Sickbeats - TEACHERS’ DAY '23
- ejorigin
- Oct 5, 2023
- 7 min read
Written and Designed by: Ashley Teo (23-U1), Elina Ong (23-E3), Hannah Lai (23-E1), Hannah Phua (23-O4) Hannalyn (23-E3), Lee Chin Yi (23-E4), Tan Zhi Shan (23-I1), Ting Yan Tong (23-I1), Shervonn Tan (23-E6)
Introduction
One of September’s most distinct celebrations is the one that celebrates our very own teachers. In light of Teachers’ Day, ¿?sickbeats?¿ has compiled a list of songs – with one to describe every subject department in Eunoia – as a way to try to understand how our very own teachers feel about what they teach.
GP & KI
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Fall Out Boy, a rendition of Billy Joel’s song of the same title, lists political, cultural, sporting, and scientific events which were significant from 1989 to 2023. This feels like such a GP song due to the association of current affairs with the subject. Furthermore, the brief mention of the events without much detail leave you curious to find out more, a valued mindset in KI. Thus, we feel that this song aptly describes GP and KI.
English Literature
“All the Right Moves" by OneRepublic is about self-doubt, introspection, and making choices. The lyrics talk about questioning decisions and fearing the consequences of one's actions. This could be analogous to characters in literature who grapple with moral dilemmas, trying to make the "right moves" in their own stories. The idea of looking back and reflecting on past choices could be seen as similar to how readers analyse characters' decisions in books. It is akin to literature teachers encouraging students to think critically about character motivations, plot development, and the impact of choices within the stories they study.
Project Work
Though this title may not sound familiar, Alle Farben and Fool’s Garden’s song “Lemon Tree” has a very distinct lyric that just about everyone knows: “I wonder how, I wonder why”. This perfectly encapsulates the Project Work department, whose teachers love consistently commenting in our written report drafts “how?” and “why?”, making us crack our heads over what more we have to add. Their constant questioning always sends our own minds “turnin', turnin', turnin', turnin', turnin' around”, but they have our best interest at heart.
MTL
Clicking the attached link brings you to the whole NDP2023 performance, but the part that we think can be used to represent Eunoia’s Mother Tongue Language department will be from the time stamp 1:33:12 to 1:43:37. This is, obviously, because the various races each have a moment to sing various uplifting tunes in celebration of National Day. The vibrant colours used and the cheerful melodies encapsulates EJC’s MTL department, who can be quite a fun bunch so long as every student is staying on task and listening in class.
History
With references to Kennedy, Mussolini, Stalin and Gandhi, this song definitely relates to some of the propaganda from authoritarian states that we study about in the history syllabus. Uniquely, the song also prominently includes several audio samples of speeches from 20th-century political leaders. For example, John F. Kennedy's inaugural address is heard ("Ask not what your country can do for you ...") in a rest in the music at 4:35, and the song also ends with Franklin D. Roosevelt saying "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Just like the hilarious history role plays we do in history lessons sometimes, this song may bring back some special memories from when Mr Lee and Mr Yong dressed up as dictators during the lecture seminar on the Korean War, embodying the Cult of Personality phenomenon.
Geography
Geog kids will remember that day in Lecture Theatre 1, when we heard the most glorious rendition of The Little Mermaid’s “Under The Sea”. If you (a geog kid) do not remember, shame on you. What we heard that day was a parody of this iconic song, based on the hydrological cycle. Though, it’s not this scene alone that led me to pick this song, but also that it resembles the geography experience: Turbulent. Like the sea, at times exciting and humorous, other times intimidating, somehow it manages to keep us interested all throughout. Mostly :). As our upbeat teachers continue to show us the ropes, we will do our best to navigate the high seas towards victory!
Economics
“I just wanted you to know that this is me trying.” Just like Taylor Swift, we are trying our best to ace econs. While this song is about her trying to repair a relationship, to us econs students, this song is about us trying our best in a new subject. “I’ve been having a hard time adjusting”, as the opening line, truly encompasses how we, as brand new JC students, felt while experiencing the new subject and environment at the start of the year. On another note, Taylor Swift’s concert tickets have been a popular example for econs questions this year so this song choice felt just right. We truly appreciate the effort and patience the econs teachers have given us and we want you to know that we are also putting in effort on our part!
