BRITISH schools have come up with a novel method to boost students’ interest in classics — teenagers can now listen to the works of Shakespeare and Jane Austen as rap, pop and rock songs, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The program, entitled LearnThruMusic, is going through trials in 36 schools, including three pupil referral units for excluded teenagers. The schools download the specially written songs for their 10,000 GCSE pupils, to give them an extra edge in their exams. The professionally-recorded tracks, based on set texts in English literature, teach teenagers about themes in the GCSE curriculum. They include a Lord Of The Flies rap, a heavy-metal track based on To Kill A Mockingbird and a rock version of Othello.
Two young entrepreneurs set up Rewise, the company that produces the songs, and worked alongside teachers to make sure the lyrics reflected the curriculum. The songs are performed by professional singers and musicians.
