Abstract

The wide reach of digital technology has further diversified student perspectives in the contemporary classroom and what was once considered mainstream has become less pronounced due to the vast assortment of television programming, music, and other forms of media available. Still, this diversity is often not reflected in school curricula. Though examining music as text is a common practice in the secondary English classroom, the songs selected for study are usually representative of mainstream trends and rarely include selections from alternative genres like punk rock, rap, or heavy metal. These genres are avoided due to misconceptions surrounding how their messages affect young people, despite the potential for many positive outcomes. Educational applications for metal music, though seemingly dissonant, can disrupt exclusive and limiting social norms in school settings, provide a sense of community for socially “othered” youths, and have long-term emotional benefits. This paper explores the social/emotional and literary potential of integrating metal music as text in the secondary English classroom, using Stranger Things character Eddie Munson as a frame of reference. Implications for practice include employing the metal genre to engage socially “othered” students and pairing these texts with canonical pieces to examine themes of nonconformity, social justice, and resisting oppression.

Keywords: metal, music, literacy, secondary English, Stranger Things

Author Bio

Ashley Butterworth Brumbelow teaches honors ninth-grade literature and Advanced Placement English Language and Composition in North Georgia. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in English education and master’s in curriculum and instruction through the University of North Georgia, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in language and literacy education at the University of Georgia.

Suggested Reference Citation

APA

Brumbelow, A.B. (2024). “This is music!”: What stranger things’ Eddie Munson reveals about the power of metal.  Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, 11(1). http://journaldialogue.org/v11-issue-1/this-is-music-what-stranger-things-eddie-munson-reveals-about-the-power-of-metal/

MLA

Brumbelow, Ashley Butterworth. “This is Music!”: What Stranger Things’ Eddie Munson Reveals About the Power of Metal.  Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy. 2024, vol 11, no. 1, http://journaldialogue.org/v11-issue-1/this-is-music-what-stranger-things-eddie-munson-reveals-about-the-power-of-metal/