Arts
‘Miracle shopping’, otherwise known as the ‘Don Don Donki Song’ is a tune that has evoked many mixed feelings over the years. When asked for a song that reminded them of their art teacher, I learnt that this was a song well loved by them as it was a running joke among the students and their teacher. According to their teacher Ms Quek, she chose this song to play in her art lesson as the high bpm supposedly made the students work faster. Although it was only played once, the students fondly remembered this song as it encapsulates the humorous lessons they have, and their close bond with one another.
Music
Dedicated to our music department is Do-Re-Mi, the classic song from The Sound of Music that most of us learnt in our music lessons. Although most of us no longer take music as a subject, the lyrics of this song invokes a sense of nostalgia in us as we recall our time in music lessons, singing off-key to this very song that taught us about scales. As the lyrics go: “When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything”. Although seemingly mundane, this song teaches us about finding hope and joy in the simplest things.
Mathematics
An apt title for a summary of the thoughts ruminating on students' heads when doing mathematics, the lyrics of I Will Survive by none other than Gloria Gaynor definitely strikes a familiar chord in the heart of mathematics students. “At first I was afraid, I was petrified” is a lyric that rings true when we first face the rigorous Math questions. I’m sure that “You think I’d crumble?” is a question most of us would ask Math if, by some divine intervention, it was personified. Just like Gaynor overcoming her heartbreak, so will we overcome the difficult Math questions, thanks to the fierce efforts of our passionate Math department!
Physics
Picking a song to properly represent the Eunoia Physics Department was a tough choice. It was a close competition between their covers of Best Day Of My Life and Into the Unknown. Both covers stunned us with their wonderful vocals, but we eventually settled on their cover of Best Day Of My Life. It had better lyrics and harmonisation, a testament to our physics teachers’ efforts. On top of that, we also gained insight into the gruelling experience they underwent just to green-screen all our lecture videos, providing us with entertainment amidst our physics lessons.
Biology
Sugar. Glucose. The first friend we meet as we go through the JC biology syllabus. The friend that keeps us alive as we wade through our notes to commit them to memory. I adore biology; it keeps my heart pumping. It’s a study of ourselves, how fascinating! We know so little despite spending everyday with ourselves, so how could I turn my nose up at the chance of learning more? Unfortunately, just like sugar, it can get overwhelming at times with how memory heavy some topics can get (I’m looking at you cell structure). However, we can thank our amazing biology department for saving us from our own mistakes time and time again, even from the most embarrassing microscopy mistakes. For their hard work, let’s strive to survive JC Bio! Let’s give our biology department a little bit more sweetness in their lives! (P.S. Can I have a copy of Viral Mania?)
Chemistry
"Clair De Lune", composed by Claude Debussy, has been proven to be one of the top songs to promote dopamine release. Translated to ‘Moonlight’ in English, the classical piece is well known to many. The delicate melody, combined with the subtle shifts in harmonies and gentle crescendos, creates a soothing and dreamlike experience. The pauses in between the notes as well as the tonal ambiguity of not knowing what harmony is awaiting keep listeners interested. Studies have shown that the longer we are denied the pattern we expect, the greater the emotional release when the pattern returns. This journey leads to the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation. With its enchanting composition, "Clair De Lune" effortlessly reminds us of the profound impact that music can have on our bodily chemistry.
PE
Even without having watched Madagascar, this song is no doubt very recognisable. Reel 2 Real’s “I Like to Move It” was a prominent soundtrack in the animated movies, and its chorus also wonderfully encapsulates Eunoia’s PE Department. The chorus of this song is dominated by a single line: “I like to move it, move it”. Everyone knows that PE is the one subject in school that requires constant movement. The speed of the song matches the fast nature of sports, and the funness of playing the sports in lessons is reflected by the hype beats of the song. Our PE department certainly keeps us on our feet, constantly moving, be it through playing sports, doing exercises or training for Eurun.
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