" - Jo Dee Messina. One of the central messages in "mother to Sin" seems to be how life isn't "a crystal stair" - and even more, it won't be anytime soon. Instead, life is hard but that is no reason to stop. This song makes me think about that message, that sometimes life is filled with rain, but just bring it on because we are just going to keep going anyway. 

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"Bring on the Rain" - Jo Dee Messina. One of the central messages in "mother to Sin" seems to be how life isn't "a crystal stair" - and even more, it won't be anytime soon. Instead, life is hard but that is no reason to stop. This song makes me think about that message, that sometimes life is filled with rain, but just bring it on because we are just going to keep going anyway. 

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Jo Dee Messina - Bring On The Rain (2000)

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I chose this song because Hercules longs for a life filled with joy, family, and success. Although, he is strong he struggles with many diffiulties. He is committed to overcoming the problems in his life. I feel as if in some ways, I could imagine this as the child's response to his mother. She tells him life isn't wasy and he promises to keep climbing.

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The song is performed by the character of Aaron Burr, who is struggling to find his purpose among the tumultuous political landscape of America during the Revolutionary War. Similar to the mother's message in the song, Burr is slowly learning that life is difficult and confusing, but it must be for a reason. In particular, he is trying to find his place when compared to his "frenemy", Alexander Hamilton. But, eventually, he sings to himself as inspiration: he needs to "wait for it" to figure out what he's meant to do in the world. But, he knows he's meant to do something incredible because, well, he's alive for a reason. He also declares himself as "inimitable" and "original", and someone who is not "running late"--it's just simply not his time. Right now, he has to work through adversity and uncertainty--just like how the mother in the poem is telling her son that the adversity he's working through is because life is hard, but eventually, you work through it. Also, according to Burr in the song, "life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints." In fact, all of us "rise and we fall and we break
And we make our mistakes", and if there's a reason for us to be alive, then we should all be "willing to wait for it."

Here is a live performance video of Aaron Burr's actor (Leslie Odom Jr.) and the Hamilton cast singing the song acapella.

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I chose this song because the poem's main message/theme was about how someone's belief in you can push you out of your comfort zone and give you courage that stays with you your whole life. This song seems to be a similar message - a mother's hope for her child - that they won't necessarily take the "easy" path but will continue to leave their comfort zone and be courageous.

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Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance (Official Music Video)

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This song resonated with me for this poem. When reading the poem I see a student growing, changing, and getting more confidence from the help of the teacher. They are changing, and becoming a new person; one that raises their hand instead of hoping not to be seen. This song talks about becoming a new person and throwing a funeral for who you used to be. Both the poem and the song have a transitional aspect within them.
Christine Tully

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Leanna Crawford - Funeral (Official Lyric Video)

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I chose this song because it could be from the perspective of the son who does not speak in the poem. So, this song could be his response to his mother's advice. It talks a lot of troubles and overcoming those obstacles, but from the perspective from the person who is being told to keep going.  Yes, life is hard, but you cannot give up. "You raise me up to more than I can be." "You raise me up to walk on stormy seas." In the poem, if the son was able to speak and give his perspective, I imagine he would relate to these quotes.  He would appreciate the advice his mom gives him, and this song would be a tribute to her careful mothering. Emily Hemmert-Dull

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Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up **Lyrics** [HD]

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"You Will Be Found" from Dear Evan Hansen

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"You Will Be Found" from Dear Evan Hansen

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For me personally, this is an extremely impactful and important piece of music. My brother has struggled with depression and bipolar disorder for most of his life and the Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen was extremely moving for our whole family. As a teacher, I feel like it is my job to listen to, support, and be there for my students, as we as teachers are sometimes their only trusted adult. If you have not taken a listen to this incredible song/ musical, I hope you enjoy!

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Ben Platt & Cast of DEAR EVAN HANSEN Perform 'You Will Be Found'

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"Long Ways to Travel" was the first song I thought of in connection to "Mother to Son". First, I taught the poetry of Langston Hughes with the lead singer/writer of this song, Jake Speed (Riordan). Second, this song, like many performed by the local band Jake Speed and the Freddies, focuses on similar themes to those found in the poetry of Hughes. This song in particular speaks to the long road we as a country have to travel before there is equality for all people, giving specific examples of how our differences can often lead to the types of adversity touched on in the poem. There is no video, but I've linked a website where you can listen to this song as well as many others by Jake Speed and the Freddies. I would highly recommend giving them a listen. (Sara Godwin)
https://freddiesmusic.com/music

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While this is more of a love song (or the opposite, I guess), this poem made me think of it because the poet wants the things she loves to stay. In this song, the singer is trying to leave while her lover wants her to stay. I think they both communicate the theme that sometimes the things we love are fleeting.

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FLOWERS - NEW MUSIC MONDAY - MOONLIGHT SESSIONS

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I chose the song "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans. Although this is more of a heartbreak song, it reinforces the idea that although life is tough people can, and should, persevere. (Cassie)

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Sara Evans - A Little Bit Stronger (Official Video)

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I chose the song "Rise Up" by Andra Day because the lyrics are so deeply intertwined with the central theme of Tupac's poem. Like Tupac, Andra uses powerful figurative language to communicate the shared theme. They both share an inspirational tone as well, and they both give me chills!

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Andra Day - Rise Up [Official Music Video] [Inspiration Version]