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The Pages and Playlists Summer Program is a summer reading program with the goals of encouraging middle schoolers to learn about different types of literacy, engage with different texts meaningfully outside of school, explore and affirm their own identities through music, and overall providing a safe space for students to explore more about themselves.

This Padlet/Text Set is a window into how the program and students individual project will be structured. Through this Padlet, I place myself in the middle school students shoes and showcase how my text and song choices reflect how I find connections between music and my own identity. Although I am focusing mostly on my ethnic identity, students are not limited in what parts of their identity they want to explore through this program/project.

Aside from sharing my own findings and showcasing how this project should look like for students, I also offer an activity to aid students in their engagement with this project to make it a more meaningful and guided process for them. The activity consists of a Listening Guide that offers students a series of questions to reflect and engage with as they explore their text and song choices.

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Assigned book: On The Come Up - Angie Thomas

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Assigned book: On The Come Up - Angie Thomas

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This is the book all students in the program will read throughout the summer.

About On The Come Up;

This book follows Bri Jackson, a sixteen year old teen on her journey to becoming a rap artist following in her dads old footsteps. She faces backlash from her family as they see more value in her education than her musical interests. The plot follows Bri as she participates in rap offs, rap battles, recording with her dads old manager, and becoming an internet sensation through her songs. Yet, she was still continuously targeted because of her racial identity and has had to deal with several struggles in her personal life. This book intersects identity with music through experiences that may be relatable to many students living through similar experiences or circumstances as Bri.

The goal with assigning students this book is to provide them with an opportunity to read and engage with Bri's journey with music and her own identity development but to also inspire students to find and explore the connections between music and their own identities. Participating in the program means that students are expected to engage with this book throughout the summer and have small discussions during each meeting to check in on the progress they've made with the book, pose questions, and discuss with other peers about the plot.

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DtMF - Bad Bunny

This song is in Spanish and although there are a lot of references throughout the song that give it romantic meaning, it is a universal feeling and experience. This song is one of Bad Bunny's greatest hits of the year. It emphasizes how people take for granted the time they spend with their loved ones and speaks on the regret that comes with that. For example, the lyric "y contarte las cosas que no te conte y tirarte las fotos que no te tire" shows regret in not saying the things he wanted to say or not taking the pictures he wish he could've and taking those moments with his loved ones for granted.

Other lyrics that stuck out to me:

"debi darte mas besos y abrazo las veces que pude, ojala que los mio' nunca se muden"

"hoy vo'a estar con abuelo to'el dia jugando domino"

"vamo a disfrutar, que nunca se sabe si nos queda poco"

This song is all about emphasizing being in the moment and not taking your time with your loved ones for granted. My family is a very important part of my identity. Not only has my family provided me with rich culture, they have also instilled several values and beliefs in me that I continue to live by as an adult. My family has molded me into the person I am today. Through this song, I recognize that I should take advantage of the time I have with my loved ones. This song also serves as a message to the Puerto Rican diaspora, that we all hold onto a piece of each other and our home even when we're miles away.

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Gonna Love Me - Teyana Taylor

I chose this song because although the lyrics are meant to refer to a romantic relationship, I interpret these lyrics as a window to my self love journey and my gradual development of building more confidence.

Some lyrics that stuck out to me:

"I'm sorry if i made you feel less than who you are, a little insecure, oh, you's a shining star"

"Sometimes we say things that we really don't mean"

"And oh, you're gonna love me"

I chose these lyrics because I see it as a reflection to how I treat myself as a person. Recognizing that I may be treating myself to harsh at times and to remind myself that I am capable and worthy, and to learn how to love myself more. These moments of vulnerability matter and reflecting on it can really help with self growth and building more confidence. Also, love in itself is a very powerful force, especially self-love. If I can't learn to love myself even during my hardest times, how can I expect to love or care for others. This is why I resonate heavily with Teyana Taylors song because she talks about difficulties in being vulnerable and seeing love as a powerful source to lead ones actions in life.

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PBS video : Puerto Rico to New York

This video talks about the role of The Great Depression in the Puerto Rican diaspora. The video also slightly touches upon the harassment and discrimination faced by Puerto Ricans as they moved to the mainland in search for better/more opportunity that the island couldn't provide which is still persistent to this day. I had mentioned that Bad Bunny's song "DtMF", reminded me of my own family both on the mainland and in Puerto Rico. I also found myself relating to Juanita's story from living in Puerto Rico to living in New York because although considered U.S citizens by law, the discrimination and hardships faced with leaving your home and family behind have affected those in the diaspora, including my family.

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Puerto Rico to New York | PBS LearningMedia

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Puerto Rico is hit hard by the Depression and the U.S. implements Operation Bootstrap. The island experiences new industrialization but many look to use their U.S. citizenship to seek opportunity on the East Coast. Great numbers of Puerto Ricans move to New York, including Juanita Ortiz Sanabria. As they strengthen this growing community, they also confront challenges in their new home. Stereotypes about Puerto Ricans in general and Puerto Rican youth in particular shape many of the challenges of the 1940s and 1950s.

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Here I provide a Listening Guide example that would be an activity administered to students in the Pages and Playlists Program to engage with as they explore their song choices. The guiding questions in this Listening Guide serve to ensure that students are meaningfully engaging with this project and connecting their music choices with parts of their identity. Although guided, students still have a lot of choice and freedom to explore what parts of their identity or music interests they want to. This Listening Guide was also created to aid students who may have learning disabilities or difficulties with a structured example of how they can navigate the creative process that this project requires of students.