Karaoke in the Classroom

Consider this an explanatory footnote to an article entitled "An Argument for a New Emphasis on Rhetoric in High-School English/Language Arts Instruction" which contains the phrase "karaoke in the classroom".

There are several benefits to be found in using Karaoke or other, similar activities that share performance characteristics. Properly overseen, it provides a safe opportunity to confront performance anxiety and, with universal participation, promotes the critical skills that emerge from being an attentive and empathetic audience member.

Performance before the class could be a confidence-builder for individual students and, properly overseen by an attentive instructor who enforces a respectful atmosphere, a useful way to construct a community of trust.

In addition to singing in front of the class, other possible exercises could include poetry and dramatic readings, skits or short plays--basically, any activity in which a student is demonstrating something prepared specifically to perform before the class. The audience specificity is key, because it forces each student to examine and tune his or her psychological models of the rest of the class in the aggregate and as individuals.

Performance skills and the confidence to speak publicly are a foundation for skills useful in any future endeavor and should be considered a high priority in any rhetoric-oriented curriculum.