Music is a major part of life for so many of us, we have playlists for everything, why not a playlist for language school leaders? This list has been put together with much love and affection, choices have been made on emotional and lyrical appropriacy as well as a musical mix to soothe, enthuse and accompany us on our way. The tracks span about 50 years from the 1970’s right up to the present day, just like us, right?
Which tunes resonate with you? What songs would you add to the list? We’d love to know. Please add your suggestions to the mix (in the comments wherever you're reading this or direct message) to with a few words explaining why.
- Stormzy - Crownhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBwaflYUYrM
“Searchin' every corner of my mind, Lookin' for the answers I can't find, I have my reasons and life has its lessons and, I try to be grateful and count all my blessings, But heavy is the head that wears the crown”
So much here resonates; gratitude, blessing counting, yes, but wow, it can be tough being a leader, can't it?
2. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5uWRjFsGc
This is a musical magical mystery tour with the insistent and defiant call to take the blows and get up again, to keep on going even when it's tough.
“I get knocked down but I get up again, you're never going keep me down”
We do take some hits, for sure, and that's part of leadership, we need strength, we need persistence. Maybe this song embodies that.
It's also a great party sing-a-long where we can rock out a bit and lose ourselves a little, perhaps with a drink or two.
“I sing the songs that remind us of the good times, the songs that remind us of the better times.”
There's also a slightly incongruous section at the end, random, just like our work sometimes.
3. Matthew Wilder - Break my Stride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zljgs4W3uhI
“Ain't nothing gonna break my stride, Nobody gonna slow me down. Oh no, I got to keep on moving”
Another call to keep moving forward, this time in a gentle, lilting, reggae-pop kind of way. For some of us of a certain age, this 80s classic might bring back some youthful memories too.
Maybe jumping back in time can help us to get back to our childhood or teenage spaces, maybe give us some empathy for our students too.
4. Lanka - Everything's OKhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrcnkKVRi68
“Give me hope for a better day, a little love to find a way through this heaviness I feel. I just need someone to say, everything's okay.
Everything's okay!”
Sometimes we do need someone to tell us that everything's ok and this is a catchy, cutesie track that will get a bounce back in our step for sure. Things will, probably, be ok, won't they?
5. Derrick Harriot - Keep on Dancing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EWx_AnxBMs
“Keep on dancing and sock it to me baby”
The rich, heavy lilting rhythm and the driving bass urges us to keep on dancing. Again, it's one telling us we can take the hits and keep dancing, keep rolling, keep going. Maybe the best way to go is to dance, just find your beat.
6. Warren Zevon - Don't let us get sick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfGfiv9EgBU
A song title for the self-employed, right?
“Don't let us get sick, Don't let us get old, Don't let us get stupid, all right? Just make us be brave and make us play nice, let us be together tonight.”
Language school leadership gives us the opportunity to be connected to the young, to never loose touch with play. And when we play, let's play nicely.
7. Jack Johson - Better Together
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seZMOTGCDag
We are not on our own, sometimes it might like feel it though. This delightful, gentle song goes out to our professional networks and to our associations. Our networks can give us someone to go to when we need an idea, a different perspective, maybe even a shoulder to cry on. Networks can be local, regional, national and international, they can be online or IRL (in real life, face-to-face). Our professional associations, again near or far, can give us a real sense of belonging, of not being alone, of feeling like part òf something bigger. Associations can be business related, academically focussed or maybe even a combination of those. A good conference can get our juices flowing. Things are always better when we're together; thank you, Jack.
8. Kae Tempest - More Pressure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dulGZcuK1d0
“Less push, more flow, please let me let go… more relief, more belief”
Almost every line feels laden with meaning, especially for leaders, in almost any field. It's about finding a state where we can work well, grounded in reality, awake to and aware of what's going in around us and finding our flow.
9. Yes, we can can - Pointer Sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2U1OUxXSMM
“I know we can make it, I know we can work it out, I know darn well”
You can't argue with the sentiment and the driving, insistent, funky, soulful rhythms almost turn this into a mantra. We can make it, we can do it, keep on grooving.
10. Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkkIwO_X4i4
This is a loud, mad song from a post-punk, New York based band with Baltic beats and lots of shouting! The video really is a wonderfully anarchic piece of work too.
“Start wearing purple, wearing purple, Start wearing purple for me now, All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish, I promise, it's just a matter of time”
The song, perhaps consciously, echoes the poem “Warning” by Jenny Joseph, a humorous, tongue-in-cheek piece conveying a serious message for all, to never take ourselves too seriously or lose the twinkle in our eyes and, of course, to wear purple!
11. Morecombe and Wise - Bring me Sunshine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfXjDELeW5M
“In this world where we live, There should be more happiness, So much joy you can give, To each brand new bright tomorrow”
Is this it? Is this the theme tune to our working lives? An absolute classic from the playful duo. Much of our job should be fun and light, we should never lose sight of that. Of course language school leadership is a serious business but it should also make us smile, smile a lot and often. Working with students and teachers should be a joy, whenever we're feeling the weight, pop this one on and let it go. Let's enjoy the ride.
Hopefully this playlist has entertained, resonated and got you tapping your toes, maybe even dancing a bit. Please add your suggestions to the comments wherever you see this and we can share more songs for language school leaders together.
Managing in TEFL is a fortnightly companion for language school leaders, written by Simon Pearlman and brought to you by Active Language Teacher Training. Active Language provides Trinity DipTESOL, CertTESOL and Teaching Younger Learners courses, for more information, check out www.activelanguage.net