If you’re reading this site for the first time, it’s likely due to the new linkage from the LA Times Homeroom blog (if you’re not, go check out my other digital home, the Homeroom – now with beautiful picture and bio of yours truly).

Here you’ll find more education discussion as well as related projects I’m involved in. I also occasionally write about music, film, and literature (oh my!). Assuming you’re local, maybe you like reading books too. Consider being a part of the Beyond Pedagogy reading group (and yes, Gloria, once I figure out how I’ll be adding the books and dates for the group to the sidebar).

Speaking of music, Laurie Anderson’s performance last night at UCLA was a revelation. Though the middle of the show dragged slightly, the storytelling rhetoric and eerie, sardonic monotone that Anderson relies upon are still refreshing today. Hers is less a concert than an extended sneak preview of the impending apocalypse (for the view pleasure of an upperclass WASP-y audience).

Driving back to the east side after the show, Rhea and I discussed the speech-song format that Anderson has used throughout her career. The parallels to the recent acclaim of the Obama “Yes We Can Song” are clear and probably written about in a more informed manner elsewhere on the Internet. Reflecting on the form these compositions take, however, I see some clear instructional opportunities that could be adapted from the kind of work that Anderson produces. I’ll jot out some initial thoughts about this later (there’s a grant application that’s awaiting my flourishing touches).

The obvious highlight of the evening was the pop-laden “Only an Expert can Deal with a Problem.” Though a much fuller sound than the version below, the lyrics and delivery are worth your time.